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(Vatican Radio) “I’m totally innocent of these charges.”

At a press conference Thursday morning at the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell, the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, forcefully denied charges of “historical” sexual offences filed against him by Australian police. "All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations," he said. 

In brief remarks ahead of an official statement by the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Pell said he has kept Pope Francis regularly informed of the situation. He expressed his gratitude to the Pope for granting him leave to return to Australia to clear his name.

Cardinal Pell was critical of media leaks concerning the situation, and lamented the “relentless character assassination directed against him. “I’m looking forward, finally, to my day in court,” the Cardinal said, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the charges as false. “The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me,” he said. 

In its official statement, the Holy See Press Office said, “The Holy See has learned with regret the news of charges filed in Australia against Card. George Pell for decades-old actions that have been attributed to him.” It noted that Cardinal Pell has chosen to return to Australia “in full respect for civil laws… recognizing the importance of his participation to ensure that the process is carried out fairly, and to foster the search for truth.” During his absence, the statement noted that the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy “will continue to carry out its institutional tasks.”

The Press Office statement goes on to say, “The Holy Father, who has appreciated Cardinal Pell’s honesty during his three years of work in the Roman Curia, is grateful for his collaboration, and in particular, for his energetic dedication to the reforms in the economic and administrative sector, as well as his active participation in the Council of Cardinals (C9).”

After expressing the Holy See’s “respect for the Australian justice system,” the statement also noted that Cardinal Pell “has openly and repeatedly condemned as immoral and intolerable the acts of abuse committed against minors; has cooperated in the past with Australian authorities (for example, in his depositions before the Royal Commission); has supported the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; and finally, as a diocesan bishop in Australia, has introduced systems and procedures both for the protection of minors and to provide assistance to victims of abuse.”

Below, please find the full text of the Statement of the Holy See Press Office:

The Holy See has learned with regret the news of charges filed in Australia against Card. George Pell for decades-old actions that have been attributed to him. Having become aware of the charges, Card. Pell, acting in full respect for civil laws, has decided to return to his country to face the charges against him, recognizing the importance of his participation to ensure that the process is carried out fairly, and to foster the search for truth. The Holy Father, having been informed by Card. Pell, has granted the Cardinal a leave of absence so he can defend himself. During the Prefect’s absence, the Secretariat for the Economy will continue to carry out its institutional tasks. The Secretaries will remain at their posts to carry forward the ordinary affairs of the dicastery, donec aliter provideatur. The Holy Father, who has appreciated Cardinal Pell’s honesty during his three years of work in the Roman Curia, is grateful for his collaboration, and in particular, for his energetic dedication to the reforms in the economic and administrative sector, as well as his active participation in the Council of Cardinals (C9). The Holy See expresses its respect for the Australian justice system that will have to decide the merits of the questions raised. At the same time, it is important to recall that Card. Pell has openly and repeatedly condemned as immoral and intolerable the acts of abuse committed against minors; has cooperated in the past with Australian authorities (for example, in his depositions before the Royal Commission); has supported the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; and finally, as a diocesan bishop in Australia, has introduced systems and procedures both for the protection of minors and to provide assistance to victims of abuse.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday morning celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Square to mark the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

In his homily the Pope focused on three words, confession, persecution and prayer, which he said are essential for the life of an apostle today.

Please see below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily at Mass for the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

The liturgy today offers us three words essential for the life of an apostle: confession, persecution and prayer.

Confession.  Peter makes his confession of faith in the Gospel, when the Lord’s question turns from the general to the specific.  At first, Jesus asks: “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” (Mt 16:13).  The results of this “survey” show that Jesus is widely considered a prophet.  Then the Master puts the decisive question to his disciples: “But you, who do you say that I am?” (v. 15).  At this point, Peter alone replies: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).  To confess the faith means this: to acknowledge in Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the living God, the Lord of our lives.

