Pope's General Audience of 10 April

10 April, 2013 - Pope Francis held his weekly general audience in the open in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Wednesday. Such audiences are public meetings where pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance of seeing and hearing the Pope speak and also receive his blessing. The general audience of April 10 began with several aides reading a passage from the First Letter of St. Peter in several languages. Pope Francis delivered his main discourse in Italian. Various aides presented him the language groups attending the audience, and greeted him on their behalf. The aides then read summaries of the Pope’s catechesis in in various languages, including in English.

Listen:
In our continuing catechesis on the Creed during this Year of Faith, we now consider the meaning of Christ’s resurrection for us and for our salvation. The Lord’s death and resurrection are the foundation of our faith; by his triumph over sin and death, Christ has opened for us the way to new life. Reborn in Baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become God’s adoptive sons and daughters. God is now our Father: he treats us as his beloved children; he understands us, forgives us, embraces us, and loves us even when we go astray. Christianity is not simply a matter of following commandments; it is about living a new life, being in Christ, thinking and acting like Christ, and being transformed by the love of Christ! But this new life needs to be nourished daily by hearing God’s word, prayer, sharing in the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist, and the exercise of charity. God must be the centre of our lives! By our daily witness to the freedom, joy and hope born of Christ’s victory over sin and death, we also offer a precious service to our world, helping our brothers and sisters to lift their gaze heavenward, to the God of our salvation.

Pope Francis greeted in Italian the numerous language groups present at the audience. At the end of his audience the Pope expressed his sorrow for the deaths, injuries and damage caused by a powerful earthquake that struck a region in southern Iran on Tuesday. “I pray for the victims and express my closeness with the people hit by this calamity, the Holy Father said in Italian, urging prayers for "these brothers and sisters of Iran". Wednesday’s general audience concluded with the Pope’s blessing.
Receive the Pope’s blessing: