Pope Francis: unity is the first sign of Christian life

The Catholic Church offers an authentic testimony of God's love for all men and women only when it promotes the grace of unity and communion, said Pope Francis.

The unit is part of the "DNA of the Christian community," said the pope on June 12 during his weekly general public.

The gift of unity, he said, "allows us not to fear diversity, not to attach ourselves to things and gifts", but "to become martyrs, luminous witnesses of God who lives and works in history".

"We too must rediscover the beauty of bearing witness to the Risen One, going beyond self-referential attitudes, giving up the desire to stifle the gifts of God and not give in to mediocrity," he said.

In spite of the torrid Roman heat, thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square for the public, which began with Francesco circling the square in the popemobile, stopping occasionally to welcome pilgrims and even comfort a crying baby.

In his main speech, the pope continued his new series on the Acts of the Apostles, looking in particular at the apostles who, after the Resurrection, "prepare to receive the power of God - not passively but by consolidating communion among them".

Before committing suicide, the separation of Judas from Christ and the apostles began with his attachment to money and losing sight of the importance of self-giving "until he allowed the pride virus to infect his mind and his heart, transforming it from a friend into an enemy “.

Judas “has ceased to belong to the heart of Jesus and has placed himself outside communion with him and his companions. He stopped being a disciple and placed himself above the master, "explained the pope.

However, unlike Judas who "preferred death to life" and created a "wound in the body of the community", the 11 apostles choose "life and blessing".

Francis said that by discerning together to find an adequate substitute, the apostles gave "a sign that communion overcomes divisions, isolation and the mentality that absolutizes private space".

"The Twelve manifest in the Acts of the Apostles the style of the Lord," said the pope. “They are the accredited witnesses of Christ's work of salvation and do not manifest their presumed perfection to the world but rather, through the grace of unity, reveal another who now lives in a new way among his people: our Lord Jesus ".