Today Jesus puts this crucial question to us, to each of us, and particularly to those of us who are pastors.  It is the decisive question.  It does not allow for a non-committal answer, because it brings into play our entire life.  The question of life demands a response of life.  For it counts little to know the articles of faith if we do not confess Jesus as the Lord of our lives.  Today he looks straight at us and asks, “Who am I for you?”  As if to say: “Am I still the Lord of your life, the longing of your heart, the reason for your hope, the source of your unfailing trust?”  Along with Saint Peter, we too renew today our life choice to be Jesus’ disciples and apostles.  May we too pass from Jesus’ first question to his second, so as to be “his own” not merely in words, but in our actions and our very lives. 

Let us ask ourselves if we are parlour Christians, who love to chat about how things are going in the Church and the world, or apostles on the go, who confess Jesus with their lives because they hold him in their hearts.  Those who confess Jesus know that they are not simply to offer opinions but to offer their very lives.  They know that they are not to believe half-heartedly but to “be on fire” with love.  They know that they cannot just “tread water” or take the easy way out, but have to risk putting out into the deep, daily renewing their self-offering.  Those who confess their faith in Jesus do as Peter and Paul did: they follow him to the end – not just part of the way, but to the very end.  They also follow the Lord along his way, not our own ways.  His way is that of new life, of joy and resurrection; it is also the way that passes through the cross and persecution.

Here, then, is the second word: persecution.  Peter and Paul shed their blood for Christ, but the early community as a whole also experienced persecution, as the Book of Acts has reminded us (cf. 12:1).  Today too, in various parts of the world, sometimes in silence – often a complicit silence – great numbers of Christians are marginalized, vilified, discriminated against, subjected to violence and even death, not infrequently without due intervention on the part of those who could defend their sacrosanct rights.

Here I would especially emphasize something that the Apostle Paul says before, in his words, “being poured out as a libation” (2 Tim 4:6).  For him, to live was Christ (cf. Phil 1:21), Christ crucified (cf. 1 Cor 2:2), who gave his life for him (cf. Gal 2:20).  As a faithful disciple, Paul thus followed the Master and offered his own life too.  Apart from the cross, there is no Christ, but apart from the cross, there can be no Christian either.  For “Christian virtue is not only a matter of doing good, but of tolerating evil as well” (Augustine, Serm. 46,13), even as Jesus did.  Tolerating evil does not have to do simply with patience and resignation; it means imitating Jesus, carrying our burden, shouldering it for his sake and that of others.  It means accepting the cross, pressing on in the confident knowledge that we are not alone: the crucified and risen Lord is at our side.  So, with Paul, we can say that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken” (2 Cor 4:8-9).

Tolerating evil means overcoming it with Jesus, and in Jesus’ own way, which is not the way of the world.  This is why Paul – as we heard – considered himself a victor about to receive his crown (cf. 2 Tim 4:8).  He writes: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v. 7).  The essence of his “good fight” was living for: he lived not for himself, but for Jesus and for others.  He spent his life “running the race”, not holding back but giving his all.   He tells us that there is only one thing that he “kept”: not his health, but his faith, his confession of Christ.  Out of love, he experienced trials, humiliations and suffering, which are never to be sought but always accepted.  In the mystery of suffering offered up in love, in this mystery, embodied in our own day by so many of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted, impoverished and infirm, the saving power of Jesus’ cross shines forth. 

 The third word is prayer.  The life of an apostle, which flows from confession and becomes self-offering, is one of constant prayer.  Prayer is the water needed to nurture hope and increase fidelity.  Prayer makes us feel loved and it enables us to love in turn.  It makes us press forward in moments of darkness because it brings God’s light.  In the Church, it is prayer that sustains us and helps us to overcome difficulties.  We see this too in the first reading: “Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church” (Acts 12:5).  A Church that prays is watched over and cared for by the Lord.  When we pray, we entrust our lives to him and to his loving care.  Prayer is the power and strength that unite and sustain us, the remedy for the isolation and self-sufficiency that lead to spiritual death.  The Spirit of life does not breathe unless we pray; without prayer, the interior prisons that hold us captive cannot be unlocked.

