Currents News Staff
During Sunday’s Angelus, despite the rain 20,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s square to see and listen to Pope Francis.
He explained the importance of loving both God and neighbor, stating that “they are the two faces of the same coin.”
“Loving God means to invest one’s energies every day to be His collaborators in serving our neighbor without reserve, in trying to forgive without limits; and in cultivating relationships of communion and fraternity,” said Francis.
Pope Francis also invited Christians to see everyone as their neighbor especially the poor. He warned not to be “preselecting” who to serve as this is not Christian but pagan. “The hungry person needs not only a plate of soup but also a smile, to be heard; and also a prayer, perhaps done together,” he said.
After the Angelus the Pope expressed his sorrow for the seven Christians killed and others injured during a terrorist attack at the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. He invited everyone to pray a Hail Mary for the victims and their families.
The Pope also called for an applause for the beatification of Mother Clelia Merloni in Rome. She was the founder of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pope Francis thanked God for her evangelical witness and invited people to follow her example of goodness and mercy.