Pope Francis: 'Faith is a treasure to be shared with joy'

By Benedetta Capelli and Deborah Castellano Lubov

“I would have greatly wished to be present among you to share this moment of faith and communion.”

With these words, Pope Francis expressed his regret for not being able to take part in the Slovak national jubilee pilgrimage. His message was read on Friday during Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica by Archbishop Bernard Bober of Košice, who is also the President of the Slovak Bishops’ Conference.

Among the 4,300 pilgrims in attendance were Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, government ministers, and the Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli.

Share faith with joy

In his message, the Pope reminded that “faith is a treasure to be shared with joy.”

Even in difficult times, he underscored, faith remains an “opportunity to grow in trust and surrender to God.” Therefore, our simple and sincere ‘yes,’ like Mary’s, he suggested, can become an instrument in God’s hands to accomplish something great.

“Saying yes today,” the Holy Father encouraged, “can allow us to open new horizons of faith, hope, and peace, for ourselves and for those whom the Lord places in our path.”

He called on the faithful to listen, in a synodal style, to the Spirit “without fearing what is new but discerning in it God’s initiative, which always surprises us.”

Pilgrims throughout our lives

“Your pilgrimage,” the Pope wrote, “is a concrete sign of the desire to renew faith, to strengthen the bond with the Successor of Peter, and to joyfully witness to the hope that does not disappoint.”

This hope, which comes from Christ, he said, is what the Jubilee calls us to follow because it “calls us to become pilgrims throughout our lives,” embarking on a journey toward eternity.

This path, he insisted, culminates in Rome, passing through the Holy Doors and visiting the tombs of the Apostles and Martyrs.

The Holy Father acknowledged that for the faithful of the country this journey "is part of the rich Christian tradition of your land, nourished by the testimony of Saints Cyril and Methodius and many other saints, who for over a thousand years have irrigated it with the Gospel of Christ.”

Finally, Pope Francis concluded by imploring the Blessed Mother, the country's patroness, whom you especially venerate as Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, guide and protect you,” and provide them hope.