Meeting with priests and lay leaders of the diocese of Rome, the pope said he realised the negative social implications of technology a few days earlier when he was greeting teens participating in a programme of the international network of Scholas Occurrentes.
Everyone who has received the sacrament of confirmation has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, who guides them and gives them the strength to follow God’s will, Pope Francis said.
The church must “remain female” and “have this attitude of a wife and mother” who nurtures her children, the pope said in his homily during a morning Mass commemorating the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.
Bible / Feast Days / Pentecost / Pope Francis
Celebrating Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, the pope said the Bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, makes it clear that the Holy Spirit brings a real power to change to individuals and the church.
Pope Francis, the subject of a new documentary by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, is “the most fearless man I ever met,” the director said in a segment of the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes”.
Pope Francis focused his homily on the day’s reading from St. John’s Gospel (21:15-19). Jesus asks Simon Peter three times, “Do you love me,” and each time that Simon Peter replies he does, Jesus tells him to feed and tend his sheep. He then forewarns his disciple that following him would lead to going “where you do not want to go.”
Children have a right to be brought up in the Christian faith, Pope Francis said. Parents and godparents must make sure they “feed the flame of baptismal grace in their little ones, helping them persevere in the faith
Christians must pass on the faith by giving witness through their example and not by persuading others to choose sides, Pope Francis said.
A true bishop always stays close to his people, protecting them from “wolves” and from losing their way, Pope Francis said.
