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13 September 2020 "Let's open up courageously to forgiveness, in life not everything is resolved with justice, I too have done so many, better to forgive to be forgiven".

The homily of Pope Francis at this morning's Angelus in St. Peter's Square focused entirely on the concept of forgiveness and mercy.



"In the divine attitude justice is pervaded by mercy, while the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open up courageously to the power of forgiveness, because not everything in life is resolved with justice. We know this".



Forgiveness as a way of life - against hatred - even in politics


The Pontiff commented on the parable of today's Gospel, that of the merciful king who forgives the enormous debt of his servant.

The same servant, however, proves merciless with a companion who owes him a modest sum.



"The heart of the parable is the indulgence that the master shows towards the servant with the greatest debt", continues Francis who explains how in the Gospel "we find two different attitudes: that of God - represented by the King - and that of man" .

"There is a need - he underlines - of that merciful love, which is also at the basis of the Lord's answer to Peter's question that precedes the parable: 'Lord, if my brother commits sins against me, how many times will I have to forgive him? 'And Jesus replied:' I don't tell you up to seven, but up to seventy times seven. In the symbolic language of the Bible, this means that we are called to forgive always! ”, Bergoglio emphasizes.



The Pope then underlines how many conflicts in the world could be avoided if forgiveness were a way of life for everyone: "how much suffering, how many lacerations, how many wars could be avoided - Bergoglio said, addressing politics and governments - if forgiveness and mercy were the style of our life! Even in the family: how many disunited families who do not know how to forgive each other, how many brothers and sisters who have this resentment inside. It is necessary to apply merciful love in all human relationships: between spouses, between parents and children, within our communities, in the church, and also in society and politics ". 



Francis then tells how in celebrating Mass this morning, he was struck by a phrase contained in the First Reading, taken from the book of Sirach: “Remember the end, stop hating”, a beautiful phrase.

Think in the end: you will be a coffin, do you want to bring hate there too?



In fact, if one does not forgive, the Pope recalls, "resentment returns like an annoying fly": it is better, therefore, to forgive, to be forgiven in turn, because forgiveness is not a momentary rush, but a lifestyle which must last forever.



The emergency in Lesbos


Finally, as always, Bergoglio turns his thoughts to migrants, in particular to refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos.

It takes "solidarity and closeness" for them and remembers the fires that devastated the Moria camp "leaving thousands without a refuge, albeit a precarious one".

Francis recalled his visit to the island and the appeal launched there to ensure "a humane and dignified welcome to migrant men and women, refugees, asylum seekers in Europe. I express solidarity with and closeness to all the victims. of these dramatic events ".  



Encouraging children to return to school


Yesterday Francis addressed the families who participated, through the media, in the 13th national pilgrimage to Pompeii and Loreto, talking about the resumption of the school year: that "the resumption of the school year is lived with a great sense of responsibility, in the perspective of a renewed educational pact, which sees families as protagonists and places people, boys and girls at the center: their healthy, well-formed and sociable growth is a condition for a peaceful and prosperity of the whole society ".

The initiative had as its motto the words of the apostle Paul quoted in the message: "be joyful, encourage one another, have the same sentiments".