By Joseph Tulloch
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has sent a message to Charis, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service, ahead of its Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome.
The Pope began his message by offering his best wishes for the pilgrimage, which is taking place this weekend, from the 4th to the 6th April. This journey to “the heart of the Church”, he said, is an opportunity to raise “an intense prayer of intercession” for both the Church and the world.
At the same time, the Pope told participants, “this experience is not meant for you alone”.
It is, rather, an experience meant to be shared with the world as “a source of hope and peace”, the Pope stressed.
He thus urged those taking part in the Jubilee pilgrimage to be “witnesses and artisans of peace and unity, always striving to build communion, beginning with your groups and communities”.
The Holy Spirit as ‘source of communion, harmony and fraternity’
Charis was founded in 2018 by the Holy See’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, with the mission of serving the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement worldwide.
In his message for the pilgrimage, Pope compared the mission of Charis to “the beating heart, pumping blood throughout the body”, in that the organisation is both deeply dedicated to the Church and “open to her universal dimensions”.
The Holy Spirit – a particular focus of Catholic charismatic communities – is “the source of communion, harmony and fraternity”, the Pope said. “This is precisely what the Church is,” he emphasised: “a new and reconciled humanity”.
The Pope closed his message by expressing his hope that “the regard you show to your leaders never become an occasion of conflict.”
“Be ever ready to cooperate with others, particularly with your parish communities,” the Pope stressed, “and the Lord will bless you with abundant fruits”.
