Before the Eucharistic celebration during his one-day trip to Bari on February 23, Pope Francis greeted the crowd in the Square in front of the Basilica.
The Holy Father blessed some children, before thanking the faithful for having accompanied with prayer the work of the “Mediterranean, Frontier of Peace” meeting.
“Prayers are precisely the strength, the strength of a Christian community,” the pope said. “Pastors pray, but they must work during these days of reflection. But they felt accompanied and safe with your prayers. I thank you so much for this work, for this apostolate of praying, praying for the Church.
“Do not forget: to pray for the Church, for the Pastors… And in bad times we pray even more, because the Lord must always come to resolve problems.”
Before the blessing, Pope Francis prayed that Mary, who “prayed a lot during her life,” would accompany the Church on her journey at all times.
And today we celebrate...