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Pope urges parish communities to support each other


Pope Francis greeted thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square today for his General Audience. During his catechesis, the Holy Father stressed the importance of unity in the Church and in our lives.

We, the members of the Church, are all sinners, he said, but the unity and holiness of the Church arise from God and calls us daily to conversion. The Holy Father said that the sins against unity, such as jealousy, envy, and  antipathy come about when we place ourselves first - something which does happen in parish communities.

Pope Francis underlined that in a Christian community, division is one of the worst sins because it comes not from God but from the Devil. God’s will, stressed Pope Francis “is that we grow in our capacity to welcome one another, to forgive and to love, and to resemble Jesus.”

Giving an example of Christ’s unity and holiness at work, Pope Francis recounted a story he had heard about an elderly woman who, all her life worked for her parish. She was a women who never gossiped, never spoke ill of anyone and always had a smile on her face. This is the kind of woman, said the Pope that could be “canonized tomorrow”. This, the Holy Father noted, is the holiness of the Church – “to recognize the image of God in one another”.

At the end of his Catechesis, the Holy Father asked that everyone examine their consciences and look for forgiveness “for the times when we have given rise to division or misunderstanding in our communities and may our relationships mirror more beautifully and joyfully the unity of Jesus and the Father.”

He concluded by offering special 'affectionate greetings' to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present - including those from England, Malta and Canada.  "May Jesus Christ confirm you in faith and make you witnesses of the holiness and unity of the Church.  May God bless you all!"

Source: Vatican Radio/VIS

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