Pope begins visit to Luxembourg and BelgiumPope considers Luxembourg key to "building a united Europe".Pope Francis met with members of the catholic community of Luxembourg during his visit to this country. In his speech, he joined in the celebration of the "Marian Jubilee, with which the Church of Luxembourg remembers four centuries of devotion to Mary, 'Consolation of the afflicted', patroness of the country".
Precisely because of this Jubilee, the Pontiff encouraged Catholics to ask "the Mother of God to help us to be '....missionariesready to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel', conforming our hearts to his 'in order to place ourselves at the service of our brothers and sisters'".
Luxembourg, cozy house
In this line, the Holy Father wanted to emphasize three concepts: "service, mission and joy". In relation to service, Francis emphasized "welcome" as a spirit "of openness to all" that "does not admit any kind of exclusion". The Pope then invited the Catholics of Luxembourg "to continue to make your country a welcoming home for all who knock at your door asking for help and hospitality".
Regarding the mission, Francis said that the Church of Luxembourg cannot withdraw "into itself, sad, resigned, resentful", but must accept "the challenge, in fidelity to the values of always, to rediscover and revalue in a new way the ways of evangelization". For this, it is essential "to share responsibilities and ministries, walking together as a community that announces and makes synodality 'a lasting way of relating' among its members".
The Holy Father stressed that "love urges us to proclaim the Gospel by opening ourselves to others, and the challenge of proclamation makes us grow as a community, helping us to overcome the fear of embarking on new paths, pushing us to welcome with gratitude the contribution of others".
Joyful and "dancing" faith
Finally, speaking about joy, the Pope said that the Catholic faith "is joyful, 'dancing', because it shows us that we are children of a God who is a friend of man, who wants us to be happy and united, that nothing makes him happier than our salvation".
Francis also warned that "the Church is hurt by those sad, dull and long-faced Christians. These are not Christians. And he asked Catholics to "have the joy of the Gospel" and "not to lose the ability to forgive".
The Pope said goodbye to the Catholics of Luxembourg, thanking the "consecrated men and women," the "seminarians, priests, everyone" for their work. Finally, he stressed once again the most repeated idea during his brief visit: "Where there is a needy person, there is Christ", so it is essential to share with them what one has.
