Vatican City, Jun 9, 2021 / 15:01 pm
Practicing love toward one another is essential, Pope Francis said in a video message to a gathering of the John 17 Movement, an ecumenical group, on Wednesday.
“Love has no need for profound theological knowledge, which is however necessary. Love is an encounter of life, first with the Lord Jesus, with the person of Jesus, and from there on, from that encounter of love, friendship, brotherhood and the certainty of being children of the same Father are born,” the pope said June 9 to the “relational reconciliation” gathering being held at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., fewer than 20 miles northeast of New York City.
“Life that is shared and dedicated to a higher purpose: love can change the world! Everything starts there, from a fraternal encounter, love can change the world, but first it changes us” the pope continued.
“Together in love, we Christians can change the world, we can change ourselves, because God is Love!”