Pope Francis spoke about Biden, abortion and same-sex marriage | On your return flight at the end of your trip to Slovakia

From Rome.

Pope Francis returned to Rome on Wednesday afternoon, after briefly visiting Budapest (Hungary) last Sunday and then Slovakia for three days, where he left in memory many important ideas to be put into practice in society and in the world. Church. . As always, François spoke without hesitation and underlined in his messages the need to fight against all discrimination and anti-Semitism, and in favor of fraternity and hospitality, especially in times of pandemic, and of integration of people living in a society.

The Argentine Pope concluded his visit to Slovakia with a mass in Sastin – about 70 km from the capital Bratislava-, in the shrine of the Virgin of the Seven Sorrows, the patroness of Slovakia, whose feast is celebrated precisely on September 15 . Some 60,000 people attended mass on the esplanade of the sanctuary, according to the organizers. And also participated, in addition to the bishops and other members of the Church, President Zuzana Caputova and Prime Minister Eduard Heger. Francis first prayed privately in the sanctuary, which dates from the 16th century, and then he celebrated mass. In his homily, the Pope once again insisted on the need for an “active” and “non-static” Church that knows how to “weave dialogue” when there are problems, and the need for Christians who know how to spread “The good perfume of welcome and solidarity where personal or collective egoism prevails” and who know how to protect “life where death reigns”.

Meeting with journalists

On the return trip, during the brief and traditional meeting that the Pontiffs have with the journalists who accompany them, Francis answered a few questions on abortion, same-sex marriage and communion for politicians like Joe Biden, who support the legalization of abortion. Francisco was adamant: “Marriage in the Church is only between a man and a woman. It is a sacrament and the Church does not have the power to change the sacraments ”, he said, although he didn’t rule out civil laws that try to help same-sex couples. As for abortion, he called it “homicide”. “It’s like hiring a gunman to solve a problem,” he said. Finally, he brought up communion for figures like Catholic Biden, as the bishops of the United States are considering banning communion because being Catholic supports every woman’s right to decide on abortion. “Never withhold Communion from anyone. Communion is not a price for the perfect. It is a gift, it is a gift, it is the presence of Jesus in his Church and in the community “said the Pope.

François also answered a question about the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban whom he met last Sunday in Budapest. With Orban, he did not speak of immigrants, he says, but of ecology and family. On the other hand, he said that in the Vatican most people are vaccinated but that there are denial cardinals, i.e. No Vax, and one of them is with covid. Before a comment from a reporter who told him he looked great and rejuvenated after the operation, he commented with a laugh, “It wasn’t an aesthetic thing.”

Migrants and solidarity

In the various messages of this trip, François called for the reception of migrants and for solidarity which, according to him, must be essential components of the Christian identity of the continent. But as he himself confirmed, with Orban he did not discuss this issue. Viktor Orban, is one of the most conservative and anti-migrant in the European Union. In addition, Orban gave him a special gift hinting at the issue of migrants he does not want to let into Europe. The Hungarian Prime Minister, who is Protestant, wrote on his Facebook page that he had asked Pope Francis “not to let Christian Hungary disappear”. AND gave him a copy of a letter that the Hungarian King Bela IV wrote in 1250 to Pope Innocent IV and in which he asked him for help against the bellicose Tatars who threatened Christian Hungary. Orban’s gift has been interpreted as an unspoken allusion to migrants from other religions, which he believes could endanger Christianity and Europe.

Francis only went to Budapest for the closing ceremony of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress. Since arriving in Slovakia on Sunday afternoon, whose government is completely different from that of Hungary, The Pope has repeatedly insisted on solidarity, welcome and integration, especially in the meetings he had with the Jewish community of Bratislava and Kosice and with the gypsy community which has lived for a long time in the Lunik IX district. from Kosice. Jews and Gypsies were severely abused by Nazism during World War II and thousands of them died in concentration camps. But also during his meetings with the members of the Church, the Pope insisted on these questions.

Young people from Slovakia

To young Slovaks, with whom he spoke at the Lokomotiva stadium in Kosice, he said, among other things, that “new eyes are useful” to look at reality “eyes that are not fooled by appearances”. And about love he told them that “Love is not getting everything straight away, but fidelity, responsibility, it is a gift … it is to love the other as he is and it is beautiful. The dreams we have tell us the life we ​​want, the big dreams are not the mighty car, the fashionable dress, the transgressive vacations … we are not here to make life a business. To make life beautiful, you need love and heroism “Francisco pointed out. “Por favor, no hagamos pasar los días de nuestra vida como si fueran episodios de una telenovela”, agregó el papa argentino, pidiéndole a los jóvenes además que prestaran atención a los abuelos, que les hicieran preguntas y escucenderhas mucharan sus historias para of life. “And don’t let the sadness overwhelm you,” he added, especially in these times, thinking that nothing will change. If we believe “we are fed up with pessimism” and “grows old by being young”.

In Presov, the country’s third largest city in terms of population, the Pope arrived on Tuesday afternoon by car from Kosice -distance of about 300 km from Bratislava-. Presov is the seat of Byzantine Rite Catholicism and the Pope attended the Byzantine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which was also attended by some 40,000 faithful. From the popemobile which has circled the square several times, the Pope greeted many of the faithful.

Although in the Vatican delegation that accompanied the Pontiff, in addition to the Secretary of State Pietro parolin and other Vatican officials, there were doctors and nurses, Francisco has looked pretty good on that first trip since he had colon surgery last July.

It was about dthe 34th trip of the Argentine pope in which he has already visited a total of 54 countries. The Alitalia plane landed at the military airport of Ciampino, in Rome, Wednesday at 3:16 p.m., after a little over an hour and a half drive from Bratislava.