Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, Bahrain, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Pope Francis is visiting Nov. 3-6 to participate in a government-sponsored convention on East-West discussion and to serve Bahrain’s small Catholic community as a component of his efforts to continue dialogue with the Muslim world. (Credit: Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
ROME — Pope Francis celebrated Mass Saturday for Catholics in Bahrain, telling liturgical participants to act with love and fraternity, even in difficult and oppressive situations, because it is the only true path to peace.
Speaking at his Nov. 5 Mass, the pope said Jesus suffers when he looks at the global and sees tactics of exerting force “that feed on oppression and violence, to expand his own area by restricting that of others, imposing his own domination and restricting basic freedoms and thus oppressing the weak.
Conflicts, disagreements and oppression will be present, Pope Francis said, saying Jesus’ own reaction to those conditions is to ask his followers to “remain faithfully willing, in love, in spite of everything, even in the face of evil and our enemy. “””
As a human reaction seeks revenge, Jesus shows another and probably “unthinkable” way, which is the other cheek, he said, adding, “This is what the Lord asks of us. “
“The ideal is to dream of a global fraternity,” he says, “but choosing, beginning with ourselves, to practice universal brotherhood, concretely and courageously, persevering in intelligence even when they hurt us, breaking the spiral of revenge, disarming violence. , demilitarizing the heart.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Bahrain National Stadium in Awali on his third day in Bahrain, greeting especially the faithful of the 4 countries that make up the Apostolic Vicariate of North Arabia – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia – as well as those from other Gulf countries and elsewhere.
In his homily, Francis, who is the first pope in Bahrain, said the secret of Jesus’ strength comes not from “the force of violence, but from the weakness of love. “
Jesus’ strategy in any situation, even in conflict, is to “love and love everyone,” he said. Our enemies
This vision is not theoretical, but practical, Francis said, noting that Jesus “does not say it will be easy,” but is “realistic” and knows that “in our relationships there is a struggle between love and hate. “
“In our hearts too, there is a daily clash between sweetness and darkness. He also knows that, despite all our generous efforts, we do not get the intelligence we hoped for and, in fact, sometimes, incomprehensibly, suffer evil. “he said.
However, whatever the situation, whether in society, in the office or in the family, Christians are invited to respond with love, he said, saying: “There will be moments of friction, moments of tension, conflicts and opposing views, but those who cling to the Prince of Peace will have to fight for peace.
“Peace cannot be restored if a harsh word is answered with an even harsher word, if one slap leads to another,” the pope said, saying that “we will have to ‘disarm,’ break the chains of evil, break the spiral of evil. Violence and ending resentment, complaining and self-pity. We will have to continue loving, always.
Pope Francis also came under pressure over the desire not only to love, but to love everyone, saying that the resolve to love does not go far enough “if we restrict this commitment to the narrow circle of those who love us, who are our friends or who are like us. “
What Jesus is asking for, he said, is “amazing because it transcends the boundaries of the law and doesn’t make unusual sense. “
“Loving your neighbor, your loved ones, reasonably, is quite exhausting. Generally, this is what a network or other people try to do to maintain their inner peace,” he said. , if strangers, others or with other beliefs, become our neighbors?
Given its diverse population and its many other ethnicities and traditions, Bahrain, the pope said, is an example of “coexistence in diversity” and a living reflection of the world, “marked by the constant migration of peoples and a pluralism of ideas. “”, Customs and traditions. “
“If we need to be young of the Father and build a world of brothers and sisters, the real challenge is to be informed to love everyone, even our enemies,” the pope said.
Specifically, it means “choosing not to have enemies, choosing to see in others not an impediment to overcome, but a brother or sister to love,” he said, adding: “To love our enemies is to make this earth a mirror. “Image of the sky.
Calling the ability to love in this way a gift from God, Pope Francis suggested the faithful pray for this grace, saying, “We present our petitions to the Lord, but what is imperative for us as Christians is to know how to love as Christ loves.
Francis concluded his homily by thanking those who came to attend the liturgy and entrusting to the Catholic network of the region “the affection and closeness of the universal Church, which looks at you and embraces you, who loves and encourages you. “
Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter: @eliseannallen
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