Pope Francis on September 26, 2019, praised the “double being” of the Emmanuel Community of Lecce when he received members of the group in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
“I would like to confirm you in the high road, which is that of a twofold purpose: to be with Christ and to be with the brothers in difficulty,” Pope Francis said. “This is the key: the double being.”
“It is a road that is indicated by the very name of the community: Emmanuel. God shows us this way: He, who is Love, is God-with-us. And not as an idea, or worse an ideology, but as a life, the life of Jesus. He is Emmanuel, God-with-us, who witnessed the love of the Father by sharing our human condition to the end.”
The Holy Father said that this Emmanuel spirit allowed the group to maintain its mission:
– not to let the joy, the hope, the courage to give oneself be stolen;
– to stay together without getting hurt;
– to throw back the networks after the disappointments and the failures;
– to continue to work with joy even if you struggle and feel tired;
– to remain faithful to the original spirit of vocation and mission.
