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Pope Francis' final Mass in Japan at Tokyo Dome


Source: Vatican News/JNS/JT

More than 55,000 people including many students from Catholic schools, attended Mass with Pope Francis at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. The crowds cheered and waved Vatican and Japanese flags as he arrived there after his meeting with young people. Among those who attended the Mass and met Pope Francis, was a former professional boxer who spent 48 years in prison for murders he says he did not commit. Iwao Hakamada, who converted to Catholicism during his decades on death row, was invited to the Mass with his sister.

Hakamada, 83, was released from prison in 2014 because of new DNA evidence. He has become a symbol of a movement to oppose the death penalty in Japan.

Last year Pope Francis revised the Catholic Church's teaching on capital punishment, declaring it inadmissible.

In his homily Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel which was part of the Sermon on the Mount. "In Jesus we encounter a new life, where we come to know the freedom of knowing that we are God's beloved children," he said. "Many people feel confused and anxious; they are overwhelmed by so many demands and worries that take away their peace and stability."

"The Lord's words act as a refreshing balm, when he tells us not to be troubled but to trust. Three times he insists: 'Do not be anxious about your life… about tomorrow' (cf. Mt 6:25.31.34). This is not an encouragement to ignore what happens around us or to be irresponsible about our daily duties and responsibilities. Instead, it is an invitation to set our priorities against a broader horizon of meaning and thus find the freedom to see things his way: 'Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well' (Mt 6:33)."

Reflecting on the first reading he said: "..the Bible tells us how our world, teeming with life and beauty, is above all a precious gift of the Creator: 'God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good' (Gen 1:31). God offers us this beauty and goodness so that we can share it and offer it to others, not as masters or owners, but as sharers in God's same creative dream. "Genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others" (Laudato Si', 70)."

Pope Francis concluded: "The proclamation of the Gospel of Life urgently requires that we as a community become a field hospital, ready to heal wounds and to offer always a path of reconciliation and forgiveness. For the Christian, the only possible measure by which we can judge each person and situation is that of the Father's compassion for all his children.

United to the Lord, in constant cooperation and dialogue with men and women of good will, including those of other religious convictions, we can become the prophetic leaven of a society that increasingly protects and cares for all life."

Read the full homily text here: www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2019/documents/papa-francesco_20191125_messa-tokyo-omelia.html

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