Pope Francis shuns diversity, hails motherhood in 2019 message
- Pope urged Catholics to allow themselves to be led like children by mothers, saying ‘a world that looks to the future without a mother’s gaze is shortsighted’
Pope Francis ushered in the new year with an ode to motherhood on Tuesday, reminding the faithful that a mother’s example and embrace is the best antidote to today’s disjointed world of solitude and misery.
Francis celebrated mass in St Peter’s Basilica to formally open 2019, a January 1 tradition that is dedicated both to the Madonna and the Catholic Church’s call for peace.
“How much dispersion and solitude there is all around us. The world is completely connected, yet seems increasingly disjointed,” the pope said in his homily. “It may well increase its profits, but it will no longer see others as children. It will make money, but not for everyone. We will all dwell in the same house, but not as brothers and sisters.”
Francis urged Catholics to allow themselves to be led again as children are led by their mothers, saying “a world that looks to the future without a mother’s gaze is shortsighted”.
“It may well increase its profits, but it will no longer see others as children,” he said. “We will all dwell in the same house, but not as brothers and sisters. We need to learn from mothers that heroism is shown in self-giving, strength in compassion, wisdom in meekness.”
