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Pope to Middle East Pilgrims: 'Without Christ at Center of Life, Perseverance, Consolation Are Impossible'

At General Audience, Pope Blesses Arabic-speaking Pilgrims and Reminds Them How Hope Is Needed

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“I give a warm welcome to the Arabic-speaking pilgrims, particularly those from Egypt, the Holy Land, and the Middle East!”, said Pope Francis during the General Audience of March 22, 2017.
This morning’s General Audience was held at 9:30 in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.
The Pope spoke in Italian, translated immediately into Arabic by one of his collaborators in the Roman Curia: “Perseverance becomes impossible unless it is based on hope and consolation becomes deceptive unless it is based on trust in the security and the nearby presence of the Lord.
“The perseverance and consolation are impossible,” he continued, “without Christ at the center of our life, of our existence and our hope. ”
“May the Lord bless you all and protect you from evil!” he said.
 

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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