May the blessed Apostles obtain for us a heart like theirs, wearied yet at peace, thanks to prayer.  Wearied, because constantly asking, knocking and interceding, weighed down by so many people and situations needing to be handed over to the Lord; yet also at peace, because the Holy Spirit brings consolation and strength when we pray.  How urgent it is for the Church to have teachers of prayer, but even more so for us to be men and women of prayer, whose entire life is prayer!

The Lord answers our prayers.  He is faithful to the love we have professed for him, and he stands beside us at times of trial.  He accompanied the journey of the Apostles, and he will do the same for you, dear brother Cardinals, gathered here in the charity of the Apostles who confessed their faith by the shedding of their blood.  He will remain close to you too, dear brother Archbishops who, in receiving the pallium, will be strengthened to spend your lives for the flock, imitating the Good Shepherd who bears you on his shoulders.  May the same Lord, who longs to see his flock gathered together, also bless and protect the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, together with my dear brother Bartholomew, who has sent them here as a sign of our apostolic communion. 

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday prayed for the city and people of Rome, as he gave an Angelus address for the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul, patron saints of the Italian capital.

Listen to our report:

Speaking from his study window to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square, the Pope recalled how both of these two apostles suffered persecution and gave their lives in service to the first Christian communities.

The liturgical readings of the day, the Pope continued, remind us that even in the most difficult moments of persecution, the Lord remained close to Peter and Paul, just as he remains by our side today. Especially in our times of trial, he said, God holds out his hand and comes to help us, liberating us from the threats of our enemies.

Our real enemy, Pope Francis, said, is sin, but when we are reconciled with God, through the Sacrament of Confession, we are liberated from evil and the burden of sin is lifted from us.

The Pope welcomed especially the members of an Orthodox delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as the five new cardinals, who received their red hats at Wednesday’s consistory, and the Metropolitan Archbishops who were named over the past year.

Greeting visitors from across the globe, the Pope said he prayed especially for all the people of Rome as they celebrate their feast day through traditional flower and firework displays. May they live in peace, he said, witnessing to the Christian faith with the same fervor as the apostles Peter and Paul. 

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(Vatican Radio)  The Holy See has renewed its call for an end to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), after what it considers a lack of substantial change in the six months following a UN resolution on the issue.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer to the UN in New York, made the appeal during an open debate of the Security Council.

The UN adopted Resolution 2325 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on 15 December 2016.

Yet Archbishop Auza said the Holy See believes the situation in their regard “has not substantially changed”.

“[A]s Pope Francis has stated, ‘We say, “Never again,” but at the same time we produce weapons and sell them to those who are at war with one another.’”

He said the Pope renews his “strong support for the rapid adoption of steps that would lead to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction and to the reduction of the world’s reliance on armed force in the conduct of international affairs.”

Please find below the full statement:

Statement of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

Security Council Open Debate on Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

New York, 28 June 2017

Mr. President,

The Holy See is grateful that the Presidency of the Plurinational State of Bolivia has brought the important subject of stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) to the deliberation of this Council and to the attention of the international community.

The prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their means of delivery constitutes a common challenge facing the international community and is key to global governance.

It has been nearly six months since the Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2325 (2016) on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. However, my Delegation believes that the situation has not substantially changed because, as Pope Francis has stated, “We say, ‘Never again,’ but at the same time we produce weapons and sell them to those who are at war with one another.”[1]  The Pope reminds us, “It is an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, to negotiate peace, and at the same time, promote or permit the arms trade.” He invites national leaders “firmly [to] commit themselves to ending the arms trade which victimizes so many innocent people,”[2] and reiterates his strong support for the rapid adoption of steps that would lead to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction and to the reduction of the world’s reliance on armed force in the conduct of international affairs.

