Pope Francis delivered an Angelus address on the first Sunday of Lent, warning of three “widespread and dangerous temptations” that the devil uses to divide Christian communities and separate them from God and each other. These temptations are attachment to material things, mistrust, and the thirst for power.
The pope pointed out that Jesus, in the Gospel of Matthew, also faced these temptations and conquered them by responding with the Word of God, avoiding discussion with the devil. Jesus quotes three phrases from Scripture that speak of freedom from goods, trust, and service to God to counteract these temptations.
The pope encouraged people to turn to the Word of God in their spiritual struggles and during times of temptation. He suggested that people obtain help by seeking out a verse of the Word of God that responds to their vice, then recite it and pray, trusting in the grace of Christ.
The pope prayed in Latin with the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square and asked them to pray for the Holy Land, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey. He renewed his call for dialogue to prevail over hatred and revenge, and he prayed for the Palestinians and Israelis to find the path of fraternity and peace with the help of the international community.
Pope Francis expressed his sorrow for the shipwreck that occurred on the Calabrian coast near Crotone on the same day, where at least 43 people, including many children, lost their lives.
Eighty people survived, and the coast guard is still searching for survivors. The pope thanked those who brought relief and gave shelter and prayed for the victims, the missing, and the surviving migrants. May Our Lady support these brothers and sisters of ours, he said.
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