The Pope met with some 700 children from the “Community of John XXIII” and asked them to pray for peace. In your “family environment”, the Pope told them, even those without a family can find a father and a mother.
(Vatican News Network) On the morning of January 14th, Pope Francis received the children of the “John XXIII Group” in the Pope Paul VI Hall, and together with them he loudly thanked the founder of this group, Father Oreste Benzi. This group provides a real family for children without parents, allowing them to be accompanied by a father and a mother full-time, while also helping minors and poor people in need, without any discrimination.
The Pope told the children before him that God “knows each of us by name”. He said: “We are not without names, we are not photocopies, we are all originals! And so must we: be originals, not copies, as Blessed Carlo Acutis said. As he said, he was a child just like you. God knows each of us, our names and our faces, and we are all unique. Of course, we have our faults; some of us unfortunately have serious Weaknesses. But this in no way detracts from a person’s worth: each person is unique, a child of God, and each person is a brother or sister of Jesus, unique.”
The Pope went on to say that there are several signs that a person is received with love, one of which is a smile. The smile shows that the child “feels loved and accepted for who they are,” and the stories of children accepted into the group tell of this smile. The Pope spoke of a common experience of the many children present, namely the family environment. He added that this reality came out of “Father Benzi’s mind and heart”. “He was a priest who saw children and young people with the eyes of Jesus and with the heart of Jesus. He approached those who misbehaved, who went astray, and understood what they lacked was fatherhood and motherhood, brotherhood,” said the Pope. emotion.”
Pope Francis emphasized that this family environment is a reality of full-time hospitality, and that those called by God to this mission become fathers and mothers to those without families. “In this family there is a space for everyone: minors, disabled, elderly, Italian or foreign, and anyone looking for a fixed place to start over, there is a family to be found. This family is every A place where individuals are cared for, both those who are hosted and those who host others, because the family is a response to the innate need of every human being to form a relationship.”
The pope concluded by asking the children to pray for peace. He said: “I want to tell you: God will hear your prayers for peace, even though they may not seem to be prayers; we believe that God gives peace, just today! God will give us peace, but it depends on whether we Accept it in your heart and in your life. Be confident that God will hear your prayers and go forward!”
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