Catechesis: The Apostolic Journey to Spain
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!
Today I would like to share some reflections on the Apostolic Journey I made last week to Spain, visiting Madrid, Barcelona, the Abbey of Montserrat and the Canary Islands.
After the long journey in four African countries, this time I found myself immersed in a European country with an ancient and very rich Catholic tradition. And it appeared evident that today in Spain, which has experienced significant social and cultural changes, the Pope was welcomed everywhere with enthusiasm and readiness to listen. For this I give thanks to God and to the entire Spanish people, the King and the civil authorities, the bishops and the ecclesial communities.
The people of God gave me great comfort through their joyful expression of their faith and affection. For my part, I confirmed the faithful and, as Bishop of Rome, I encouraged them to overcome every form of division and conflict by always promoting communion, dialogue and unity in diversity. This is the very service of the Successor of Peter, a service which finds a specific expression in Apostolic Journeys, each time adapted to the ecclesial and social situations of the countries visited.
In the case of Spain, I was able to observe with joy how much people of every age and situation were looking forward to the Pope’s visit: everywhere I found multitudes who welcomed me with great warmth. This fact was not to be taken for granted, and is worthy of reflection. Naturally such participation expresses, first of all, as I said, the faith of the Spanish people; at the same time, I believe it reveals a widespread need to find unity on a true and deep foundation, one that is neither ideological nor based on partial interests. That foundation which, in the final analysis, only Christ can ensure, and which the Gospel, through the necessary “inculturation”, can convey in the lives of peoples. It can do so because its message fully responds to both these needs: the search for truth and the thirst for justice.
In Madrid and Barcelona, we gathered in the great Cathedral as well as in modern stadiums. We prayed the holy Rosary at the Abbey of Montserrat. We celebrated at the Sagrada Família, a majestic symbol, a symphony of stones and light that speaks of the Christian mystery to everyone. This encounter of ancient and modern, Catholic tradition and contemporary culture enabled me to perceive first-hand the very character of Europe, its inestimable wealth, as a living reality, not a thing of the past. It is a heritage to be safeguarded with care, so that it may be invested in today’s global world with its momentous challenges: peace, integral ecology, equitable and sustainable development, and respect for human dignity. They are challenges that the Second Vatican Council had already clearly recognized, and to which the subsequent Magisterium returned, up to me recent Encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which aims to safeguard the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.
I grasped, through the various meetings, the need to listen through the Pope’s voice the Gospel of hope for today’s humanity, sorely tried by the negative consequences of a deceptive model of development. This need, which found expression in the many testimonies I was able to listen to – testimonies at times moving, at times edifying – I recognized also and above all in the faces of the little ones and the poor whom I met: the child who read his letter to me in the parish; some victims of abuse, who ask to be heard; the inmates who were waiting for me in the prison; the young people full of anxiety and aspirations; the migrants in the reception centres in the Canary Islands.
It was precisely there, in the Canary Islands – the final stop on our journey – that I was offered a comprehensive insight. It was offered to me, on the one hand, by the very geographical location of that archipelago; and, on the other, by the reality of a local Church which welcomes a large number of forced migrants, coming mainly from Africa. We know that the phenomenon of migration is complex, and requires organic and coordinated action plans. But this interpretation opens up a different, broader perspective: it enables us to understand how we are called to reread the Gospel in today’s world, exchanging with each other the gifts of our respective cultures, and in particular the results produced in them by the fruitfulness of Christ’s message. And one of these fruits is precisely the dialogue between people and between peoples, the encounter in a spirit of fraternity, which enables us to discover and appreciate one another’s values. This path is not easy; it requires goodwill and God’s help, but it is the path that leads to the civilization of love.
Dear brothers and sisters, the motto of this Apostolic Journey was “Alzad la mirada”, “Lift up your eyes!” (cf. Jn 4:35). These are the words of Jesus, addressed to the first disciples, to teach them to see in people and in the crowds the desire for life, truth, and fullness. The Lord repeats those words to me first, and by His grace I also experienced them during this Journey. Today I would like to share this invitation with you: let us lift up our eyes! Let us learn from Jesus to look at our neighbour, at people, at the world “through God’s eyes”, that is, with love, respect and compassion.
Finally, I want to thank all those who prayed for the success of this Apostolic Journey, especially the contemplative nuns, who in Spain, thanks be to God, are very numerous. Continue to pray, so that, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the seeds I scattered may bear abundant fruit. Thank you!
Source: vatican.va
