After spending nearly nine hours in Luxembourg on September 26, 2024, Pope Francis left the small country at 6:38 pm, local time, heading to Brussels, the next and main stop on his journey.
We’ve made a selection of his strongest statements during his visit to Luxembourg, taken from his two speeches. (The most iconic photo of the day was probably his unscheduled stop at a coffee shop after lunch.)
From his address to authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps:
The reappearance of conflicts in Europe
Unfortunately, we are seeing the re-emergence, even on the European continent, of rifts and enmities that, instead of being resolved on the basis of mutual goodwill, negotiation and diplomatic efforts, are resulting in open hostilities, leading to destruction and death. It seems that the human heart does not always remember the past and periodically goes astray and returns to the tragic path of war.
The advantages of peace
Luxembourg can show everyone the advantages of peace as opposed to the horrors of war, of the integration and promotion of migrants as opposed to their segregation. In this regard, I extend my deep gratitude, for your enriching attitude of welcoming migrants, and for giving them a place in your society. You likewise show the benefits of cooperation between nations as opposed to the harmful consequences of hardening positions and the selfish and short-sighted or even violent pursuit of one’s own interests.
Wealth is a responsibility
Let us not forget that having wealth includes responsibility. Thus, I ask for constant vigilance so that the most disadvantaged nations will not be neglected, and that they be helped to rise from their impoverished conditions. This is one way to ensure a decrease in the number of those forced to emigrate, often in inhumane and dangerous conditions.
Have more children
I have seen the birth rate here. Please, have more children, more children! They are the future. I will not say more children and fewer puppies – I say that in Italy – but more children!
From the meeting with Catholic community:
No exclusion within the Church
In connection to service, I would like to emphasize an aspect that is very urgent today, namely welcoming others. I mention this here among you precisely because your country has a centuries-old tradition in this regard, a tradition that is still alive [...]. We heard of it in the other testimonies and in your repeated shouts of “todos, todos, todos!” - “everyone, everyone, everyone!” Yes, the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of welcoming, of openness to everyone; it does not admit any kind of exclusion.
The Church shouldn’t be sad, resigned, or bitter
I liked the expression that the Church, within a secularized society needs to evolve, mature and grow. We cannot close ourselves off in sadness, resignation or resentment. On the contrary, we must accept the challenge while remaining faithful to the Church’s perennial values. We should rediscover and esteem anew these values as paths for evangelization, going beyond an approach of simple pastoral care to one of missionary proclamation, and this requires courage. In order to do this, the Church must be ready to evolve [...] sharing responsibilities and ministries, walking together as a missionary community and making synodality a lasting way to relate among its members.
Evangelize through example, not proselytism
It is also important for all of us to remember that what drives us to be missionaries is not the need to meet quotas or to proselytize, but rather our desire to make known to as many brothers and sisters as possible the joy of encountering Christ. And here I would like to recall a beautiful expression of Benedict XVI: “The Church does not grow by proselytism but by attraction.”
