Post date: May 18, 2013 8:47:10 PM
Pope Francis leads prayers ahead of Pentecost Sunday before thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, saying that a lack of ethics in public life is harming humanity.
VATICAN (MAY 18, 2013) (CTV) - Man is in deep crisis, Pope Francis told a huge crowd of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for an evening vigil on Saturday (May 18).
According to Vatican estimates some 250,000 people packed into St. Peter's Square and nearby streets for the evening prayers ahead of Pentecost Sunday.
The faithful broke into cheers and applause as Pope Francis arrived on his open-back jeep and was driven through the crowds to greet them close up.The pilgrims had flocked to the Vatican from a preceding warm up ceremony starting at 1500 local time (1300gmt)
The event itself featured testimonials from Irish writer John Waters and Pakistani minister Paul Bhatti, whose brother, then Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian, was killed by the Taliban in 2011.
"I ask all of you, from the bottom of my heart, for your closeness and your prayers for us Christians and all of the population of Pakistan. This gives us strength and liberates us from fear," Bhatti told the crowds.
The pope was also presented with questions from four representatives of Catholic movements.
Before responding, the pope made sure the crowds were clear that he had been shown the questions beforehand.
"This is not without prior knowledge. First the truth. I have these," he said holding up notes.
Answering the questions off the cuff with some pre-prepared notes, the pope said he believed man himself, not just the economy was in crisis.
"When we read newspapers we can see that the lack of ethics in public life does so much harm to all of humanity," he said.
"It is not just an economic crisis. It is not just a cultural crisis. It is a crisis of man. What is in crisis in man himself. And what can be destroyed is man himself. Man is the image of God and therefore this is a deep crisis," he said.
The pope said the banking crisis had overshadowed more human tragedies.
"This is happening today. If investments in banks fall a little, it is a tragedy and people are saying 'what are we going to do?' But if people die of hunger, have nothing to eat or suffer bad health, that's nothing. This is our crisis today," he said.
The pope on Saturday morning held held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Vatican and earlier in the week issued a strong call for world financial reform, condemning a heartless "dictatorship of the economy" and saying the economic crisis had made life worse for millions in rich and poor countries.
Francis also urged states to take greater control of their economies and protect the weakest.