Last Sunday, Pope Francis conducted a pastoral visit to Cesena and Bologna. The following are quotes from some of his speeches:

The 3 Ps of the Pope

In his homily at the Dall’Ara Stadium of Bologna, the Pope said: “‘Parola’, the Word, the compass that points out the way of humble journeying; ‘Pane’, bread, the Bread of the Eucharist, which is the starting point of everything; and ‘poveri’, the poor, not only those who are poor in material terms, but even more, those who are spiritually impoverished. In all these we find Jesus, because the Lord entered the world in poverty, through an emptying of himself, as St Paul says. It would do us good to always remember these three terms: ‘the Word’, ‘Bread’, and ‘the poor’.”

Economic crisis and common good

Meeting workers in the main square of Bologna, the Pope said: “The economic crisis has a European and global dimension. And, as we know, it’s also an ethical, spiritual and human crisis. At the root is a betrayal of the common good, be it by individuals, be it by groups of power. Therefore, it is necessary to take away centrality from the law of profit and assign it to the person and the common good. However, for this centrality to be real, effective, and not only proclaimed in words, it’s necessary to increase the opportunities of fitting work. This is a task that belongs to the entire society: in this phase, in a special way, the whole social body in its various components, is called to make every effort so that work, which is the primary factor of dignity, is a central concern.”

The eyes and heart of migrants

Speaking to migrants in Bologna, the Pope said: “Many who don’t know you are afraid of you. They feel they have the right to judge you, and to treat you with harshness and coldness because they think they’re seeing things correctly, but that’s not so. You only see correctly with closeness and mercy. Without it, the other remains a stranger, even an enemy, and can’t become my neighbour.

“I’m here with you because I want to carry your eyes in mine, your hearts in mine. I want to carry your faces with me, which ask to be remembered, helped, even, I would say, ‘adopted’, because in the end you’re looking for somebody to bet on you, to trust you, to help you find in the future the same hope that got you this far.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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