Pope Francis: the Church exalts the cross of Christ
September 15, 2014
Pope Francis devoted his September 14 Angelus address to the cross of Christ.
“Why? Why was the Cross necessary? Because of the gravity of the evil which kept us slaves,” he said. “The Cross of Jesus expresses both things: all the negative forces of evil, and all of the gentle omnipotence God’s mercy. The Cross would appear to declare Christ’s failure, but in reality marks His victory.”
He continued, “So what do we see, when we look to the Cross where Jesus was nailed? We contemplate the sign of the infinite love of God for each of us and the source of our salvation. That Cross is the source of the mercy of God that embraces the whole world. Through the Cross of Christ the evil one is overcome death is defeated, we are given life, hope is restored.”
The Pope then turned to the persecution of Christians around the world:
While we contemplate and celebrate the Holy Cross, we think emotionally of so many of our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ. This happens especially there where religious freedom is still not guaranteed or fully realized. It happens, however, even in well-to-do countries which, in principle, protect freedom and human rights, but where in practice believers, and especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination. So today we remember them and pray especially for them.
The Pontiff concluded by entrusting to Our Lady of Sorrows “the present and the future of the Church, so that we all may always know how to discover and accept the message of love and salvation of the Cross of Christ.”
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