Pope Francis prays for flood victims in the Balkans
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday asked the faithful to pray for victims of floods
in Serbia and Bosnia as at least 40 people are reported killed and tens of thousands
evacuated in what has been branded the worst flooding on record across the Balkans.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni...
Speaking after
the Regina Coeli prayer to some 50,000 people present in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope
said that large areas in the Balkans have been devastated by flooding. He expressed
his closeness to those who are living moments of anguish and adversity, and he urged
those present to pray for our brothers and sisters who are in such difficulty.
The
Pope’s appeal followed a discourse to the faithful in which he pointed out that conflict
within the Church is to be resolved “with confrontation, discussion and prayer”. He
said that problems must be faced openly and words must be based on certainties, as
gossip and envy never lead to harmony and peace.
Pope Francis pointed out that
the Holy Spirit is here to lead us on a path of serene dialogue. The Holy Spirit –
he said – brings harmony, unity and respect for diverse gifts and talents.
And
he recalled that even in the beginning, within the Church there existed tensions and
dissent – just as they do today in our parishes.
There are conflicts in life
– he said – the problem is in how we tackle them.
And he explained that when
the faithful underwent the change from the Jewish culture to a more open culture and
to Christianity – that Jesus, he said, destined to all peoples - the first difficulties
arose. They included malcontent, complaints and gossip regarding favoritism and help
for those most in need. That’s when the Apostles called a meeting with the disciples
to talk “all together”.
Problems – Francis said – cannot be resolved by pretending
they do not exist!
And the open confrontation between pastors and other faithful
is a good and beautiful thing.
That meeting resulted in a “sharing out of duties”:
the Apostles decided to dedicate themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.
Seven deacons – “honest men with a good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit and
with wisdom” – dedicated themselves to aiding the poor.
After his appeal for
the victims of flooding in the Balkans, Pope Francis greeted some 50,000 Romanian
pilgrims in the Square and recalled the Beatification, on Saturday, in Romania of
Bishop Anton Durcovic, a martyr of the faith who was persecuted by the Romanian Communist
regime and who died in prison in 1951.
The Pope concluded with a special greeting
and words of encouragement for the associations of volunteers on the Italian Day for
cancer patients and their families for whom he had prayers and words of comfort.