00:00Live once more to Lima, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV is precisely at this hour offering, addressing the nation from
00:09life from the chapel of the Archbishop's residence in Lima. Let's listen to his statements at this hour.
00:19...preserved people who learned to come together and share their gifts. Among these paths, there's one that's very familiar to
00:31you, the Great Income Road, a fast network which united territories, communities, and cultures throughout this land.
00:42Drawing on this image, I'd like to invite you to reflect on our ethical mission.
00:51The Church is like a path leading us to a communion and hope that crosses the mountains of indifference, deserts
01:03of individualism, and the distances that separate people.
01:11Furthermore, the motto of my visit, let us open our hearts, invites us to conversion, to communion, and to mission.
01:26But what does opening one's heart mean for a bishop?
01:32It means knowing the path to God so that he may walk alongside the faithful, as well as allowing God
01:39and the faithful to challenge his priorities.
01:43It is an eminently missionary journey, much like the Inca Trail, which was not built so that travelers might linger
01:53to admire its magnificent landscapes, but to reach the whole of Taiwantinsuyu.
02:02Like the Shaskis, who travel the length and breadth of the empire, carrying urgent messages in vital positions, the bishop
02:11is the messenger who bears the good news of the gospel,
02:17safeguards the treasure of the word of God, and administers the sacraments as those indispensable gifts which are necessary to
02:25sustain the Christian life.
02:27We must also consider that, just as this trail is the heir to the ancient paths used by pre-Incan
02:34cultures, the bishop is a servant in his diocese of the history of salvation that began before him and will
02:47continue after him.
02:48For this reason, opening one's heart for the bishop means recognizing the path that God is already traveling with his
02:57people,
02:59the journey that still lies ahead, and the direction in which we must go to continue building a future of
03:08hope for all.
03:09Dear brothers, opening one's heart for the bishop also means getting to know his diocese by entering people's homes, accompanying
03:20the sick, meeting young people, and reaching out to communities which due to their geographical remoteness or social vulnerability are
03:31rarely able to make their voices heard.
03:36The pastor indeed is called to go out and meet everyone.
03:41In this regard, the figure of St. Turibius of Montervejo stands out in a unique way.
03:49He understood that his mission required him to be with the communities in order to focus first and foremost on
03:57Christian formation and to ensure that the gospel could also be proclaimed in the languages of the indigenous peoples.
04:05The catechism, the catechism, the catechism that was developed in communion with the bishops gathered at the Third Provincial Council
04:12of Lima, written in Aymara, Cochoa, and Spanish, bears witness to this missionary zeal.
04:20We know that the secret trail.
04:22We know that the secret trail is no easy path, for its steep ascents and narrow passes test the travelers'
04:28endurance.
04:30Though their efforts find solace in contemplating the majesty of creation, in an analogous way the Episcopal mission does not
04:39always follow clear paths.
04:43We encounter pastoral difficulties, social divisions, misunderstandings, and decisions that can prove to be painful.
04:55Here, St. Turibius enlightens us once more, helping us to understand that pastoral charity does not consist in avoiding problems,
05:05but in remaining faithful to Christ and seeking the greatest possible good for people.
05:13Just as the hardships of the journey wind through the mountains, so too the cross of Christ weighs upon our
05:21ministry.
05:22Yet that very cross reminds us that no toil offered out of love is in vain when it is united
05:30with the self-offering of Jesus Christ.
05:34First, it's important to remember that this trail is not to be walked alone.
05:42Being in the region that was home to Peru's first seminary, I think of the bishop, who transforms the journey
05:50itself into traveling
05:53Yahuasi, a house of knowledge, as a traveling companion to his priests, who does not merely show them the way.
06:03It also shares in their struggles and aspirations, recognizing God's footprint in their lives, and ensures no one is left
06:14behind.
06:14Yet behind the realm of imagination, the truth is that walking together fosters communion, a gift for which we must
06:23always pray.
06:24Communion with the successor of Peter, with the other bishops, with the men and women religious, and with the whole
06:31people of God.
06:38In light of this, I am heartened by the synodal process that has been undertaken in the Peruvian church.
06:48In partnership with the people of God, I ask you to continue working steadfastly, making it increasingly possible to build
06:56a church in which we all recognize ourselves as co-responsible and missionary disciples of the Lord.
07:07A church in which each person lives according to their own vocation and mutual trust, so that authority is not
07:13exercised tyrannically, nor is obedience mere servility.
07:23I would like now to speak of those who have walked these lands before us.
07:28In addition, St. Toribius of Mogrovejo, let us think of St. Rose of Lima.
