This Sunday, those gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray the midday Angelus with the Pope will receive a particular gift, according to the director of the Vatican press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.
The Vatican spokesman said: “At the weekly Sunday Angelus and in various other occasions, Pope Francis has, many times, called the faithful to always have with themselves a small book of the Gospels. He calls on the faithful to keep taking it out, re-reading it and and to meditate on the words and actions of Jesus, especially those related to the daily liturgy and which the Pope has developed in his reflections.”
Father Lombardi surprised the press present, saying: “To help put this invitation into practice, leaving a clear message, next Sunday, during the weekly Angelus, the wish of the Holy Father is to have thousands of pocket-sized Gospels be distributed to the faithful present in the square.”
They will be given “freely, as a gift of the Holy Father,” announced the Vatican spokesman.
Father Lombardi compared this act to the one a month ago, when thousands of rosaries were distributed to the faithful present at the Sunday Angelus. He also said that the pocket-size Gospels would be distributed by numerous volunteers, 150 scouts, Roman seminarians, the Missionaries of Charity, other religious and lay people.
Fr. Lombardi added that the Gospels would be in Italian because the majority of those present are Italian-speaking.
