Pope Francis, in his reflection on Sunday’s Gospel, underscored Jesus’ capacity to fully know everyone’s innermost thoughts, highlighting that, despite this, Jesus does not condemn. His comments came during a discourse on the role of governments and organizations in supporting women’s ability to accept and nurture life.
Giving the address from the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the Pope stated that political and social institutions have a key responsibility to uphold and champion the dignity of all human beings. This includes providing women, as carriers of life, the favourable conditions to embrace and secure a dignified life for their offspring. The Pope was particularly vocal about the necessity for concrete recognition of women’s equal dignity, especially those whose dignity is not being respected.
Although France recently incorporated the right to abortion in its constitution, Pope Francis didn’t directly mention abortion in his comments. Instead, he emphasized the imperative to protect human dignity and provide women with the necessary environment to affirm life.
Pope Francis also addressed how Jesus, in the Gospels, often demystifies people’s false attitudes and true intentions, as seen in His encounter with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John. Despite Jesus’s ability to discern these secrets, the Pope stressed that the Lord doesn’t use this knowledge to harshly judge others or discredit them.
Lastly, after performing the afternoon Angelus prayer, Pope Francis, linking to broader global issues and events, expressed his solidarity to several communities. He acknowledged Muslims worldwide who would begin Ramadan that evening, and requested for prayers for peace in countries like Ukraine, the Holy Land, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti. The Pope is particularly concerned about the grave crisis in Haiti, voicing his closeness to the Haitian people and urging for the cessation of violence and fostering peace.