Pope to Knights of Holy Sepulchre: believe in the redemptive power of the Cross
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the Consultation of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem on Friday afternoon. The gathering
of members of the centuries-old charitable service organisation takes place once every
five years. Its purpose is to reflect on the situation of the Catholic community in
the Holy Land, evaluate the Order’s various initiatives, address questions of governance
and administration, and chart a course for future work. Listen to our report:
In his remarks
to the participants, Pope Francis returned to the three basic elements of Christian
life: journeying, building, professing – which served as the keystones of his homily
at the close of the conclave that elected him and which continue to be major themes
of his Pontificate. “Your journey,” said the Holy Father to his guests, “is in history
- in a world where the boundaries are ever-expanding, many barriers fall and our paths
are tied ever more closely to that of others.” He encouraged the knights to be true
to their tradition of faithful, compassionate and loving service, as they work to
build a brighter future for and with the struggling Christians of the Holy Land.
“However,”
said Pope Francis, “your journeying in order to build is born of [your] professing
the faith ever more profoundly, it grows from ongoing efforts to nourish your spiritual
life, from a lifelong Christian formation for an ever more authentic and coherent
Christian life.”
“Believe in the redemptive power of the Cross and the Resurrection,”
said Pope Francis, “in order to offer hope and peace. In a particular way, the Land
of Jesus has so much need of it! Faith does not distance us from the responsibilities
that we all are called to assume – on the contrary, it provokes and pushes us toward
a concrete commitment to work with a view to a better society.”