“Good evening! In you I see the beauty of Christ’s young face and I am filled with joy,” the Holy Father greeted the youth. Pope Francis walked freely shaking hands with the pilgrims and even at
widening the gap between the rich and the poor. In his concluding Holy Mass of the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Francis urged the youth to fear not and be generous with Christ, he added that it was time for the youth to go and pass their experience at the WYD to others. “Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places like the first apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel it is time to preach it from the rooftops,” he urged. He added that he had come to Brazil in Jesus’ name, “to feed
the flame of fraternal love that burns in every heart.” The Pope who is known to be devoted to mother Mary did not leave Brazil without visiting the national Marian shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil. “Mary teaches the Church true discipleship,” the Pontiff said, explaining that for this reason, “I too come to knock on the door of the house of Mary -- who
“...In you I see the beauty of Christ’s young face and I am filled with joy,”
times posing for photographs with them. No doubt, Pope Francis has undeniably easy going attitude which aroused and cheered the youth with some conservative Catholics expressing fear that Pope Francis was entertaining a little too much. “I think this Pope is breaking protocol” said Paulo Palacio, 35, a computer technician who attended a mass by the Pope at Nova Vida. Pope Francis visited Rio’s slum Varghina favela where he expressed solidarity with the residents, “to you all I repeat, never yield to discouragements, do not loose trust, do not allow your hope to be distinguished, situations can change and so people can change.” Pope condemned the inequality in the Brazilian community terming it as culture of selfishness that is
THE SEED - VOL 25, No. 8, AUGUST 2013
43