Pope turns 86 and seeks closeness to the poor

Pope Francis turns 86 this Saturday (17) and has taken this opportunity to demand not just philanthropy but proximity to the most vulnerable population.

After accepting a delegation from the “Mother Teresa Award” among the audience at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the Pope expressed his gratitude to three people who live philanthropy with the poorest in very different life situations.

The leader of the Catholic Church remembered the legacy of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who left the world “a message of poverty, a message of intimacy, a message of brotherhood and a prayer.”

“Prayer in dark times too, because this woman went through real spiritual storms with inner darkness, but she continued to pray,” he added.

Francis even asked Mother Teresa “from heaven” to help us “live poverty with simplicity and prayer.” “This way we can help others, and it’s not just charity; it’s good, charity is good, but it’s pagan. Christian is intimacy, charity with prayer. And that’s good,” he stressed.

Also, on his 86th birthday, the Pope has decided to give a badge of gratitude to three people who have done charity work for the poorest of the poor in very different life situations.

These are: Franciscan priest Hanna Jallouf, who lives among Syria’s poor “in times of constant and devastating war”; The homeless Gian Piero, known as Wué, “devotes every day some of the offerings he receives to helping people poorer than him”; and Italian Silvano Pedrollo, a Verona businessman, “uses a significant portion of his company’s profits to help and assist the poorest in various countries in Africa, India and Latin America to build schools, wells and health facilities”.

The Pope then delivered a small statue of Mother Teresa caressing the poor of the world, intended as a token of gratitude, in the presence of about 20 sisters and 20 people who were welcomed in their dormitories by the Relief Missionaries. who cares for the most vulnerable.

Congratulations. Jorge Bergoglio, who turned 86 this Saturday, received many congratulatory messages from Italian and world politicians such as Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

“On the occasion of your birthday, on behalf of all Italians and myself, I would like to express my most sincere and heartfelt wishes for your personal well-being and the long and fruitful continuation of your higher teaching office,” he says. Mattarella

In his message to the Pontiff, the Italian President underlines, among other things, that “His Holiness’ heartfelt appeals are of particular value in alerting the international community to the risk of a dangerous drift towards general conflict.”

Mattarella also reminds that “the coming year will be marked by Russian aggression against Ukraine dramatically, which will have very serious consequences for the Ukrainian people – victims of heinous crimes – and for the whole world.” Meloni would send the Pope a well-wish letter. .