Ecuador: Pope reflects on sun and moon

Chimborazo - place furthest from centre of the earth

Several hundred thousand people and lined the streets of Quito amid a shower of flower petals, to welcome Pope Francis on his return to Latin America.

After stepping off the plane from his long flight, the Pope was welcomed at the airport by Ecuador's President Rafael Correa with a moving speech where he calls their guest a "moral giant" for the international scene and expressed several points in which their concerns converged. The Pope then added emphasis to that "consonance", who presented himself as a witness of God's mercy and of faith in Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis said, in the Gospel one can find the key to meeting contemporary challenges: respecting differences and fostering dialogue, wth particular concern for the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters, to fragile minorities, who are the "debt still outstanding in Latin America". He told the president: "you can always count on the commitment and cooperation of the Church to serve the Ecuadorian people who move forward with great dignity".

In the Andes which span the country, the peak of Chimborazo is geographically located "closest to the sun and the moon", the Pope recalled. And as his predecessor had done before him, Pope Francis observed: "We Christians identify Christ with the sun, and the moon with the Church". As the moon does not have its own light but is illuminated by the by the Sun, so is the Church by Christ. And if she moves away or hides from Him, "she will be in darkness and no longer able to offer witness", he warned.

Thus, in order to be a reflection of the light and love of the Lord, the Pope concluded, the people of Ecuador must "never lose the ability to thank God for what he has done and is doing".

"May you never lose the ability to protect what is small and simple, to care for your children and for your elderly, who are the living memory of your people, to have confidence in the young, and to be constantly struck by the nobility of your people and the singular beauty of your country", which, "according to the president, is nothing short of paradise".

Source: Vatican Radio/OR