THE GENERAL AUDIENCE of 7 December was held at 9:15am in Paul VI Hall, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.

In his address in Italian, the Pope reflected on his recent trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh.

After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father addressed special greetings to groups of faithful present.

The General Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.

Below is the text of the Holy Father’s Catechesis:

 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to talk about the Apostolic Journey I undertook in past days to Myanmar and Bangladesh. It was a great gift of God, and so I thank Him for everything, especially for the meetings I was able to have. I renew the expression of my gratitude to the Authorities of the two countries and to the respective Bishops, for all the work of preparation and for the welcome that was given to me and to my collaborators. I wish to give a heartfelt “thank you” to the Burmese people and to those of Bangladesh who showed me so much faith and so much affection: thank you!

For the first time a Successor of Peter visited Myanmar, and this happened shortly after diplomatic relations were established between that country and the Holy See.

In this case also, I wished to express the closeness of Christ and of the Church to a people that has suffered due to conflicts and repressions, and that now is walking slowly to a new condition of freedom and peace. A people in whom the Buddhist religion is strongly rooted, with its spiritual and ethical principles, and where Christians are present as a small flock and leaven of the Kingdom of God. I had the joy of confirming in the faith and in communion this Church, alive and fervent, in the meetings with the Bishops of the country and in the two Eucharistic celebrations. The first was in the great sports area in the center of Yangon, and the Gospel of that day recalled that persecutions caused by faith in Jesus are normal for His disciples, as occasion of testimony, but not a hair of your head will perish” (Cf. Luke 21:12-19). The second Mass, last act of the visit in Myanmar, was dedicated to young people: a sign of hope and a special gift of the Virgin Mary, in the Cathedral that bears her name. In the faces of those young people, full of joy, I saw the future of Asia: a future that will not be of those that construct arms, but of those that sow fraternity. And ever in the sign of hope, I blessed the stones of 16 churches, of the Seminary and of the Nunciature: eighteen.

In addition to the Catholic community, I was able to meet the Authorities of Myanmar, encouraging the efforts for the country’s pacification and hoping that all the different components of the nation, not one excluded, will be able to cooperate in this process in mutual respect. In this spirit, I wished to meet the representatives of the different religious communities in the country. In particular, I manifested to the Supreme Council of Buddhist monks, the Church’s esteem for their ancient spiritual tradition, and the confidence that Christians and Buddhists will be able together to help people to love God and their neighbor, rejecting all violence and opposing evil with goodness.

Having left Myanmar, I went to Bangladesh, where, as the first thing, I rendered homage to the martyrs of the struggle for Independence and to the “Father of the Nation.” Bangladesh’s population is in very great part of Muslim religion and, therefore, my visit in the footsteps of Blessed Paul VI and of Saint John Paul II – marked a further step in favor of respect and of dialogue between Christianity and Islam. 

–ZENIT