• The Pope: globalization is harmful when it uniforms everything
  • Pope Francis: "Walls ruin peace, open doors are needed"

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September 21, 2019We do not mend the faith. The Pope warned him, celebrating Mass on the occasion of his visit to the diocese of Albano Latium. "As a Church," said Francis, "let us ask ourselves if Jesus comes first for us: first he or our agenda, first he or our structures? Is there any conversion born of an anticipation of mercy, of God's tenderness that captivates the heart. If everything we do does not start from the merciful gaze of Jesus, we run the risk of mundanizing the faith, of complicating it and filling it with so many outlines: cultural topics, efficient visions, political options, party choices ".

Tribute in 'mural'
As soon as he arrived in Albano Laziale, welcomed by the bishop Marcello Semeraro and the mayor Nicola Marini, Pope Francis is shown the 'mural' created to commemorate the visit. It depicts Bergoglio as a worker who cleans the sky and the planet from the pollution produced by man. It is the first moment of a visit, celebrated by thousands of faithful, which first sees the Pope gather in prayer in the Cathedral of San Pancrazio with the priests of the diocese, and then preside over Mass for citizenship in Piazza Pia, concelebrated with Semeraro and with Cardinal Agostino Vallini, former bishop of the Lazio town, now vicar of Rome.

Feel at home
Pope Francis also raises the problem of "feeling at home" in the Church. "It happens, unfortunately - he observes - that our communities become foreign to many and unattractive. At times we too suffer the temptation to create closed circles, intimate places among elected people. But there are so many brothers and sisters who are homesick, who do not have the courage to approach, perhaps because they did not feel welcomed ".