People have the right to peaceful protest, Pope Francis declared at the celebratory Mass held on the occasion of Pentecost Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica. In his speech, he called for comfort for the world and humanity. It is a comfort that does not mean momentary, temporary, superficial help, but gives hope and heals.
The head of the Catholic Church called the crisis in Colombia worrisome and said he prayed that through "serious dialogue" "a just solution to the problems could be found, especially the situation of the poorest".
Protest movements began in the South American country less than a month ago, and in many cases they were put down by police violence.
Pope Francis celebrated the Pentecost Mass at the main altar of the basilica. In his speech, he called for comfort for the world and humanity.
It is a comfort that does not mean momentary, temporary, superficial help, but gives hope and heals.
Unity is also needed in the Catholic Church, he stressed. As he pointed out, there were also different political views among the apostles, they belonged to different worlds, but in the church harmony of differences is necessary. Unity does not mean uniformity, said the 84-year-old head of the church.
Pope Francis presented the Pentecost Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to a limited number of believers, but
already a thousand people could participate in the mass at the same time instead of the usual 200-300 people in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, a small crowd, not seen for a long time, gathered outside on Szent Péter Square; with the relaxation of the restrictions introduced due to the epidemic, the Romans, as well as Italian and foreign tourists, returned again.
At the same time, for the second year in a row, the traditional Pentecost ceremony was canceled in the Roman Pantheon: red rose petals did not fall from the opening at the top of the Pantheon as a symbol of the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Source: MTI
Photo: Pope Francis' Pentecost Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (Photo: MTI/EPA/ANSA/Giuseppe Lami)
