Pope Leo XIV encouraged the gendarmes of the state of the city of the Vatican to “persevere in the choice of good and justice”, while thanking them “for the value and availability they have expressed by serving faithfully to the Holy See.”
Pope Leo XIV encouraged the gendarmes of the state of the city of the Vatican to “persevere in the choice of good and justice”, while thanking them “for the value and availability they have expressed by serving faithfully to the Holy See.”
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
The Holy Father celebrated the Mass for the Body of the Vatican Gendarmerie in the Lourdes Grotto of the Vatican Gardens this Sunday, October 5, reminding the recent commemoration of San Miguel Arcángel – whose party the Catholic Church celebrates every September 29, next to the Archangels Rafael and Gabriel -, employer of both the State Police of Italy and the body of Gendarmerie of the Vatican.
Remembering the second reading of this Sunday, from the second letter from St. Paul to Timothy, in which the apostle of the Gentiles encourages not being embarrassed “to testify to our Lord”, the Pope stressed that “it is the testimony of Jesus that gives meaning to what we do; otherwise, we run the risk of becoming gray, warm Christian, without a burning heart by the gospel.”
The Vatican gendarmes assured that “his is not just a profession: it is a service for the good of the Church. Also their daily work, in fact, gives testimony of the Gospel. Therefore, they never be ashamed of the example they can give.”
“Often – and they know it from experience – their discreet and safe presence can express an evangelical style not with words, but even only with an attentive look, with a solicitous gesture that protects each person around him,” he said.
The Holy Father stressed that “to resist the temptation of routine and laziness,” Saint Paul encourages “the gift of God who is in you (…). God in fact has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of strength, charity and prudence.”
The Pope said then that “these are certainly virtues of the good Christian and, therefore, also of the Vatican gendarme: they have strength by law, but not to dominate; they have charity towards the little ones, but not to please the authority; prudence in action, but not for fear of the responsibilities that are their own.”
“Here is the program that I especially trust you, young gendarmes who have recently pronounced your oath. That promise was not a simple formula to repeat, but an act of freedom and delivery,” he said, because “they have affirmed a public ‘yes’, before God and before the Church. They have promised fidelity to the Pope already a service that implies his life in the work commitment of each day. The Holy See! ”
Leo XIV assured the gendarmes that “when the days of fatigue and misunderstanding arrive, we will find in the grace of the Lord the consolation and loyalty that support us.”
Then the Pope pointed out that the service of the Vatican gendarmes “develops above all ‘between racks’. It looks little and yet a long time ago.” He also encouraged them to carry out their work “together, like a team, in reciprocal tune with those who have been working for longer.”
“It is a service that protects not only places and people, but reflects a mission, the mission of the Church. They live, therefore, this same mission, which is the announcement of the Gospel, with its uniform and, above all, with its humanity,” he said.
The Holy Father also thanked the families of the Gendarmes – “wives, children, fathers and mothers” – because, “their ‘yes’ is also supported by their ‘yes’ of them. Without them, their service would be more fragile. That the Lord bless you, custodie and the peace colme.”
“That the Virgin Mary be for you model of faith and delivery, and that Saint Michael, the Archangel who fights evil in the name of God, always protects you from your families. With a humble and faithful heart you can witness peace witnesses in this very small state, which has the horizon of the world,” he concluded.
David Ramos
Graduate in Communication Sciences by the Private University of the North in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working in ACI Press, I am based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered the trips of Pope Francis to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.