"Stop the sinking of migrants, the international community acts soon"

Pope Francis again expresses the "pain" for the tragedies of shipwrecks laden with migrants now a dramatic constant in the Mediterranean. Once again, the Pontiff badures his "memory" and his "prayer" to the missing and their families. Once again, the Pope calls into question the international community to "act decisively and quickly to prevent such tragedies from happening again" and "to guarantee security, respect for the rights and dignity of all ".

The bishop's appeal from Rome – which comes after weeks of convulsive news of men, women and even children dead or missing at sea – concludes this before- last, sunny, July Angelus in Piazza San Pietro 25 thousand pilgrims present. And it is ideally linked to the invitation that Bergoglio addressed during his catechesis to every Christian to fulfill the mission of taking charge of "the problems, sufferings and difficulties of our neighbor".

A mission that the pontiff summarizes in three actions, called the "verbs of the shepherd": "See, have compbadion, teach" . See, that is, with the look of Jesus who is not "neutral or, worse, cold detached" but a look from the heart. Have compbadion, not in the sense of an "emotional reaction to a situation of people's unease" but an attitude of sharing and service. Finally, teaching, that is, conveying "a word", what we need is more than a "miracle" because it "guides and illuminates the way" of life.

As always, the Pope's reflection inspired the Gospel, that of today especially apostles who express a "need for rest" after the experience of the mission "certainly exciting but also difficult". Jesus, "full of understanding, takes care to bring them some relief" and calls them apart in a deserted place. But "the intention of Jesus can not be realized, because the crowd, feeling the solitary place where he would go with the boat with his disciples, arrived before their arrival".

A small "accident", but it is also a teaching, explains Francesco: "The same thing can happen today. Sometimes we fail to realize our projects because it occurs an urgent contingency that disrupts our programs and requires flexibility and availability for the needs of others . "

In these circumstances, the example to be imitated is that of Jesus who" descended from the boat, saw a large crowd, had compbadion on them, because they were like sheep that did not have a shepherd. "A short sentence, that of the evangelist, who nevertheless "offers a flash of singular intensity" by photographing "the eyes of the divine Master and his attitude."

In these eyes there is a look that " is not a look neutral or worse, cold and detached because Jesus always looks with the eyes of the heart, and his heart is so tender and full of compbad sion, that he knows how to grasp the even more hidden needs of people. " Moreover, Francesco emphasizes, " his compbadion does not simply indicate an emotional reaction to a situation of uneasiness of the people but it is much more: it is the only thing I can do. attitude and predisposition of God to man. and its history. "

Christ was truly" moved "to see all those people who needed to be guided and helped, we, along with our human logic," would expect that ". He is now doing a miracle. "Instead, says Francis, the Messiah" began to teach them many things. "He offers this hungry and lost crowd" the bread of the Word. "Because" [19459004weallneedthewordoftruthtoguideandenlightentheway. Without the truth, which is Christ himself, it is not possible to find the right direction of life, "emphasizes the pontiff.

"When we get away from Jesus and his love, we get lost and existence becomes disappointment and dissatisfaction," he adds. " With Jesus on the side, we can proceed with security, we can overcome hardships, we progress in love for God and for our neighbor". Indeed, the Son of God "became a gift to others, becoming a model of love and service for each one of us".

At the end of the Angelus, Francis addressed a greeting to the pilgrims present on St. Peter's Square, especially those of Rio do Sul (Brazil), Seville (Spain), Pelplin (Poland) and faithful from Assisi for "a relay of prayer" for the next Synod of Bishops.

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