POPE: MAY EVERY BAPTIZED CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE THE CALLING TO BE A SIGN OF HOPE ON THIS PLANET

Mass was held on Monday afternoon at St. Peter’s Basilica for Ambassadors from African nations accredited to the Holy See, along with many others participating in the Jubilee pilgrimage.

A day after the 62nd Africa Day celebration, Pope Leo XIV made an unexpected appearance at the celebration to greet the delegations and offer support at the close of the Mass.

In his spontaneous remarks delivered in English, the Pope said that this Holy Year “inspires us all and invites us all to seek hope, but also to become signs of hope.”

The Pope added, “How important it is that every baptized person feels called by God to be a sign of hope in today’s world.”

He emphasized that Christians draw strength from their faith. Faith helps us “see the light of Jesus Christ in our lives and understand how important it is to live out our faith, not only on Sundays, not only during a pilgrimage, but every single day.”

Pope Leo also said that faith enables us “to be filled with the hope that only Jesus Christ can give.”

He expressed his desire that “we may all continue walking together in unity as brothers and sisters to praise our God, to recognize that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God, and to offer those gifts in service to others.”

The Pope went on to praise the pilgrims and Ambassadors for faithfully following their belief in Jesus Christ.

The group, he said, was “well accompanied” by Cardinal Turkson (Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences), Cardinal Francis Arinze (Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments), and Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu (Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization).

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited all those present to join him in prayer:
“Thank you, Lord Jesus, and may your name be praised.”