Oct 14 Wed
What important points did the Pope emphasize to the French?
In a wide-ranging address to the bishops of France, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of Marian devotion and bold witness to Christ in the public square.
There is no better way to come to Jesus than through Mary. Everything about her leads us to her Son.
Always have the courage to acknowledge failings with a love of the truth and a determination to bind up wounds with the charity of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and calls each of them by name. Rise up, then, with hope, and never grow weary of proclaiming the Gospel!
The voice of the Church must be heard in the public square. Her voice is needed. Even when her teaching is not followed, particularly on essential questions touching the foundations of civilization, it remains necessary.
Do not doubt this. I know of your steadfastness and courage—as you showed clearly during the recent debates on end-of-life issues—and I encourage you to persevere, together with all people of good will who uphold the same values.
You currently live under a particular form of secularity (laicism), but the Church must be allowed to carry out her mission. You must not give up. I urge you to remain vigilant in defending the freedom and rights of the Church to evangelize, to educate about true freedom, and to worship publicly, so that charity may be exercised visibly in the name of Jesus Christ.
Faced with such challenges, the false promise of a world where God is absent, relegated to the private sphere, and where the help of his grace is deemed unnecessary for “building the City” has given way to disillusionment and disorientation. Yet Jesus clearly warned his disciples: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
“There is only one “roadmap,” which is always the same: to make Jesus Christ known and loved, authentically, passionately, again and again.
Every Catholic school must offer opportunities to encounter Jesus Christ and hear his word. No pupils should ever find themselves marginalized in the classroom simply because they believe in Jesus.
Deepening and strengthening the life of faith within families is certainly key to resolving many of the crises facing the Church and society. For it is within families that we learn how to live together, respect others, accept diversity, support one another, be generous, give of ourselves freely, and embrace the spirit of sacrifice.
Unity: Jesus' disciples need to be united in charity, as Jesus asked of his Father, "that they may all be one... This unity is not a flat uniformity, but rather allows every authentically Catholic sensibility to converge naturally in a common profession of faith, through obedience to the legitimate Pastors and especially to the Successor of Peter, who is the "lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith and of communion."
This is a dynamic unity, nourished by the tradition of the Church — from the Fathers to the Second Vatican Council — and by the post-conciliar Magisterium.