Before more than forty thousand pilgrims and faithful gathered with the Pope to celebrate the solemn celebration of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord, Leo XIV blessed the olive branches and palms next to the obelisk in St. Peter's Square.
And in the Àngelus said that “with our prayer we are closer than ever to the Christians of the Middle East who suffer the consequences of an atrocious conflict and, in many cases, cannot fully live the rites of these holy days”.
Then, after the Eucharist and before praying the Angelus, he appealed for unity. “Precisely, while the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord's Passion, we cannot forget those who today participate in a real way in his suffering.”.
“The earth, the sky and the sea have been created for life and for peace.”
“The ordeal they are undergoing challenges the conscience of all,” the Pontiff continued. “Let us raise our supplication to the Prince of Peace, that he may sustain the peoples wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace.”.
The Pope also commended to the Lord “all the sailors who are victims of war: I pray for the dead, for the wounded and for their families. The earth, the sky and the sea were created for life and for peace”.
He also asked that “we pray for all migrants who have died at sea, in particular for those who have lost their lives in recent days off the coast of the island of Crete”.
Jesus, King of Peace
The Pope made his request by the hand of the Virgin Mary, to whom he turned “entrusting all our petitions to her intercession. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by her in these holy days, to follow Jesus, our Savior, with faith and love”.
In the homily of the Mass of the Palm Sunday, The Pope's most frequent appeal was ‘Jesus, King of Peace’, and it was on Him that he directed his meditation.
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of peace. A God who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify the confrontation, who does not listen to the prayer of those who make war and rejects it saying: ‘No matter how many prayers you multiply, I do not listen: your hands are full of blood!’ (Is 1,15).
In Jesus “we see the crucified of humanity”.”
“Looking at him, who was crucified for us, we see the crucified of humanity. In his wounds we see the wounds of so many men and women today,” the Pope stressed.
“In his last cry addressed to the Father, we hear the cries of those who are despondent, of those who lack hope, of those who are sick, of those who are alone. And, above all, we hear the groan of pain of each one of those who are oppressed by violence and of each victim of war”.
“God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your arms!”
Christ, King of peace, continues to cry out from his cross: “God is love, have mercy, lay down your arms, remember that you are brothers”, has cried out Pope Leo.
In concluding, the Pope recalled “the words of the servant of God, Bishop Tonino Bello,” to “entrust this cry to Mary Most Holy, who stands beneath the cross of her Son and weeps also at the feet of the crucified of today.”.
Are we really defending the human being?
Regarding his trip to the Principality of Monaco yesterday, the Pope urged the Catholic community, among other messages, “to give passionate and generous service in evangelization. Proclaim the Gospel of life, hope and love. Bring the light of the Gospel to all, so that the life of every man and woman from conception to its natural end may be defended and promoted”.
He went on to ask: “Are we really defending the human being and are we protecting the dignity of the person in the protection of life in all its phases?.
In front of the Church of Saint Devote, patron saint of the Principality of Monaco, Leo XIV met with young people and catechumens and spoke to them about the example of the saint. martyr and St. Carlo Acutis. “The witness of faith is a seed that can reach and fertilize hearts and faraway places, far beyond our expectations and possibilities,” he said.
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