Papal Audience: His Message

After his spin about the piazza, the Pope went up to the platform and took his seat in a chair upholstered in off-white fabric or leather. Now it was a chilly morning and the Pope wore an overcoat for the ride in the Popemobile. However, the platform is heated by infrared strips (the darker horizontal lines on the platform's ceiling). The Pope removed his coat and by the time this picture was snapped, the heaters had been turned off. If you look closely, you can see that there is also a wind gauge affixed to the top of the canopy.

In the above picture, you can see the Pope reading his prepared remarks following a short Gospel reading. He reads them in Italian, and it was pretty simple Italian, so I could understand what he was saying; I was also surprised that my French comprehension was as good as my Italian. At one point, he broke away from his written copy and spoke from his heart and described how it was brutto when brothers didn't love each other. You could see that he actually felt hurt by such hatred, and no doubt, the recent massacre of Coptic Egyptians by ISIS was clearly in his thoughts. What struck me about his comments was that even though it was Ash Wednesday, we did not hear the "thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return" sermon. Instead, it seemed to be a more positive message of love. As a side note, today's homily at Santa Maria delle Grazie, where we attend weekly Mass, also struck us as more optimistic. In Rome during Lent the chalice seems half full instead of half empty. (Later on Ash Wednesday he did say Mass at Santa Sabina, so it's entirely possible he reserved the traditional Lenten message for that homily.)

I am attaching a link of the Pope's actual prepared remarks in Italian.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/audiences/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150218_udienza-generale.html

You can see from the above link that the Pope's remarks were followed by native speakers (bishops or cardinals, I couldn't tell) who came to the podium and provided a synopsis of the Pope's comments in a variety of languages. There was an Arabic reader and his prose sounded almost like a chant, even though it was the same Gospel reading and synopsis we had heard in other languages.

At the end of the formal part of the audience, the Pope specifically welcomed the Bishop of Ukraine and a group of students from there. Here the Pope is walking down to personally greet the delegation.

The delegation is on the far left. You can see the blue tops of two of their flags.

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The following is the English synopsis provided by the Vatican website:

Speaker:

Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis on the family, we now reflect on the importance of brothers and sisters. Growing up in a family with other children is a profound human experience which is fulfilled in Christ, who became our brother and made us children of God our Father. The story of Cain and Abel shows that we are indeed our brothers’ keeper (cf Gen 4:9) within the human family. In families, we learn how to be good brothers and sisters; what we learn at home then becomes a source of enrichment for society as a whole. The grace of Christ leads us to see others as our brothers and sisters, reconciles differences and divisions, and offers the promise of a society of true freedom and equality. The experience of fraternal love in families is seen especially in the care shown to our children with special needs. Jesus teaches us that this same love must be shown to all our brothers and sisters, especially those in greatest need. May our often impersonal societies learn to foster a spirit of fraternity, and may families everywhere come to appreciate the great blessing of God found in our young who love, and are loved, as brothers and sisters.

Holy Father:

Saluto i pellegrini di lingua inglese presenti all’odierna Udienza, specialmente quelli provenienti da Inghilterra, Giappone e Stati Uniti d’America. Su voi e sulle vostre famiglie invoco la gioia e la pace nel Signore Gesù. Dio vi benedica!

Speaker:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Japan and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!