Pope in Canary Islands: Remain united through the Cross and the Eucharist
Vatican News
Pope Leo on Thursday met with bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, and pastoral workers in St. Anne's Cathedral in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The meeting took place during the pennultimate stop of the Pope's Apostolic Journey to Spain, which has included a strong focus on migration, social challenges, and the role of the Church in accompanying vulnerable communities. The Canary Islands have become one of the main entry points into Europe for migrants travelling from West Africa, and local Church communities have played a significant role in providing humanitarian and pastoral support.
Addressing those gathered in the cathedral, Pope Leo thanked them for their witness to what he described as a "living Church," one that reflects "the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially those who are poor or afflicted."
The Pope said he had come to the islands "as a father and brother in the faith," recalling the words he spoke at the beginning of his pontificate: "With you I am a Christian, and for you, I am a bishop."
Read the full address of Pope Leo
Building the Church together
Reflecting on the day's reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, Pope Leo emphasised the importance of recognising the different gifts and ministries within the Church and using them to build unity. "The Lord's call resonates anew in our hearts today and confirms our vocation and mission: to build the Church together, founded on Christ, the 'cornerstone'," he said.
He encouraged the faithful to "build on what is good, to harmonise our differences and to work together for the good of all."
Carrying the Cross
The Pope went on to speak of two attitudes that he said are essential for Christians seeking to become "wise architects" in building what he called the "civilisation of love."
The first was embracing the Cross of Christ. Using the image of the sea that surrounds the Canary Islands, Pope Leo noted that while the ocean evokes home and belonging, it can also symbolise challenge, distance, and uncertainty.
Quoting then Saint Augustine, he recalled that humanity longs for its true homeland but must cross "the sea of this world" to reach it. "To show us the way, the One to whom we longed to go came himself," the Pope quoted. "No one is able to cross the sea of this world unless they carry the cross of Christ."
Pope Leo said the saints provide an example of how to face life's difficulties by trusting in Christ. "As they faced the storms of life, they knew how to take Jesus into their boats; they trusted in him, embraced the cross and thus calmed the waves of uncertainty and fear," he explained.
A Eucharistic spirituality
The second attitude highlighted by Pope Leo was the need to cultivate a Eucharistic spirituality.
He referred to the long-standing local tradition of showering flower petals before the Blessed Sacrament during celebrations of the Ascension, describing it as a reminder that Christ is the centre of Christian life.
"On our pilgrimage, the goal is the encounter with Christ; he is the centre of Christian life, before whom we bow our knees in adoration, around whom we gather to form one body," he said.
Then quoting the Second Vatican Council's Lumen Gentium, the Pope stressed that participation in the Eucharist strengthens the unity of the Church and should lead believers to a deeper sense of communion. "Cultivating a Eucharistic spirituality means delving deeper into 'a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love,'" he said.
Looking ahead with hope
Concluding his address, Pope Leo encouraged the local Church to draw strength from the witness of the many holy men and women who have shaped the history of Christianity in the Canary Islands.
He urged the faithful to remain united in faith, hope, and charity, describing those virtues, in the words of Saint John Paul II, as "three stars that rise in the sky of our spiritual life to guide us to God."
Entrusting the Church in the Canary Islands to the Virgin Mary under the title "Stella Maris", Star of the Sea, the Pope encouraged Catholics to continue their mission with confidence, asking the Holy Spirit for the grace to remain united and faithful amid the challenges of the present age.
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