The principal legally binding instrument currently available to us to combat that threat is Resolution 1540 (2004), adopted unanimously more than a decade ago. The Resolution’s preventive role and the 1540 Committee’s efforts in the five areas of its work – implementation, assistance, cooperation, transparency and dissemination – are fundamental in guiding the actions of all States to pool efforts to combat proliferation.

In this regard, my Delegation would like to reiterate that it is essential to improve assistance to States and cooperation among them if we are to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is necessary to increase the coordination of national, regional and international efforts, as appropriate, to strengthen our response to this serious challenge. All States ought to take appropriate measures in accord with national and international law, and to fulfill scrupulously their obligations under international law and the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. The establishment of weapons of mass destruction free zones would also be a big step in the right direction, as it would demonstrate that we can indeed move toward a universal agreement to eliminate all of these weapons.

Mr. President,

The proliferation of weapons, both conventional and of mass destruction, aggravates situations of conflict and results in huge human and material costs that profoundly undermine development and the search for lasting peace. Indeed, non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament underpin global security and sustainable development. Without them, the achievement of the much-vaunted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be seriously jeopardized, peace will continue to be dangerously in grave deficit, and human sufferings will sadly remain unabated.

It is imperative that all State actors overcome differences and find political solutions that can prevent and halt the involvement of non-State actors in wars and conflicts. Without this, the human cost of wars and conflicts will continue to grow and the proliferation of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, along with their delivery systems and the risk of their use by States or terrorist groups will remain very clear and present dangers.

Thank you, Mr. President.

[1] Pope Francis in an interview given to “Tertio”, a Catholic weekly newspaper in Belgium, December 2016.

[2] Pope Francis, June 2017 Prayer Video Message.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St Peter's Square on Thursday to celebrated the feast of Saints Peter and Paul highlighting the plight of persecuted Christians, the importance of prayer and confessing the faith.

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In a sunny St Peter’s Square on Thursday, Pope Francis was joined by new Cardinals and Metropolitan Archbishops created in the last year, as well as pilgrims and Romans alike, to celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Co-Patrons of the eternal city.

Following a blessing of the Pallium which will be placed on the 36 Metropolitan Archbishops in their own dioceses, the Pope in his homily focused his attention on three words, confession, persecution and prayer, which he said, “are essential for the life of an apostle.”

Confession

Beginning with the word confession, the Holy Father referred to the day’s readings in which Jesus asks  “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” Pope Francis explained that the Lord puts the decisive question to his disciples, saying  “But you, who do you say that I am?”

Today, Pope Francis went on to say, “Jesus puts this crucial question to us, to each of us, and particularly to those of us who are pastors, adding, It does not allow for a non-committal answer, because it brings into play our entire life.”

To confess the faith, the Holy Father said, “means this: to acknowledge in Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the living God, the Lord of our lives.”

Persecution

Speaking about the second word, persecution, the Pope noted how Peter and Paul shed their blood for Christ, He went on to say that,  “today too, in various parts of the world, sometimes in silence – often a complicit silence – great numbers of Christians are marginalized,… subjected to violence and even death, not infrequently without due intervention on the part of those who could defend their sacrosanct rights.”

Prayer

Finally, reflecting on the third word, that of prayer, Pope Francis described it as “the water needed to nurture hope and increase fidelity.”

The Lord answers our prayers, he said,  “He is faithful to the love we have professed for him, and he stands beside us at times of trial.” 

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(Vatican Radio) The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life has issued a statement regarding the case of the terminally-ill English baby, Charlie Gard.

On Tuesday the European Court of Human Rights rejected a plea from the baby’s parents to be allowed to move him to the United States for experimental medical treatment.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report:

10-month old Charlie was born with a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.

He is being kept alive on a life support system but Britain’s Supreme Court also ruled earlier in June that it was not in the baby’s interest to move him or continue treatment. Specialists at London’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital believe Charlie has no chance of survival.

