Pope Francis meets with participants in the Jubilee for Socially Excluded People at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, Nov. 11, 2016. Credit: Lucia Ballester/CNA.
Vatican City, Nov 11, 2016 / 10:29 am ().- After hearing testimonies from two homeless men Friday, Pope Francis spoke off-the-cuff about the dignity and solidarity that can be found in poverty, but which is often lacking in situations of wealth.
“We must always look for those poorer than I” and seek to increase solidarity by “giving the hand to the one suffering more than me,” the Pope said.
Pope Francis spoke to a group of around 3,600 people in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall Nov. 11. Of those present, most were from precarious situations such as extreme poverty and homelessness who traveled to Rome as part of the European Festival of Joy and Mercy being held Nov. 11-13 in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy.
Organized by the French organization Fratello, the event brought in groups of pilgrims from 22 different countries, including a large number from France, Poland, and Rome itself. It was conceived as a way to help the homeless participate more fully in the Church and in the Jubilee of Mercy.
The weekend’s schedule includes a mix of both sightseeing and religious activities, including Morning Prayer, Mass, and walking through the Holy Doors of Rome’s four papal basilicas. It will conclude with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica Nov. 13.
Responding to the testimony of one of the men at the audience, Pope Francis said that what struck him most was the man’s words about not being different, about having the same hopes, dreams, and passions as everyone else.
Because of the Christian belief in the dignity “of every man and woman,” we can be assured of seeing that life is beautiful, no matter how difficult it may be or how much suffering it may involve, he said.
“To listen to this from the lips of a man who suffered material poverty, physical poverty” is a call for everyone “to work for peace,” he said.
Francis finished his speech by asking everyone present to please forgive him if he has ever caused offense or not done something that he should have done to help.
He also asked forgiveness for all Christians who do not think the poor are at the center of the Gospel, or who have looked the other way instead of helping those in need.