In Morocco, Pope Francis explains what it means to be a Christian in a country with a Muslim majority

They gave him an enthusiastic and emotional welcome when he arrived at this Art Deco cathedral completed in 1921. A woman put a garland of flowers around his neck. He shook hands and walked down the aisle. The congregation applauded. .

There are about 30,000 Christians (including 23,000 Catholics) in this predominantly Muslim nation of 35 million inhabitants.

Conscious of their courage but also of the many difficulties they encounter in this country and in other countries of the region, Francis listened to the testimonies of a priest and a nun and kissed an old priest and a nun. In his brief presentation, Father Germain Goussa, speaking on behalf of the clergy, told him that there were 50 priests and 10 religious brothers from all continents and many religious families. It is also the 800th anniversary of the Franciscans in this country. He introduced the elderly father Pierre, the only survivor of the monks of the monastery of Tibherine, Algeria. (Seven Trappist monks were killed during the Algerian civil war in 1996.)

Sister Mary Donlon, Provincial of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, then spoke on behalf of the 175 nuns who testify to the love of Christ on this earth. She recalled that many are very old and then introduced the 97-year-old Italian Franciscan sister, sister Ersilla. She came and kissed Francis and talked to him. Francis then delivered a speech in Italian that was translated simultaneously into French.

"Christians are a small minority in this country," said Francis, referring to the fact that there are about 30,000 people (including 23,000 Catholics) in this predominantly Muslim nation of 35 million. He described them as "a little yeast that Mother Church wants to mix with a large quantity of flour until everything is up".

"Jesus did not choose us and sent us to become more numerous! He called us to a mission. "

He said that their number does not pose a problem because "Jesus did not choose us and did not send us more and more! He called us to a mission. He put us in the middle of society as a handful of yeast: the yeast of the Beatitudes and the fraternal love by which, as Christians, we can all help make His Kingdom present. "

After listening to them, he sought to encourage them by reminding them that "our mission as baptized, priests and consecrated persons is not really determined by the number or size of spaces we occupy, but by our ability to generate changes. and to awaken wonder and compbadion. He said to them, "We do it as we live as disciples of Jesus, in the midst of those with whom we share our daily lives, our joys and sorrows, our sufferings and our hopes. "

The congregation applauded with energy when Pope Francis declared: "The paths of the mission are not those of proselytism, which always leads to a cul-de-sac, but of our way of being with Jesus and with others. "Then, moving away from his text, he recalled that Pope Benedict XVI had taught that" the church does not grow by proselytism, but by attraction. " The problem does not come from its low density, he said, but from its "salt that has lost the flavor of the Gospel or lamps that no longer make light."

He reminded these priests and religious that "our lives are supposed to be leaven, wherever and with whoever we are, even if it does not seem to bring any tangible or immediate benefit.

Pope Francis told them: "Being a Christian does not mean adhering to a doctrine, a temple or an ethnic group. To be a Christian is an encounter. We are Christians because we have been loved and met and not by proselytism. To be a Christian is to know that we have been forgiven and that we are asked to treat others in the same way that God has treated us. "

Francis declared that Christians in these countries learn to dialogue in "following the example of Jesus himself, who is gentle and humble of heart".

Francis explained that engaging in dialogue was not a strategy to increase his staff, but that the church was doing it "out of loyalty to his Lord and his Master who, from the beginning, moved by love, wanted to dialogue as a friend and we to befriend him. "

Francis declared that Christians in these countries learn to dialogue in "following the example of Jesus himself, who is gentle and humble of heart, with a fervent and disinterested love, without calculation or limit, and with respect of the freedom of others ". examples of this dialogue: Saint Francis of Assisi, who, at the height of the Crusades, went to meet Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil and Blessed Charles de Foucault, "so impressed by the humble and hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth, worshiped silently, he wanted to be a "brother for all".

Francis told them that "when the church, faithful to the mission that it has received from the Lord, enter into dialogue with the world and give his messageit participates in the advent of this fraternity whose deepest source is not in us but in the paternity of God. "Indeed, as consecrated persons, we are invited to experience this dialogue of salvation, above all as an intercession for the people, people have entrusted to us" in other words, they are called to "bring to the altar and to their prayer the lives of all those around them. "Indeed, it is beautiful to know that in different parts of this country, through your voices, all creation can constantly pray & # Our Father & # 39;

Thus, he declared, "dialogue becomes a prayer" in the name of human fraternity, a "fraternity torn by the politics of extremism and division, by unrestrained profit systems or by tendencies. ideological hateful, who manipulate actions and the future. men and women, "as stated in the document signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4.

He explained that it was "a prayer that does not distinguish, separates or marginalizes, but embraces the life of our neighbor." An intercessory prayer that says to the Father: "Thy kingdom come." Not by violence, hatred or ethnic, religious or economic supremacy, but by the power of compbadion spread on the cross for all humanity. "

At that time, Francis who was sitting at a table in front of the altar and colored stained glbad said to these priests and consecrated women and men: "I thank God for all you do as disciples of Jesus Christ here in Morocco, discovering every day, through dialogue, cooperation and friendship, the means to sow a future of hope. "So, he said," you will unveil and unveil any attempt to exploit differences and ignorance to sow fear, hatred and conflict. Because we know that fear and hatred, fed and manipulated, destabilize our communities and leave them spiritually defenseless. "

He encouraged them to "make visible the presence and the love of Christ, become for us poor, to enrich us by his poverty, and to remain neighbors of those who are often left behind, the small and the poor, prisoners . and migrants. "He prayed that their charity be" a way of communion between Christians of all faiths present in Morocco. "He encouraged them to show this charity to the" vulnerable "of society and thus" to build a culture of encounter And also to continue in the work of education.

He concluded by saying, "You are all witnesses of a glorious story. A story of sacrifices, hopes, daily struggles, lives dedicated to service, perseverance and hard work, accomplished "by the sweat of our brow", "and he encouraged them by reminding them," you have a glorious story to remember and tell, but also a great story to accomplish. Look to the future, where the Holy Spirit sends you. "

He finished, as he always does, asking them to pray for him. And then, four children surprised him by approaching the table. He responded by offering everyone a rosary gift, while the congregation burst with sustained applause.