In a meeting with the Executive Committee of the II International Congress of Confraternities and Popular Piety at Casa Santa Marta on Saturday, Pope Francis underscored the significance of prayer within families and the necessity of fostering love and respect among members.
The Congress, which took place in Seville, Spain, from December 4 to 8, 2024, was a gathering dedicated to deepening the role of popular piety and religious confraternities in contemporary Christian life. The Holy Father warmly welcomed the committee members as pilgrims in this Jubilee Year, expressing his joy at their visit and their commitment to faith.
“May the heartbeat of love always be felt in your work,” the Pope told the attendees, emphasizing the importance of prayer in everyday life. He recalled the message he had previously sent to the Congress, in which he humorously referred to the participants as “crazy” for their passionate dedication. “When I was told that you would be coming, I was a little worried,” he joked, adding that Monsignor Saiz Meneses had reassured him about the event’s lasting positive impact.
During his address, Pope Francis reiterated his call for participants to live their faith as a “prayer of praise,” seeing their journey as a pilgrimage toward God and their fellow humans. He urged them to be “witnesses of a love so overflowing that it might seem ‘crazy’—crazy with love.”
Heartfelt Prayer in Everyday Life
The Pope stressed that the effects of their Congress should be most strongly felt within families, where prayer should resonate as a profound and heartfelt experience.
“May it be heard,” he said, “as the resounding silence of a prayer that moves one to tears because it comes from the heart—whether before the image of the patron of your confraternity in your home, before the Tabernacle of your parish or temple, at the bedside of the sick, or in the company of the elderly.”
Acknowledging the group’s charitable efforts, Pope Francis commended them for their work in providing shelter for the homeless. “May the heartbeat of a loving heart always be heard in this work,” he noted, encouraging them to continue promoting human dignity and care for others.
The Holy Father concluded his address with a prayer, asking Jesus to bless them, Mary to watch over them, and the faithful to pray for him in return.
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