As might be expected, Pope Francis received many greetings and prayers from people in his native Argentina on the 5th anniversary of his election as Pope, March 13, 2018.
According to Vatican News, the Holy Father responded with a “very personal” letter, sent to the Argentine Bishops’ Conference and approved for public release (in Spanish).
In the second paragraph of the letter, Pope Francis writes of his “great and intense” love of his country for which, he says, “I pray every day”. He goes on to ask forgiveness of “those who may be offended by some of my gestures”. “Although God entrusted me with such an important task, and helps me”, explains the Pope, “He did not free me from human frailty”.
The Holy Father also invited Argentinians to participate in his mission by suggesting: “If ever you are pleased about things I do well, I want you to feel like they are your own. You are my people, the people who trained me, prepared me and offered me to serve others… Remember the Lord has called one of you to bring a message of faith, mercy, and fraternity to many corners of the earth”.
