Pope Francis during the New Year: “The heart vaccine is needed”

Vatican City – Pope Francis said on Friday that 2021 will be “a good year” if people take care of others and stressed that, in addition to a vaccine against coronavirus, the world needs a “vaccine for the heart.”

“It is useless to know many people and many things if we do not take care of them. This year, while we wait for a recovery and new treatments, let’s not neglect care. Because in addition to the body vaccine, you need the heart vaccine, which is care. It will be a good year if we take care of others, as the Virgin does with us “, he explained.

These words of Francis were read in homily by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the New Year’s liturgy., dedicated to the “Solemnity of Mary of the Most Holy Mother of God”, which was celebrated on January 1 at the Vatican.

Pope Francis had planned to preside over this Mass, as well as that of the first Vespers on December 31, 2020, but was unable to attend either due to sciatica, according to Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni.

As he did yesterday, December 31, Jorge Bergoglio wrote the homily so that on January 1, Cardinal Parolin would read the words to some participants and the media that could be in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, due to measures of prevention to avoid coronavirus infections.

And it is that this meal was celebrated like the rest of the Christmas acts in the Vatican, without believers and in an empty basilica.

The Pope stressed three verbs, blessing, being born and finding and highlighting the role of the Virgin Mary, on this day when the Catholic Church celebrates the 54th World Day of Peace, this year under the motto “culture of care as a way to peace ”.

“We are not in the world to die, but to generate life,” the pope continued, while pointing out that “the first step to giving life to those around us is to love it in ourselves.”

He stressed the importance of “educating the heart to take care of, to value people and things”, so that societies take care of others and the world.

He criticized previous moments that “the world is badly polluted by saying bad things and thinking badly of others, society, themselvesAnd I assured him that “the curse corrupts, makes everything degenerate” and that “the blessing regenerates, gives strength to start again.”

At the end of the homily, Francis wondered what people should find in early 2021 and replied, “It would be nice to find time for someone. Time is a wealth that we all have, but of which we are jealous, because we want to use it only for ourselves ”.

For this reason, he encouraged people to dedicate moments to others, especially those “who are alone, those who suffer, who need to be listened to and cared for.”

The calendar of the Vatican’s Christmas holidays continues on January 6 with the Liturgy for the Baptism of the Lord.