Pope: ‘We must share the joy of the Gospel to bring hope to the world’
Vatican news
Meeting with a delegation from the French missionary forum Congrès Mission, Pope Francis encourages them to share the joy of the Gospel with courage and creativity to restore hope in a broken world.
By Lisa Zengarini
“Never be afraid to “go” into the world” where “men and women experience their joys and their sorrows” and let yourself be “shaken by the Holy Spirit” who pushes us to creatively announce joy and peace. hope of the Gospel.
Pope Francis gave this strong encouragement while speaking on Friday to around fifty coordinators of the Mission Congress, a missionary initiative supported by several French Catholic movements to revitalize evangelization in France.
The group hosts an annual two- to three-day event bringing together thousands of Christians from across the country to pray, share and reflect on how best to proclaim the Gospel in today’s secularized society.
The world desperately needs the Christian message of hope
Addressing the delegation in the Consistory Hall, Pope Francis congratulated the Congress Mission for its “faithful commitment” to the service of the Gospel, which he said “is a source of light and hope in a world that so desperately needs it.”
Noting that this year’s gathering to be held in Bercy will take place in the context of the current Jubilee of Hope, Pope Francis stressed that “joy is inseparable from hope and mission.” It “is not limited to a passing enthusiasm but is born from a personal encounter with Christ and directs us towards our brothers and sisters”.
Being a pilgrim therefore means “walking together in the Church, but also having the courage to meet others” to bring hope by “offering to the world a living word, rooted in the Gospel, a word that consoles and opens new paths. »
Christ is our hope that we must share with others
Recognizing that hope is often tested in our world marked by conflict, injustice and “torn by individualism”, the Pope stressed that the Christian certainty that “Christ is our hope” is “a a gift to share, a light to transmit. »
He therefore urged Congress Mission leaders to boldly respond to the call to mission by allowing themselves to be “moved by the Holy Spirit”.
“Sometimes this may involve stepping out of our usual patterns and even being willing to ‘create some confusion,’ but the Holy Spirit moves us toward creativity,” he said.
Inspiring young people, the first “pilgrims of hope”
Pope Francis invited the Mission Congress to particularly inspire young people, “the first pilgrims of hope”, by helping them to grow in faith, to dare to make courageous choices and to become themselves missionary disciples of Jesus.
“Instill in them the audacity to dream of a more fraternal world and support them so that they become artisans of hope in their families, at school and in their workplace,” he said. urged, also encouraging them to cultivate relationships between the elderly and young people. .
Communion is a powerful testimony to the world
Finally, Pope Francis invited the Mission Congress to never lose sight of communion which, according to him, is “a powerful witness to the world, a living demonstration of the love that identifies Christians as disciples of Christ.”
In conclusion, Pope Francis assured his prayer that their 11th gathering in November will be a time of joy, conversion and renewal for the Church of France.
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