Pope Leo XIV, with his appeal to the Virgin of Lourdes in the grotto of the Vatican Gardens this morning, after the General Audience. And the solemn celebration at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo (Peru), on the World Day of the Sick, will be the focus of the Church's prayers for the sick and their families on the 11th.
In the Audience Pope Leo XIV prayed for the sick and for all the Romans and pilgrims present in the Paul VI Hall, asking “that Our Lady of Lourdes, whom we celebrate today, may accompany you maternally, intercede for you before God and obtain for you the graces that will sustain you on your journey”.
Afterwards, he announced: “At the end of the audience, I will go to the grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens and light a candle, a sign of my prayer for all the sick, whom today, World Day of the Sick, we remember with special affection”.
“I unite spiritually with all those gathered today in Chiclayo, Peru”.”
Addressing the Spanish-speaking pilgrims, one of the nine languages in which the Pope offers his Wednesday catechesis, Pope Leo said: “I unite myself spiritually with all those who are gathered today at Chiclayo, Peru, to solemnly celebrate the World Day of the Sick and I entrust all, especially the sick and their families, to the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.
At the same time, he commended” the victims and all those affected by the severe floods in Colombia, “while I urge the entire community to support the affected families with charity and prayer. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
Peru: sick people to offer “the pains of their lives” for peace
In the Letter sent by the Pontiff to the special envoy to Chiclayo, Cardinal Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, the Pope referred on January 21 to the “beloved land of Peru, whose faithful, guided by piety and love, confidently seek refuge under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.
Leo XIV confided to the faithful that since twelve years ago, when “in the cathedral dedicated to Our Lady, Mother of God, we were elevated to the sacred order of the episcopate for the diocese of Chiclayo, so dear to us”, “we have unceasingly entrusted with solicitude to the Blessed Virgin not only our apostolic mission, but also the progress in the Christian faith of the holy people of God and, now in a special way, of the whole Church”.
“We humbly pray for them.”
And he formulated his request: “in special union of prayer with the Church throughout the world for all the sick faithful affected by illness, pathologies or pain, we humbly ask that they, supported by this maternal intercession, may want to offer all the discomforts of their lives to the merciful God, through Mary, for the peace of this world”.
“In fact, as St. Augustine rightly teaches, the human spirit is restless, and only in the ineffable charity of God and in its application to daily and spiritual life can it find true and lasting peace (cf. St. Augustine, Confessions, I, 1, 1).”.
Lent begins next Wednesday
In the Audience, addressing the English-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father recalled that “next Wednesday, the 18th, the season of Lent begins. It is a time to deepen our knowledge and love of the Lord, to examine our hearts and our lives, and to refocus our gaze on Jesus and his love for us”.
“May these days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving,” he encouraged, “be a source of strength in our daily effort to take up our cross and follow Christ. Upon you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!”.
From the Holy Land, Poles, Saints Cyril and Methodius, European Unity
The Pope greeted the “Arabic-speaking faithful, especially those coming from the Holy Land, from the school of the Sisters of Nazareth of Haifa”. And referring to the Poles, he said that “these days we remember Saints Cyril and Methodius, apostles of the Slavs and patrons of Europe, fathers of Christianity, of the language and culture of the Slavic peoples”.
“Let us return to his apostolic work - as St. John Paul II exhorted - in building a new unity of the European continent, to overcome tensions, divisions and religious and political antagonisms (cf. Slavorum Apostoli). My blessing to all!” he greeted.
In his words to the Italian-speaking people, the Pope greeted “the participants in the priestly formation course promoted by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, the parish of the Sacred Heart of Andria and the Community of the Resurrection of Rome”.
“Deep link between the Word of God and the Church”. Frequent reading of the Bible
In his catechesis, the Successor of Peter pointed out that “the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum reflects on the profound bond that exists between the Word of God and the Church. The Bible has its origin in the People of God and is addressed to them; this means that its power and meaning are fully manifested in the life and faith of the Christian community”.
In this vein, after quoting Benedict XVI and St. Jerome, he said to the German-speaking pilgrims and faithful: “Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, the Church has been entrusted with the mission of guarding and proclaiming the Word of God so that it may reach all people and nourish the lives of believers. Therefore, I invite you to read the Bible frequently in order to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and to bear witness to the living Word of God with your life”.
Love and familiarity with the Holy Scriptures
Earlier in his address, the Pope had stated that “Christ is the living Word of the Father, the Word of God made flesh, our Savior.
Therefore, all the faithful are called to approach the Sacred Scriptures with love and familiarity, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments”.
Leo XIV concluded by affirming that “all the Scriptures proclaim his Person and his saving presence for all of us and for all humanity. Let us open our hearts and minds to accept this gift, following Mary, Mother of the Church.
Español 
English 
Italiano