Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Addressing Latin American priests, religious, and seminarians studying in Rome, Cardinal Fernández offered what he described as “an extremely important, key clarification for a healthy Mariology”:

It is not that God is distant and Mary gives us that closeness that God does not have. Please don’t say this. It is quite the opposite: it is impossible for Mary to be closer to us than the Father, than Christ, than the Holy Spirit [are]. No way.

What happens is that in her, in her face as a Mother, we can easily discover the closeness of God who is the one who reaches the deep intimacy of our heart. In her we recognize that love of the Father of which the Gospel speaks to us, the love of the Father, the tenderness of Christ and the power of the Spirit that we read in the texts of the Gospel.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with Pope Leo by phone on the feast day and renewed her invitation to the Pontiff to visit Mexico.

Christ “gives voice to the oppressed and to those whose voices have been silenced by violence and hatred,” Pope Leo said. “He defeats ideologies that make us deaf to the truth. He heals the ailments that deform the body.”

The Pope concluded, “Let us rejoice, since Jesus is our hope, especially in times of trial, when life seems to lose meaning and everything appears darker, words fail us, and we struggle to understand others. May the Virgin Mary, model of expectant hope, attentiveness, and joy, help us to imitate the work of her Son by sharing bread and the Gospel with the poor.”

Three groups of martyrs were beatified in two separate Masses on December 13.

“Working on one’s own feelings and thoughts” is “necessary for those deprived of their freedom, but even more so for those who have the obligation of representing them and making sure that they are treated justly,” Pope Leo preached. “The Jubilee is a call to conversion and, as such, it is a source of hope and joy.”

The Pope added, “Let no one be lost! Let all be saved! This is what our God wants, this is his Kingdom, and this is the goal of his actions in the world.”

The Pontiff prayed that the Blessed Virgin “teach nations that want to be your children not to divide the world into irreconcilable factions, not to allow hatred to mark their history or lies to write their memory.”

“Instruct their leaders in their duty to safeguard the dignity of every person during all stages of their life,” he added.

The Lai trial has been roundly condemned by international observers. The former media tycoon, who has been imprisoned for five years, declined to leave Hong Kong in order to challenge draconian “national-security” laws that effectively make criticism of the government illegal.

The British government, the former colonial ruler of Hong Kong, decried the verdict. US President Trump has promised to push for Lai’s release.