"How much pain we feel in seeing our brothers and sisters die on the sea because they do not let them land. And this, some in the name of God!".
Pope Francis said this in an 'off-the-cuff' passage of his homily at Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the third Sunday of the Word of God.
Pope Francis this morning celebrates mass on the occasion of the III Day of the Word of God, which he himself instituted on September 30, 2019. During the celebration, for the first time, with a new rite prepared by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, the Pope confers on lay men and women from different countries of the world the ministry of the Lectorate and the ministry of the Catechist.
Ten cardinals, ten bishops and 120 priests concelebrate the liturgy with the Pontiff: the main concelebrants at the Altar of Confession are Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, respectively president and delegate for catechesis of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of the New Evangelization.