Pope Francis was forced to give the reading of the homily of the Mass he presided in the Plaza de San Pedro for the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Bodies to a collaborator and excused himself before those present for suffering “difficulty In breathing ”.
“Now I excuse myself and ask the teacher to continue reading due to the difficulties in breathing,” said the pontiff with the voice somewhat hoarse after having read the first part of the homily he had prepared.
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![Pope Francis wanted to read the first part of the homily but had to interrupt his reading. Credit: video capture/ Vatican Media](https://www.aciprensa.com/imagespp/screenshot-2025-02-09-at-10.56.07.png?w=600)
Despite the bronchitis suffered by Pope Francisthe solemn ceremony, attended Winter of Rome.
This Sunday is his first exit abroad, since he announced that he suffered a strong cold during the general hearing last Wednesday. The next day, T were transferredOdas his quotes from the Apostolic Palace to the Marta househis residence in the Vatican, and the Vatican press office confirmed that he suffered bronchitis.
![San Pedro Square in the rainy and cold morning of this February 9. Credit: video capture/ Vatican Media](https://www.aciprensa.com/imagespp/screenshot-2025-02-09-at-09.55.50.png?w=600)
However, the Holy Father has not canceled his appointments planned for this week.
At the Mass, he applauded the work of the security forces that risk “their own lives” to fight against crime, but asked them to be attentive to “the temptation to cultivate a spirit of war.”
“Watch against the temptation to cultivate a spirit of war; watch for not being seduced by the myth of strength and noise of weapons; Watch for never contaminating by the poison of hate propaganda, which divides the world into friends to defend and enemies to fight, ”said the pontiff in his homily.
According to the organizers, more than 30,000 military from more than one hundred countries of the Armed Forces Jubileewhich concluded today Sunday, February 9.
The Pontiff highlighted his work always from the “legality” and in favor of “the weakest” which constitutes “a lesson” for the whole society.
“You are entrusted to a great mission, which covers multiple dimensions of social and political life: the defense of our countries, the commitment to security, custody of legality and justice, the presence in penitentiaries, the struggle against crime and the different forms of violence that threaten to alter social peace, ”he said in his homily.
He also exalted the “important service” offered by security forces “in natural catastrophes, for the care of creation, for the rescue of lives in the sea, for the most fragile”, as well as “for the promotion of peace ”.
![More than 30,000 people who work in the military field participated in the Mass. Credit: video capture/ Vatican Media](https://www.aciprensa.com/imagespp/screenshot-2025-02-09-at-10.32.50.png?w=600)
On the other hand, he said that his work shows that “good can overcome despite everything” and that “justice, loyalty and civil passion today remain necessary values” despite the opposite forces of evil.
The Holy Father reflected on the passage of the Gospel according to St. Luke that narrates the disappointment of sinners, on the shores of Lake Genesaret, who were washing the networks after having worked all night without collecting anything.
Thus, he broke off the meaning of Jesus’ response from three actions: Jesus saw, rose and sat down.
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Jesus saw
Pope Francis pointed out that Jesus “has an attentive look” that allows him to see the discomfort and frustration of fishermen.
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Jesus went up
Then he went up to Simon’s boat “making its way in that failure that his heart inhabits,” said the pontiff.
“This is beautiful: Jesus is not limited to observing the things that do not go well, as we often do, ending up locking ourselves in lament and bitterness. He, on the other hand, takes the initiative, goes out to meet Simon, stops with him at that difficult moment and decides to climb to the boat of his life, which on that night he had returned to the shore without success, ”he explained.
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Jesus sat down
In this way, the Holy Father explained that Jesus climbed into the boat “to narrate the beauty of God in the fatigue of human life” and “to make them feel that there is still hope, even when everything seems lost.”
The miracle, he said, occurs “when the Lord goes up to the boat” and “Hope rebors, the lost enthusiasm returns and we can throw the nets into the sea again.”
In this way, he invited the security forces present to have “an attentive look, to capture threats to the common good; the dangers that loom over the lives of citizens; the environmental, social and political risks to which we are exposed. ”
The Holy Father reminded them that the important thing is not only to see evil “to denounce it, but also to climb the boat during the storm and commit so that there is no shipwreck, with a mission at the service of good, freedom and justice”.
Military chaplains do not bless the perverse war actions
Pope Francis also referred to the task of moral and spiritual accompaniment that military chaplains performs in a regiment or battalion.
“They do not provide their service,” as sometimes it has been sadly in history, “to bless perverse war actions,” he emphasized.
Of the 30,000 registered through the official website of the Jubileo de la Esperanza, 20,000 came from Italy. Although other countries were also highly represented in the event such as Spain, the United States, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, France, Brazil, Croatia, Colombia, Paraguay, Indonesia, Argentina, Switzerland, Austria, Lithuania, Belgium, Netherlands, Ecuador, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
In addition, despite being especially committed to the security of Pope Francis and the Plaza de San Pedro, there was no lack of delegations of the Swiss Guard, the Gendarmerie and the Vatican Fire Department.