The Weekly Francis – Volume 449

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 1 February 2023 to 7 February 2023.

Homilies

1 February 2023 – Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo’ Holy Mass at ‘Ndolo’ Airport (Kinshasa, 1st February 2023)
5 February 2023 – Apostolic Journey to South Sudan’ Holy Mass at ‘John Garang’ Mausoleum (Juba)

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

“There is no Christianity without community,just as there is no peace without fraternity. Let us believe in community and,with God’s help,build a Church free of the worldly spirit and full of the Holy Spirit, ree from the personal hoarding of riches and filled with brotherly love!” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“I ask all who orchestrate war in the #DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo to listen to the voice of God who calls you to conversion. Put an end to war. Stop getting rich at the cost of the poor. Stop getting rich from resources and money stained with blood!” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“With pain in my heart, I ask God to forgive the violence of man against man. Father, have mercy on us! Console the victims and those who suffer. Convert the hearts of those who carry out brutal atrocities that bring shame upon all humanity! #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“Hatred and violence are never acceptable, never justifiable, never tolerable, all the more so for Christians. Hate merely breeds further hate and violence further violence. #ApostolicJourney Speech” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“The Lord is to be sought and loved in the poor. As Christians, we must take care not to distance them from us. There is something wrong when a believer keeps Christ’s loved ones at a distance. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“Poverty and rejection are an offence against the human person, disfiguring his or her dignity. They are like ashes that extinguish the fire carried within as persons created in the image of God. Only by restoring dignity do we restore humanity! #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“Christ wants to anoint us with his forgiveness, to give us peace and the courage to forgive others in turn, the courage to grant others a great amnesty of the heart. May today be a time of grace for you to accept and experience Jesus’ forgiveness!” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“We Christians are called to break the cycle of violence, to dismantle the machinations of hatred to be a conscience of peace in our world: witnesses of love, fraternity and forgiveness, missionaries of the love God has for each human being. ncpRnaA Homily” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“How can we safeguard and cultivate the peace of Jesus? He himself points to three wellsprings of peace, three sources from which we can draw as we continue to nurture peace. They are forgiveness, community and mission. #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 1 February 2023
“We have been called to offer our lives for our brothers and sisters, and to bring them Jesus, the One who alone heals the wounds of every heart.” @Pontifex, 2 February 2023
“When we remain docile in God’s hands, He shapes us to become a people of reconciliation, capable of openness and dialogue, acceptance and forgiveness, who make rivers of peace flow through the arid plains of violence. #ApostolicJourney #DRCongo” @Pontifex, 2 February 2023
“The #PresentationOfTheLord, which in the Christian East is called the “feast of the encounter”, reminds us of the priority for our life: our encounter with the Lord, especially in personal prayer, because our relationship with Him is the basis of everything we do.” @Pontifex, 2 February 2023
“God has placed the gift of life in your hands. From your hands tomorrow is born. From your hands peace so lacking in this country can come about. I would like to suggest some “ingredients for the future”: five of them, each corresponding to a finger on your hand #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex, 2 February 2023
“Overcome evil with good. May you be the ones who transform society, the ones who turn evil into good, hatred into love, war into peace. KFhA Speech” @Pontifex, 2 February 2023
“It has been a joy for me to spend these days in your country which, with its large forest, represents the “green heart” of Africa, a lung for the whole world. #ApostolicJourney #DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo” @Pontifex, 3 February 2023
“As a Church we need to breathe the pure air of the Gospel, to dispel the tainted air of worldliness, to safeguard the young heart of faith. That is how I imagine the African Church and that is how I see this Congolese Church.” @Pontifex, 3 February 2023
“I come to #SouthSudan as a pilgrim of peace, with two brothers: the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. We stretch out our hands to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. @JustinWelby @churchmoderator” @Pontifex, 3 February 2023
“In the name of God, in whom so many people of #SouthSudan believe, it is time to say enough. No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations. No more destruction; it is time to build! Leave the time of war behind, and let a time of #Peace dawn!” @Pontifex, 3 February 2023
“Let us set out each day praying for one another, working together as witnesses of the peace of Jesus, by persevering in the same journey by our practical acts of charity and unity. In all things, let us love one another from the heart. #EcumenicalPilgrimage” @Pontifex, 4 February 2023
“I plead with everyone from the heart: let us help #SouthSudan; let us not abandon its population that continues to suffer greatly! Together with urgently needed aid, it is very important to accompany the population on the path of development and independent growth.” @Pontifex, 4 February 2023
“I renew my forceful and heartfelt appeal to end all conflict in #SouthSudan, and to resume the #peace process so that violence can end and people can return to living with dignity. #EcumenicalPilgrimage Ig Speech” @Pontifex, 4 February 2023
“We cannot remain neutral before the pain caused by acts of injustice and violence. To violate the fundamental rights of any woman or man is an offence against Christ. #ApostolicJourney #SouthSudan YlTWz Speech” @Pontifex, 4 February 2023
“We all bear in our heart the desire to live as brothers and sisters, in mutual assistance and harmony. The fact that this often does not occur – and, unfortunately, we have dramatic signs of this – should further stimulate the search for #HumanFraternity. @alimamaltayeb” @Pontifex, 4 February 2023
“We entrust to Our Lady of Africa the cause of #Peace in #SouthSudan and in the entire African continent. To Our Lady we also entrust peace in our world, especially in the many countries at war, like Ukraine, which suffers so greatly. #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 5 February 2023
“Dear brothers and sisters of #SouthSudan, I return to Rome with you even closer to my heart. You are in my heart; you are in the hearts of Christians worldwide! Never lose hope. And lose no opportunity to build #Peace in your country!” @Pontifex, 5 February 2023
“I came to #SouthSudan with my brothers Justin and Iain, whom I sincerely thank. We will continue to accompany your steps and do all we can to make them steps of #Peace, steps to peace. #EcumenicalPilgrimage @JustinWelby @churchmoderator” @Pontifex, 5 February 2023
“I pray that you will be salt that spreads, dissolves and seasons #SouthSudan with the fraternal taste of the Gospel. May your Christian communities shine radiantly, so they show that it is beautiful and possible to live with generosity and to build together a reconciled future.” @Pontifex, 5 February 2023
“Even though we are tiny and frail, and our strength seems paltry before the magnitude of our problems and the blind fury of violence, we are able to make a decisive contribution to changing history. https://t.co/eVXgsGySuT Homily” @Pontifex, 5 February 2023
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the huge loss of life caused by the earthquake in #Türkiye and in #Syria. Entrusting those who have died to the loving mercy of the Almighty, I pray for the emergency personnel involved in the ongoing relief efforts.” @Pontifex, 6 February 2023
“I remain close with all my heart to the people affected by the earthquake in #Türkiye and #Syria. I continue to pray for those who have lost their lives, as well as the injured, family members, and rescuers. May our concrete aid sustain them in the midst of this appalling tragedy” @Pontifex, 7 February 2023