The solemn celebration took place in St. Peter’s Basilica, with the presentation of the pallium to the 42 archbishops appointed in the last year. At the Angelus, the Pope said: “If it is not service, authority becomes dictatorship.” The Holy See released the data from last year’s Saint Peter’s Pence: 48.4 million euros were raised for the Pope’s charitable works; In Asia it finances 33 projects.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – God “opened the doors of the heart” to the apostles Peter and Paul, so that they in turn could open it to their brothers. Expressly referring to the Holy Door of the Vatican Basilica that will open in the imminent Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis invited people to look at this image during today’s solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. He did so in the homily of the solemn Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican basilica, during which – as is traditional – he presented the pallium, the white wool cloth that is a symbol of his communion with the Holy See in his jurisdiction, to the 42 archbishops. named this year.
“Jesus had entrusted him with the keys of the Kingdom,” Francis recalled. “But he experiences that the first person to open the doors is the Lord, because He always precedes us. And it is curious that the prison doors were opened by the Lord’s power, but then Peter found it difficult to enter the house of the Christian community: the person who answers the door thinks he is a ghost and does not open it (see Acts 12:12-17). How often do communities not learn this wisdom of opening doors.” And Paul, he added, when he tells how the Lord has given him so many opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, uses the image of open doors. “Addressing the community of Corinth he says: ‘for a great and promising door has opened for me’ (1 Cor 16:9); and in the Letter to the Colossians he exhorts them: ‘Pray for us too, that God may open to us the door of the word and that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ’ (Col 4:3).”
“The two apostles Peter and Paul – the Pontiff commented – lived this experience of grace. They lived first-hand the action of God, who opened to them the doors of their inner prison and also of the real prisons where they were imprisoned because of the Gospel. And then he opened before them the doors of evangelization, so that they could experience the joy of meeting the brothers and sisters of the nascent communities and bring to everyone the hope of the Gospel.”
Later, leaning out of the window in St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus, Francis returned to this same idea. He referred to the keys with which Peter is portrayed and explained that “authority that is not service is dictatorship. The mission that Jesus entrusts to Peter is not to close the doors of the house and allow access only to a few chosen guests. , but to help everyone find the way to enter, just as the Gospel of Jesus proposes to everyone.
And he also indicated that same style to the archbishops appointed this last year. They are called – he said – “to be diligent pastors who open the doors of the Gospel and who, with their ministry, help build an open-door Church and society.” Among the prelates who received the pallium, the presence of Mons. Linus Neli, archbishop of Imphal, capital of the Indian state of Manipur, whose Christian community has suffered grave suffering from ethnic violence over the past year. In Asia, the list also includes Archbishops Vincent Aind of Ranchi (India), Andrew C. Alarcón of Cáceres (Philippines), Hironimus Pakaenoni of Kupang (Indonesia) and Paulus Budi Kleden, archbishop-elect of Ende (Indonesia). From the Churches of Oceania, Bishop Mosese Vitolio Tui, who was appointed archbishop of Samoa-Apia just a few days ago, received the pallium.
Finally, on the occasion of today’s feast of Saints Peter and Saint Paul, the Vatican has also made public the annual report on the Pence of Saint Peter, which is collected in dioceses around the world on the occasion of the Day of Charity of the Pope, which is celebrated on the Sunday closest to this holiday. In 2023, 48.4 million euros in donations were collected, while contributions worth 103 million euros were disbursed from this fund. Among the countries of origin of the donors, the Catholic community of South Korea confirms its first position, with 1.3 million euros donated (it is the fourth largest donor along with Germany and behind the United States, Italy and Brazil). The Churches of Asia are also among the beneficiaries of direct assistance projects: with the funds from St. Peter’s Pence it was possible to carry out a total of 33 projects on the continent with a total financial commitment of 2.8 million euros. Along with the collections of these days in parishes and dioceses, each faithful can personally contribute to the Pope’s charity at any time with donations on the website www.obolodisanpietro.va.
