Angelus Address: On the Canonization of Five Blesseds

At the end of the Holy Mass, celebrated today in the courtyard of the Vatican Basilica for the Canonization of five Blesseds, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Here is a ZENIT translation of the Holy Father’s address, before praying the midday Angelus.

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Before the Angelus:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Before concluding this Eucharistic Celebration, I wish to greet and thank you all.

I thank the Brother Cardinals and Bishops, as well as the priests, the women, and men religious, from all parts of the world, especially those that belong to the Spiritual Families of the new Saints. I greet all the lay faithful gathered here.

I greet the official Delegations of different countries, in particular, Mister President of the Italian Republic and His Highness the Prince of Wales. In fact, with their evangelical witness, these Saints have fostered spiritual and social growth in the respective nations.

A special thought goes to the delegates of the Anglican Communion, with profound gratitude for their presence and I also welcome you, dear Brother, new Bishop here in Rome.

I greet you all, dear pilgrims, as well as all those that followed this Mass through radio and television. A special greeting goes to the faithful of Poland, who today celebrate the Day of the Pope: I thank them for their prayers and for their constant affection.

And my thought goes once again to the Middle East. In particular, to the beloved and martyred Syria, from which tragic news arrives again on the fate of the populations of the northeast of the country, constrained to abandon their homes because of the military actions: among these populations, there are also many Christian families. To all the actors involved and also to the International Community, please, I renew the appeal to be sincerely committed, with honesty and transparency, to the path of dialogue to seek effective solutions.

Together with all the members of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region, especially those from Ecuador, I follow with concern all that is happening in the last weeks in that country. I entrust it to our common prayer and to the intercession of the new Saints, and I unite myself to the grief for the dead, the wounded and the dispersed. I encourage the seeking of social peace, with particular attention to the most vulnerable populations, to the poor and to human rights.

And now we turn to the Virgin Mary, model of evangelical perfection, may She help us to follow the example of the new Saints.

© Libreria Editrice Vatican