07:33Her prayer and her dedication to those in need remind us that apostolic fruitfulness depends on our union with the
07:42Lord,
07:43and consequently, on the care we take of our own spiritual life in the Episcopal ministry.
07:53From St. Francis Solano, we learn to cross borders to proclaim the Gospel.
07:58His joyful missionary spirit reminds us that the Church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ, especially to those living on the
08:08human and geographical peripheries.
08:11St. Martin de Portes, St. Martin de Portes, and St. Juan de Portes teach us through their humility to recognize
08:18Christ in the least among us.
08:21From these saints, we also learn that charity begins with a simple gesture, a listening ear.
08:30They also remind us that no person can be judged by their rank, their origins, or their social status.
08:37In this regard, allow me to mention a reality that has caused us so much pain—the abuses perpetrated by members
08:49of the clergy or within the context of the Church.
08:53We must respond as Jesus would, with truth, with justice, with forgiveness, making amends, reparations, and an even more resolute
09:06commitment to fostering a culture of prevention and protection for the weakest in light of such crimes.
09:16The lives of the saints, each distinct yet united by a single faith, bishops, priests, and laity, Spaniards, Creoles, and
09:26Milatos, represent the unity of the Church in Peru and form a school of holiness.
09:36They continue to walk with us, here and now, along the many paths of the One Way, teaching us to
09:43be in Hilo Uno Unum.
09:47Dear Brother Bishops,
09:58In 2018, I was seated among you in this very place, and we received from our beloved Pope Francis the
10:05Hemant exhortation to work for unity.
10:08I remember what he told us,
10:10Do not remain prisoners of divisions that create eclipses and hamper our vocation to be a sacrament of communion.
10:23That was and is and always will be the best way to evangelize.
10:29In effect, communion among you among us is the foundation of the credibility of the Gospel you proclaim.
10:39Our mission as bishops calls us to be bridge builders, to foster dialogue, to educate others in having fruitful encounters
10:50and help heal the wounds that divide Peruvian society.
10:53In order to be effective in this way, in order to be effective in this way, it is helpful to
10:56open our hearts to our brother bishops so as to cultivate trust, share our difficulties, and strengthen Episcopal fraternity.
11:11No bishop should feel alone on this journey.
11:14No particular church should carry out its mission as if it were separate from that of the others.
11:22In and through communion, the bishop will be an instrument in preventing social or political polarization from weakening his prophetic
11:34and evangelizing mission.
11:40Finally, dear brother bishops, the bishop must open his heart to the Peru of today.
11:45An ancient path retains its value when it continues to enable people to reach their destination.
11:51We must ask ourselves, which paths truly lead to Christ?
11:59We must, and we must denounce false paths.
12:01Today, Peru needs shepherds capable of listening to the questions of our time and illuminating them with the clarity of
12:10the Gospel, to accompany families, support young people, defend the life and dignity of every person, promote justice, and commit
12:21to the care of creation.
12:35This mission requires us to combine doctrinal fidelity with pastoral closeness, the celebration of the sacraments with the commitment to
12:47our neighbor, and the formation of consciences with the concrete witness of church.
12:55The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life.
13:01Before the tabernacle, we regain the correct perspective on our ministry.
13:07The Church does not belong to us.
13:10The Church does not belong to us.
13:10It belongs to Christ.
13:12We are messengers who will one day complete our journey.
13:18Only God remains.
13:21May we never lack the time to be with the Lord and to accompany those who need to experience the
13:27Bishop's spiritual fatherhood.
13:32For the Bishop united to Christ, even amidst his limitations, is an instrument of comfort, unity, and hope.
13:45I would like to conclude with three invitations.
13:48First, don't cease to walk with the people.
13:53Second, let us never cease to walk together in Episcopal communion as witnesses to the unity we proclaim.
14:03Third, let us never tire of opening our hearts to God, so that he may renew our vocation, to our
14:12brothers and sisters, so that divisions may be healed, and to his people, so that they may find in you
14:19the Father Bishop, who is close at hand, courageous and merciful.
14:27May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, grant this to us, so that all the children of this
14:33beautiful land, in the Andean highlands, in the valleys, in the Amazon, on the coast, and on the islands, may
14:41find in the Church a home where they are welcomed, listened to, loved, and led to Jesus Christ.
14:51Thank you very much.
14:58Those were the statements of this hour of Pope Leo XIV at the chapel of the Archbishop's residence in Lima.
15:07Make sure that no one is left behind.
15:11That was one of his key messages.
15:13...
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