Vatican City, Apr 11, 2016 / 09:38 am
Speaking at morning Mass at the Santa Marta residence, Pope Francis decried those who close themselves to God's truth, and condemn repentant sinners and the innocent alike in the name of following the "letter of the law."
"The heart is closed to God's Word, it is closed to truth, and it is closed to God's messenger who brings the prophecy so that God's people may go forward," the Pope said in his April 11 homily, according to Vatican Radio's translation.
The Pope centered his reflection on the day's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounts the Sanhedrin arresting St. Stephen – who would later become the first martyr of the Church – for "blasphemous words against Moses and God."
Because their hearts were hardened, they "could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which (Stephen) spoke," he said, adding they supported their claims with false witnesses.