Limits of medicine

In a statement, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy of Life says the interests of the patient must be paramount, but adds “we must also accept the limits of medicine and […..] avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family.

Pain of the parents

Quoting comments from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Vatican statement speaks of the “complexity of the situation, the heartrending pain of the parents, and the efforts of so many to determine what is best for Charlie”.

It reaffirms that “we should never act with the deliberate intention to end a human life, including the removal of nutrition and hydration” but adds that “we do, sometimes, however, have to recognize the limitations of what can be done, while always acting humanely in the service of the sick person until the time of natural death occurs.”

Risks of ideological manipulation

Warning of the risks of ideological or political manipulation, as well as media sensationalism, the statement stresses that “the wishes of parents must heard and respected, but they too must be helped to understand the unique difficulty of their situation and not be left to face their painful decisions alone”. 

Please see below the full statement from the Pontifical Academy for Life

The matter of the English baby Charlie Gard and his parents has meant both pain and hope for all of us.  We feel close to him, to his mother, his father, and all those who have cared for him and struggled together with him until now.  For them, and for those who are called to decide their future, we raise to the Lord of Life our prayers, knowing that “in the Lord our labor will not be in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales issued a statement today that recognizes above all the complexity of the situation, the heartrending pain of the parents, and the efforts of so many to determine what is best for Charlie.  The Bishops’ statement also reaffirms that “we should never act with the deliberate intention to end a human life, including the removal of nutrition and hydration, so that death might be achieved” but that “we do, sometimes, however, have to recognize the limitations of what can be done, while always acting humanely in the service of the sick person until the time of natural death occurs.”

The proper question to be raised in this and in any other unfortunately similar case is this:  what are the best interests of the patient?  We must do what advances the health of the patient, but we must also accept the limits of medicine and, as stated in paragraph 65 of the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family.  Likewise, the wishes of parents must heard and respected, but they too must be helped to understand the unique difficulty of their situation and not be left to face their painful decisions alone.  If the relationship between doctor and patient (or parents as in Charlie’s case) is interfered with, everything becomes more difficult and legal action becomes a last resort, with the accompanying risk of ideological or political manipulation, which is always to be avoided, or of media sensationalism, which can be sadly superficial.

Dear Charlie, dear parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, we are praying for you and with you.

? Vincenzo Paglia President

Vatican City, June 28th 2017

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Vatican City, Jun 29, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Francis said that we can’t just know about our faith, but we must live our faith, with Jesus as the center of our hearts and lives.

“The question of life demands a response of life. For it counts little to know the articles of faith if we do not confess Jesus as the Lord of our lives,” the Pope said June 29.

“Today he looks straight at us and asks, ‘Who am I for you?’ As if to say: ‘Am I still the Lord of your life, the longing of your heart, the reason for your hope, the source of your unfailing trust?’

Jesus is asking us today the same questions he asked to his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” Francis continued. In the end, only Peter answers that he is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

“Along with Saint Peter, we too renew today our life choice to be Jesus’ disciples and apostles. May we too pass from Jesus’ first question to his second, so as to be ‘his own’ not merely in words, but in our actions and our very lives,” he said.

This is the “crucial question,” he continued, especially for pastors. “It is the decisive question. It does not allow for a non-committal answer, because it brings into play our entire life.”

Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Mass celebrating the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. During the ceremony, he blessed the pallia to be bestowed on the 32 new metropolitan archbishops who were present, all appointed throughout the previous year.

The pallium is a white wool vestment, adorned with six black silk crosses. Dating back to at least the fifth century, the wearing of the pallium by the Pope and metropolitan archbishops symbolizes authority as well as unity with the Holy See.

The title of “metropolitan bishop” refers to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis, namely, the primary city of an ecclesiastical province or regional capital.

