The Pope has urged learning from history after citing the danger of nuclear war that threatened the world during the period in which the Second Vatican Council began, in his message during the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square.
Francis recalled that 60 years ago (October 11, 1962) the Second Vatican Council began: "We cannot forget the danger of nuclear war that threatened the world at that time. Why not learn from history?" has said in reference to the missile crisis between Cuba, the United States and the Soviet Union.
"Also at that time there were conflicts and great tensions, but the peaceful way was chosen. It is written in the Bible: Thus says the Lord: 'Stop on the roads and look, ask the ancient paths where the good road is, and go for him: in this way they will find peace of mind for their souls", Francis added.
The Pope explained that there is currently "a migration to Europe" that "makes people suffer" and "opens the heart, which is that of Ukrainians fleeing war", while he once again asked "not to forget to the martyred Ukraine".
The Pontiff made these declarations after celebrating the canonization of the Italian Bishop Juan Bautista Scalabrini, father of migrants and refugees (1839-1905), and the Salesian coadjutor Artémides Zatti (1880-1951), called the "nurse of the sick". .
Leaving the speech he had prepared, the Pope has said that the exclusion of migrants is "criminal". "Today, on the day that Scalabrini becomes a saint, I would like to think of immigrants. The exclusion of migrants is scandalous, in fact it is criminal * it is sinful because the doors are not opened to those who are in need *", he affirmed.
Thus, he recalled that the Mediterranean is also a large open-air cemetery. "No, we do not exclude migrants, we send them out, they are sent to concentration camps and they are left to die or they are sold as slaves or exploited," Francis denounced.
The Pontiff has urged the faithful to "walk alongside others", to "listen", to "overcome the temptation" to entrench themselves in their self-referentiality and to think only of their own needs.
The Pope has also sent a message to the Church that prepares the synodal path: "But walking together, that is, being synodal, is also the vocation of the Church. Let us ask ourselves to what extent are we really open communities that include everyone".
In this sense, it has been asked whether they are made to feel part of the community or are they excluded. The Pope has always invited inclusion, both in the Church and in society."
"It scares me to see Christian communities that divide the world into good and bad, saints and sinners; in this way, we end up feeling better than others and leave out many that God wants to embrace. Please, we must always include, both in the Church as well as in society, still marked by so many inequalities and marginalization", he concluded.
