Pope Francis: Mary teaches us to listen to the voice of the voiceless

Courtney Mares   By Courtney Mares for CNA

Pope Francis blesses a statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mary of the Miraculous Medal Nov. 11, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media. / null

Vatican City, Sep 8, 2021 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

The Vatican released a message from Pope Francis on Wednesday as the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“The true joy that comes from the Lord always gives space to the voices of the forgotten, so that together with them we can build a better future,” Pope Francis said in the message published Sept. 8.

“Mary, in the beauty of following the Gospel and in her service to the common good of humanity and the planet, always teaches us to listen to these voices, and she herself becomes the voice of the voiceless.”

The pope sent a message to participants in the 25th International Mariological Marian Congress, taking place online on Sept. 8-11.

“The mystery enclosed in the person of Mary is the very mystery of the Word of God incarnate,” he said.

Pope Francis quoted Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, in which the pope emeritus encouraged scholars to study the relationship between Mariology and the theology of the Word.

“We see how at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God,” he said, quoting Benedict.

“Since Mary is completely imbued with the word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.”

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, read the pope’s message aloud at the start of the Marian congress on Sept. 8.

Pope Francis signed the message on Aug. 22, the feast of the Queen of Heaven.

“The Mother of the Lord has her own special presence: she is the Mother of all, regardless of ethnicity or nationality,” the pope said.

“Thus, the figure of Mary becomes a point of reference for a culture capable of overcoming the barriers that can create division. Therefore, on the path of this culture of fraternity, the Spirit calls us to welcome once again the sign of consolation and sure hope that has the name, the face and the heart of Mary: woman, disciple, mother, and friend.”


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Catholic News Agency 12435 Articles
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

3 Comments

  1. “The Mother of the Lord has her own special presence: she is the Mother of all, regardless of ethnicity or nationality” and, for the benefit of some ghost writers, surely also including the 70 generations in the Church who came before us…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*