Pope Francis and Curia conclude spiritual exercises

Pope Francis and Curia conclude spiritual exercises

Pope greeting Fr Jose Tolentino Mendoca, preacher of the curial exercises. (Vatican Media)

On the conclusion of the spiritual exercises preached by Fr José Tolentino, Pope Francis thanked him for his accompaniment.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis said that the spiritual exercises would continue throughout the day with “the Day of Fasting and Prayer for South Sudan, the Congo, and Syria.” He thanked Fr Jose for having spoken about the Church, for allowing those present to hear from the church “this small flock.”

Holy Spirit at work

The Pope also expressed gratitude to Fr Tolentino “For having reminded us that the Church is not a cage for the Holy Spirit. That the Spirit flies elsewhere and works elsewhere as well.” The Pope appreciated the citations Fr Tolentino used which, he says, illustrate how the Holy Spirit works in non-Christians and people from other religious persuasions. Even today, the Pope says, “there are people like ‘Cornelius,’ like the ‘centurion’, like ‘Peter’s prison guard ’ who live an interior quest, searching.”

Pope asks for prayer

In conclusion, Pope Francis thanked Fr Tolentino for the call to open “ourselves without fear, without rigidity, to be pliable to the Spirit and not mummified in our structures.” Then, he asked Fr Tolentino to “Continue to pray for us,” since being men, “we are sinners.”

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