Pope Francis received members of the St. Angela Merici Foundation of Syracuse (Sicily) on April 6, in commemoration of its 50th anniversary, and recalled its roots in a supernatural event that had occurred two decades earlier.
“Your history, and everything you carry out generously in the various operational centers, is rooted in that event that marked the city of Syracuse when, in 1953, a painting depicting Our Lady began to weep in the house of the Iannuso couple,” the Pope said. “They are the tears of Mary, our Mother, heavenly Mother, for the sufferings and sorrows of her children.”
“Through the tears of the Blessed Virgin, the Lord wants to soften our hearts, which at times have dried up in indifference and hardened in selfishness; the Lord wants to make our consciences sensitive, so that we let ourselves be touched by the pain of our brothers and sisters and move us to compassion for them, committing ourselves to lift them up, lift them up, accompany them,” the Pope continued.
Pope Francis emphasized that “the source of your work is the Gospel: stay attached to this source! The Gospel is the source because Jesus was the first—let us not forget this—Jesus was the first to let Himself be touched to the core by the suffering of those He met.”
“May Our Lady of Tears protect you, keep you and intercede for you,” the Pope concluded.