On Sunday, February 9, the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Security concluded with a Mass attended by Pope Francis.
Newsroom (09/02/2025 20:49, Gaudium Press) More than 25,000 members of the police and armed forces from more than 100 countries, dressed in their uniforms, took part in the Mass dedicated to them in St. Peter’s Square. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Robert Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, with Monsignor Santo Marcianò, Military Ordinary for Italy, and the Archbishop of Vilnius, Gintaras Grušas, President of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), along with more than three hundred other concelebrants, including cardinals, bishops and priests.
In his homily, Francis thanked them for their “great mission” in the fight against all forms of violence that can disturb social peace – sometimes at great personal risk – for their service during natural disasters in “safeguarding creation”, and for the protection they offer to the most vulnerable. He also warned them against the temptations of the forces of evil, not to cultivate “a spirit of war”, but to be on the “side of legality”, the “good can win despite everything”.
In his homily, Francis thanked them for their “great mission” in the fight against all forms of violence that can disturb social peace – sometimes at great personal risk – for their service during natural disasters in “safeguarding creation”, and for the protection they offer to the most vulnerable. He also warned them against the temptations of the forces of evil, not to cultivate “a spirit of war”, but to be on the “side of legality”, the “good can win despite everything”.
The Armed Forces, the Police, and the Security Forces have “a great mission”, “which encompasses multiple dimensions of social and political life: the defense of our countries”, “the custody of legality and justice, the presence in prisons, the fight against crime and different forms of violence”. Francis thanked them for their daily service.
The Pope based his reflections on the Gospel of the day, which describes Jesus entering the fishermen’s boat on the lake of Gennesareth, who are returning to the shore discouraged after an unsuccessful attempt at fishing. “He saw, went up, and sat down,” this behavior shown by Jesus is also a model for soldiers, police officers, and military personnel, said Francis, who, due to his bronchitis, and his difficulty breathing, passed the sermon on to be read by the master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Diego Giovanni Ravelli.
First, to see, keeping “an attentive eye, capable of perceiving the threats to the common good, the dangers hanging over the lives of citizens, the environmental, social and political risks”. Secondly, they get on the boat, committing themselves to their “mission in the service of the good, freedom and justice”, as their uniform, courage, and oath remind them. Finally, to sit down, because of their presence in our cities and neighborhoods, the way they are always on the side of legality and the weakest, becomes a lesson for all of us: it teaches us that good can win […] despite the opposing forces of evil.”
The pontiff then spoke about the important role of chaplains, as a symbol of the “presence of Christ” and a source of moral and spiritual support. They no longer serve to “bless perverse acts of war”, as was the case in the past, Francis noted, “but help soldiers in their missions to carry out their tasks in the light of the Gospel and the service of good”.
In conclusion, François thanked the soldiers who offered protection in their respective countries, “at personal risk”. But he urged them to always keep the goal of their actions in mind: the protection of all human life. The attitude of every member of the armed forces must be to remember that all men are brothers because they are children of one Father”. The Pope ended his homily by asking the faithful present to be ‘courageous witnesses of God’s love’.
Compiled by Dominic Joseph
