Pope Francis highlighted the presence of children at a religious ceremony held in East Timor on Tuesday and linked it to a “reality” of the Catholic religion, the Vatican reported.
BUENOS AIRES (NA).- “God becomes a child, not only to amaze and move us, but also to open us to the love of the Father and to allow us to be shaped by Him. This reality is beautiful in East Timor, because there are so many children, and you are a young country where life is alive and breathing in every corner.”he stressed.
He argued that “The presence of so many young people and so many children is an immense gift, which is constantly renewed” The Pope spoke to the 600,000 faithful gathered on the Taci Tolu esplanade. The protected area on the Timorese coast, less than 10 kilometres from the capital, Dili, had been visited by Saint John Paul II in 1989 during his trip to the country.
Francis met privately with members of the Society of Jesus at the apostolic nunciature before celebrating Mass, Vatican News reported.
The Supreme Pontiff arrived at the esplanade amid crowds of men and women crowded along the sides of the streets, while some greeted him from the rooftops of houses.
During the Mass he repeated the words of the prophet Isaiah proclaimed in the First Reading when he said in a prosperous Jerusalem, but at a time of great moral decadence: “God shines his saving light through the gift of a son.”
“God’s closeness is through a child. God becomes a child not only to amaze and move us, but also to open us to the love of the Father and to allow us to be shaped by Him, so that He can heal our wounds, resolve our differences, and put our existence in order.”the Pope stressed.
Highlighting the joyful presence of numerous children in the young Southeast Asian country, Francis noted: “Only by becoming children do we allow God to act in us, like Mary, whom we venerate today as Queen, that is, as the mother of a King who wanted to be born small, to become our brother.”
“Mary (…) chose to remain small all her life, to become ever smaller, serving, praying, disappearing to make room for Jesus, even when this cost her a lot,” the Pontiff continued.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Archbishop of Dili, Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, recalled that the visit of Pope Saint John Paul II marked “the decisive step in the process of self-determination of the country, which became independent.”
And he commented that today, “The presence of Pope Francis marks a fundamental step in the process of building the country, its identity and its culture.”
After bidding farewell to Dili with an official ceremony, the Pope will head to Singapore, the next stage of his tour, on Wednesday.
COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Speaking to the 600,000 faithful gathered in Taci Tolu, Pope Francis stressed that “the presence of so many young people and so many children is an immense gift, which constantly renews” vital energy. PHOTO: VATICAN NEWS
