Tuesday, 13 March 2018

Pope Francis - Happy Anniversary

Today is the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as Supreme Pontiff. These are the landmark dates of Jorge Bergoglio:
Born December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Entered the Society of Jesus: March 11, 1958
Ordained priest: December 13, 1969
Consecrated Bishop: June 27, 1992
Elevated to Cardinal: February 21, 2001
Elected Pope: March 13, 2013

To commemorate this milestone, I share with you a few important quotes from our Pope:
On the family - “In the family we learn solidarity, how to share, to discern, to walk ahead with each other’s problems, to fight and to make up, to argue and to embrace and to kiss. The family is the first school of the nation, and in the family you will find that richness and value that you have.” (February 16, 2016)

On the environment - "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth" - from his June 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si.

On Mercy - "There is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father" - extending permanently his decree to allow priests to grant absolution to women who have had abortions, at the end of his Jubilee Year of Mercy in November 2016.

On Tolerance - "If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?" - groundbreaking signal of a more tolerant Church, July 2013.

On Inclusion – “We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.”

On the Church - “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”

On Joy - “And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but of having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst.”

No comments:

Post a Comment