In his greetings to the faithful following the recitation of the Marian Prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis noted that their presence in St Peter’s Square was a sign that “the acute phase of the epidemic is over in Italy, even though it remains necessary to follow the rules in force carefully.”
He told those gathered in the Square to “be careful, don’t sing victory too soon.”
The Pope also advised them to follow the rules carefully, “because they are rules that help us to prevent the virus from spreading.
In some countries he pointed out, “the virus continues to claim many victims. Last Friday, in one country, one per minute died! Terrible”, he said.
With that in the mind, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to those populations, to the sick and their families, and to all those who care for them.
Taking his inspiration from Sunday’s Gospel on this, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Pope Francis underlined God’s love for the world.
The Pope noted that, in his brief dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus presents Himself as “He who brings to fulfilment the Father’s plan of salvation for the world”, Vatican News reports.
The Pope said that “God could intervene to judge the world, to destroy evil and castigate sinners. Instead, He loves the world, despite its sins. God loves every one of us even when we make mistakes and distance ourselves from Him.”
God the Father loved the world so much, emphasised the Pope, that, in order to save it, He gave His only-begotten Son.
Vatican News / EPA / CD eNews
