On June 22, Pope Francis received participants in the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO), the Vatican’s coordinating body for aid agencies for Eastern churches, under the auspices of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (photographs).
“The pierced heart of God frees us from thinking of charity as a profession, a calculation of sheer philanthropy, a bureaucracy of goodness or, worse, a network of political interests,” the Pope said in his address, which he did not deliver because of shortness of breath.
“It is the cross, the ultimate participation of God in the suffering of humanity, that provides Christians, particularly to young people, the authenticity that they are searching for, the courage to bear witness, the strength to overcome individualism and indifference, which today are all the rage, and increases compassion,” he continued.
As he encouraged the work of the aid agencies in various countries, the Pope added, “I also want to take this opportunity to urge everyone not to be lacking in concrete closeness, closeness of prayer and charity, to the war-torn Ukrainian people.”