00:17The status of St. John Lateran as the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome gives this celebration
00:25a special significance of communion with the See of Peter, and that bond becomes especially
00:33close as we celebrate it in this cathedral, whose See was occupied by our beloved Pope
00:39Francis before he was called to shepherd the Universal Church.
00:44It is also an invitation to all the faithful to live out the unity of faith and love and
00:51to recognize that, through baptism, each person has received gifts that must be placed at
00:58the service of the entire Church.
01:05This communion, which has its source in the mystery of the Holy Trinity, unites the bishops
01:11among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and is also manifested in every particular
01:19church where the bishop, together with his presbyterate and the faithful entrusted to him, is called
01:26to preserve unity and faith and charity.
01:30In this regard, I would like to highlight the witness of distinguished Argentine bishops who
01:38knew how to work for unity and peace, such as blessed Mamerto Eschiuchi, Enrique Angelelli, and
01:48Eduardo Pironio.
01:50Their lives reveal how the same mission can take different forms according to times and circumstances,
01:59and they form a school of shepherds born of our ecclesial history.
02:06Indeed, the saints continue to form saints.
02:19The Church founded by Jesus Christ is in him a sacrament, a sign, an instrument that is of
02:26communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race.
02:32This unity, which we receive as a gift, also commits us to reconciliation.
02:40The relief on the façade of this cathedral, depicting Joseph's reunion with his father Jacob
02:45and his brothers, reminds us how God opens paths of life even where human beings have sown
02:52division.
02:56Joseph, who had suffered at the hands of his brothers, forgives them and becomes an instrument
03:02of salvation for those who had harmed him.
03:09He himself recognizes God's providential action in the midst of that painful story.
03:16Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good.
03:24Reconciliation requires acknowledging wounds, letting go of resentment and allowing grace,
03:32God's grace, to transform our relationships with one another.
03:37Our pastoral mission consists in working tirelessly so that all people, both those who are near
03:46as well as those who are far away, may come to know Christ and recognize one another as
03:53brothers and sisters.
04:00The diversity of this land is also evident in its particular churches, each with its own
04:06traditions and pastoral expressions.
04:09In all of them, the Church of Christ is truly present and operative.
04:15This diversity finds its unity in the same faith, in the sacraments and in ecclesial communion.
04:26All share in the Church's mission so that the joy of the Gospel may reach everyone.
04:33Therefore, let us cultivate communion, welcoming our legitimate differences with charity and fostering
04:45fraternity so that our unity may make Christ's love visible and help many encounter him.
04:58Dear Bishops, as I recently wrote to you, Amidst the many duties that fill our day, we have
05:05been sent to proclaim the good news.
05:12May the proclamation of Jesus Christ therefore remain at the center of all our pastoral work.
05:19Let us continue to promote the formation of pastoral workers who are responsible for preliminary
05:26evangelization and catechesis, the liturgy and charitable works.
05:33We must work together to foster priestly and religious vocations, to accompany families and
05:40to care for those living in poverty, who are unemployed or who lack decent housing.
05:49The love of Christ urges us on.
05:54The Church's maternal concern finds a beautiful example in Mary, who at the wedding at Cana,
06:00recognized the needs of that married couple and went to Jesus to bring them to his attention,
06:07then inviting the servants to obey his word.
06:12That same concern must be evident in the ministry of pastors who are called to discern human realities
06:20in the light of the Gospel, listening to and understanding the specific circumstances of those entrusted to them.
06:33These include the unemployed, young people forced to emigrate, the elderly who have been neglected,
06:44and marginalized communities as well as those who, even though their material needs have been met,
06:52experience a deep longing for God, for meaning and for hope.
06:58In situations that call for our help, there are many faces that challenge us
07:05and call us to share in the joys and suffering of our people, inviting us to respond with the closeness
07:14and deeds demanded by the Gospel.
07:17Dear brothers, I encourage you to support initiatives that benefit the people entrusted to your pastoral
07:27care.
07:28Rejoice in whatever promotes the life of your people,
07:32honest work, care for those most in need, and institutions that responsibly serve the common good.
07:45I likewise ask you to accompany those who, whether within the Church or in civil society,
07:52work for the integral development of every person.
07:56As we await that heavenly Jerusalem which we have contemplated in the brief reading,
08:03the hope of eternal blessings encourages us to seek justice and to cultivate fraternity on the earth.
08:13I would like to encourage you, together with your synodal teams, as fellow disciples of the one teacher,
08:20to continue listening to one another and discerning
08:27together what the Holy Spirit is asking of you in the light of the Word of God and the Magisterium
08:34of the Church.
08:36In this way, you will be able to serve Argentina today.
08:40May he enlighten and strengthen you to translate into concrete decisions,
08:46respect for the dignity of every person,
08:50the commitment to the universal destination of goods,
08:54the preferential option for the poor, and care for creation.
09:00Pope Francis, while visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida,
09:04and recalling his experience at the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean bishops,
09:12said that he had been able to see firsthand how the bishops,
09:18who were discussing the theme of encountering Christ,
09:21discipleship, and mission, felt encouraged, supported,
09:27and in some way inspired by the thousands of pilgrims who came here day after day
09:37to entrust their lives to Our Lady.
09:40In this regard, I would like to encourage you
09:47to continue working on the basis of the teachings of the Aparecida document
09:52as a guiding light to continue walking together in this time.
09:59Dear brothers and sisters, Mary, Mother of Christ and Our Mother,
10:04is par excellence the dwelling place of God among humanity,
10:09for in her womb she welcomed the eternal Word who became flesh.
10:14In her, who is the image and beginning of the Church,
10:18which will reach its fullness in glory,
10:22we catch a glimpse of the joy that has been promised to us
10:26when God will dwell forever with His people in the heavenly Jerusalem.
10:32From her, we learn to be attentive to God's will
10:36and obedient to His Word, as well as to be attentive to the needs of His children.
10:45With her, we long to dwell one day in that holy city where nothing impure will have a place.
10:56Let us entrust to her our concerns and hopes, our ministry and our pastoral mission.
11:03Let us also ask her to intercede with her son,
11:09as she did at the wedding at Cana, so that He may grant us what we need,
11:16especially the grace of constant conversion,
11:19which purifies our hearts and prepares us to share in the eternal joy of His kingdom.
11:27Amen.
11:39The Holy Father has just concluded His homily at this evening prayer
11:47at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Buenos Aires.
11:53And those gathered, the bishops and the synodal teams, pause.
11:57These were the words of Pope Leo XIV at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Argentina.
12:07These and more information about the Pope's tour in South America
12:12in our news briefs from the south and here in Telesur English.
