Love for God, love of neighbor are linked together, says Pope

By praying that Catholics understand and act on the "inseparable link" between love of God and love of neighbor, Pope Francis has again called for a solution to the crisis in Venezuela.

"We pray that the Lord will inspire and enlighten the conflicting parties so that as soon as possible they will come to an agreement that will put an end to the suffering of the people for the good of the country and the whole region," said the Pope July 14 after reciting the Angelus prayer.

In early June, the United Nations Refugee Agency reported that the number of Venezuelans who fled violence, extreme poverty and a lack of medicine in their country has reached 4 million since 2015.

In his main speech on Angelus, commenting on Sunday's Gospel reading on the history of the Good Samaritan, Francis said that he teaches that "compassion is the reference point" of Christianity.

The story of Jesus about the Samaritan who stops helping a man who was robbed and beaten after a priest and Levita had just passed, "makes us understand that we, without our criteria, are not us to decide who our neighbor is and who is not, "said the Pope.

Rather, he said, it is the needy person who identifies the neighbor, finding him in the person who has compassion and stops to help.

“Being able to have compassion; this is the key, ”said the pope. “If you find yourself in front of a needy person and you don't feel compassion, if your heart doesn't move, it means that something is wrong. Be careful. "

“If you are walking on the street and you see a homeless person lying there and you pass without looking at him or you think, 'This is wine. He's a drunk ', ask yourself if your heart hasn't become stiff, if your heart hasn't become ice, "said the pope.

Jesus' command to be like the good Samaritan, he said, “indicates that mercy towards a needy human being is the true face of love. And this is how you become true disciples of Jesus and show the face of the Father to others ”.