POPE TALK ( April 2026 )

Pope Talk

• Peace begins with dignity. Christ’s greeting after the Resurrection, ‘Peace be with you,’ is more than a salutation. True peace begins with the recognition and protection of the God-given dignity of every person.

• The Good Samaritan showed love by taking care of the wounded and abandoned man on the road. An essential aspect of love of neighbour requires concrete gestures of closeness while being capable of assuming the fragility and suffering of others, particularly those who experience illness accompanied by poverty, isolation, or loneliness. Christ, the Good Samaritan, continues to draw close to wounded humanity and, through the sacraments, pours out the oil of consolation and the wine of hope.

• Let us create space for silence by turning off televisions, radios, and cell phones for a while. Let us meditate on the Word of God, approach the sacraments, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us in our heart. Let us also listen to one another, in our families, workplaces, and communities.

• There is always the risk of discouragement or of being drawn to easier paths to satisfaction, such as wealth, fame, and power. Such temptations are merely poor substitutes for the joy for which we were created and ultimately leave people dissatisfied, restless, and empty. 

• Authentic educators and catechetical leaders arouse the desire for truth. By deepening your relationship with Jesus and continuing to be faithful and joyful disciples in your daily lives, authenticity will enable transmitting the Gospel in such a way that it leads to a true encounter with the Lord and contributes to building up a lasting and life-giving culture. 

• Our youth must be helped, not hindered, in their journey toward maturity and true responsibility. Access to data must not be confused with intelligence. Authentic wisdom has more to do with recognising the true meaning of life than with the availability of data. AI can also be misused for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression.

• The Scripture is the word of God in human words, any approach to it that neglects or denies one of these two dimensions proves to be partial. Correct interpretation of the sacred texts can dispense with the historic environment in which they developed and the literary forms that were used; on the contrary, to renounce the study of the human words that God used risks leading to fundamentalist or spiritualist readings of the Scripture, which betray its meaning. This principle also applies to the proclamation of the Word of God: if it loses touch with reality, with human hopes and sufferings, if an incomprehensible language is used, uncommunicative or anachronistic, it is ineffective. In every age, the Church is called to re-propose the Word of God in a language capable of being embodied in history and reaching hearts.

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April

For priests in crisis

Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, 

that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may 

support them with understanding and prayer.