In his message after the Regina Caeli on Sunday 23 April, the Holy Father recalled:
After the Regina Caeli
Dear brothers and sisters!
Yesterday, in Paris, Henri Planchat, priest of the Congregation of Saint Vincent de Paul, Ladislas Radigue and three companion priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary were beatified. Pastors inspired by apostolic zeal, they were united in their witness to the faith to the point of martyrdom, which they suffered in Paris in 1871, during the so-called Paris “Commune”. A round of applause for the new Blesseds!
Yesterday was Earth Day. I hope that commitment to care for creation may always be united with effective solidarity with the poorest.
Unfortunately, the situation in Sudan remains grave, and therefore I renew my appeal for an end to the violence as soon as possible and for a return to the path of dialogue. I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters.
Today is the 99th Day of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, on the theme For the love of knowledge. The challenges of the new humanism. I hope that that largest Italian Catholic university will face these challenges with the spirit of the founders, in particular the young Armida Barelli, proclaimed Blessed a year ago.
Next Friday I will go to Budapest, in Hungary, for three days, to complete the trip I made in 2021 for the International Eucharistic Congress. It will be an opportunity to embrace once again a Church and a people so dear to me. It will also be a journey to the centre of Europe, over which the icy winds of war continue to blow, while the displacement of so many people puts urgent humanitarian questions on the agenda. But now I wish to address you with affection, dear Hungarian brothers and sisters, as I look forward to visiting you as a pilgrim, friend and brother of all, and to meet, among others, the authorities, the bishops, the priests and consecrated persons, the young, the university community and the poor. I know you are making great efforts to prepare for my arrival: I thank you from my heart for this. And I ask you all to accompany me on this journey with your prayers.
And let us not forget our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, still afflicted by this war.
I greet you all from my heart, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and many countries – I see the flags of so many countries – in particular those of Salamanca and the students of Albacete, as well as the Veneto-Trentino grouping of the Order of Malta Relief Corps.
I greet the faithful of Ferrara, Palermo and Grumello del Monte; the community of the Diocesan School of Lodi; the young people of various towns in the dioceses of Alba, Bergamo, Brescia, Como and Milan; the candidates for Confirmation from many Italian parishes; the pupils of the Sacred Heart Institute of Cadoneghe; the “Volœntieri” cooperative from Casoli and the “Mototurismo” group from Agna.
I wish you all a good Sunday; and please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your meal, and arrivederci!
