Pope Francis reappeared after the “painful sciatica” and called for “a year of fraternal solidarity and peace”

Pope Francis reappeared this Friday in public, after the “painful sciatica” which forced him to suspend his participation in two consecutive masses in the last hours, and asked “a year of fraternal solidarity and peace for all“, during the recitation of the Angelus on the occasion of the World Day of Peace celebrated this Friday.

“On the threshold of this beginning, I extend my best wishes for a happy and serene 2021. May it be a year of fraternal solidarity and peace for all, ”declared the Pope during the message he gave from the Vatican Apostolic Palace Library, with live streaming television.

In what was his first message of the year, the Pope read the text standing in front of the microphone and wished “May peace reign in the hearts of men and in families; in the workplace and at leisure; in communities and nations. “

Due to a “painful sciatica”, the pontiff was forced to suspend his participation in the First Vespers and Te Deum with which he was going to dismiss the year yesterday afternoon, as well as in the mass for the World Day of Peace with which this morning I thought to inaugurate the calendar of celebrations.

“The painful events that marked the path of humanity last year, especially the pandemic, teaches us how necessary it is to take an interest in the problems of others and to share their concerns,” his message formulated.

“This attitude represents the path that leads to peace, because it promotes the construction of a society based on fraternal relations,” said the Pope, who within the framework of the measures adopted by the Italian government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the fiestas, avoided the celebrations in Plaza San Pedro, where the faithful traditionally gather.

“Each of us, men and women of this time, is called to bring peace every day and in all walks of life, holding the hand of the brother who needs a word of comfort, a gesture of tenderness , solidarity aid “, summoned.

In this context, Jorge Bergoglio said that “peace can be built if we start to be at peace with ourselves and with our loved ones, removing the obstacles that prevent us from taking care of those in need and the misery”.

“It is about developing a state of mind and a culture of benevolence, to overcome indifference, dismissal and rivalry, which unfortunately prevail, ”explained the Argentine pontiff in his first public speech of the year.

While affirming that “peace is not only the absence of war, but a life rich in meaning, configured and lived in personal development and in fraternal sharing with others. This long-awaited peace, always endangered by violence, selfishness and wickedness becomes possible and achievable. “

This Friday it was the Vatican Secretary of State, the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who celebrated the first mass of the year in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he read the homily prepared by the pontiff in which Francis declared that “the world is seriously contaminated by speaking badly and by thinking badly of others, of society, of themselves”.

“This year, while waiting for a cure and new treatments, do not neglect the care. Because in addition to the vaccine for the body, we need the vaccine for the heart, which is the care,” said Parolin, reading the text from the pope.

Earlier this Friday, Francisco posted a postcard on his Instagram account in which he wished that in 2021 “humanity can progress on the path of brotherhood, justice and peace”.

With information from Telam.

JPE