Traditionally the Pope bestows the stole to the new archbishops June 29 each year. The rite is a sign of communion with the See of Peter. It also serves as a symbol of the metropolitan archbishop’s jurisdiction in his own diocese as well as the other particular dioceses within his ecclesiastical province.

However, as a sign of “synodality” with local Churches, Pope Francis decided in 2015 that new metropolitan archbishops will officially be imposed with the pallium in their home diocese, rather than the Vatican.

So while the new archbishops still journey to Rome to receive the pallium during the liturgy with the Pope, the official imposition ceremony is in their home diocese, allowing more faithful and bishops in dioceses under the archbishop’s jurisdiction to attend the event.

In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on three words from the liturgy that he said are “essential for the life of an apostle: confession, persecution and prayer.”

For confession, the Pope spoke of the confession of faith, which means “to acknowledge in Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the living God, the Lord of our lives.”

We should ask ourselves, he said, if we are “parlor Christians,” who only love to sit and chat about how things are going in the Church and the world, or “apostles on the go,” people “who confess Jesus with their lives because they hold him in their hearts.”

We can’t be half-hearted, he urged, but must be on fire with love for Christ, not looking for the easy way out, but daily risking ourselves to put out “into the deep.”

“Those who confess their faith in Jesus do as Peter and Paul did: they follow him to the end – not just part of the way, but to the very end.”

But doing so isn’t easy, and that’s when we come to the second word, he explained, because following the way of Christ, also means facing the cross and persecution.

Peter and Paul shed their blood for Christ, as well as the early Christian community as a whole. Even today, he continued, a great number of Christians are persecuted.

The Pope emphasized the words of the Apostle Paul, who said "to live was Christ, Christ crucified, who gave his life for him."

"Apart from the cross, there is no Christ, but apart from the cross, there can be no Christian either," Francis stated.

The Christian is called to “tolerate evil,” but tolerating evil doesn't mean simply having patience and resignation, he explained, it means imitating Christ, accepting the cross with confidence, carrying the burden for Christ's sake and for the sake of others – all the while knowing that we are not alone.

"Tolerating evil," he continued, "means overcoming it with Jesus, and in Jesus’ own way, which is not the way of the world."

This is why St. Paul writes: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." The essence of this "good fight," the Pope emphasized, was living "for Jesus and for others," giving your all. There is only one thing that Paul kept in his life, and that is his faith.

"Out of love, he experienced trials, humiliations and suffering, which are never to be sought but always accepted. In the mystery of suffering offered up in love, in this mystery, embodied in our own day by so many of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted, impoverished and infirm, the saving power of Jesus’ cross shines forth."

Lastly, Pope Francis said that the life of an apostle must be a life of constant prayer.

"Prayer is the water needed to nurture hope and increase fidelity. Prayer makes us feel loved and it enables us to love in turn. It makes us press forward in moments of darkness because it brings God’s light. In the Church, it is prayer that sustains us and helps us to overcome difficulties."

When St. Peter was in prison, it tell us in the Acts of the Apostles that "earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church."

"A Church that prays is watched over and cared for by the Lord. When we pray, we entrust our lives to him and to his loving care,” he said.

Francis concluded by praying that the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, may "obtain for us a heart like theirs."

Hearts that are wearied because they are constantly asking, knocking, interceding, weighed down by the many needs of people and situations that need to be handed over to God, but also at peace, because the Holy Spirit brings consolation and strength through prayer, he said.

"How urgent it is for the Church to have teachers of prayer, but even more so for us to be men and women of prayer, whose entire life is prayer!"

“The Lord answers our prayers. He is faithful to the love we have professed for him, and he stands beside us at times of trial.”

Just as the Lord accompanied the journey of the Apostles, “he will do the same for you, dear brother Cardinals,” he said.

“He will remain close to you too, dear brother Archbishops who, in receiving the pallium, will be strengthened to spend your lives for the flock, imitating the Good Shepherd who bears you on his shoulders."

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