ANGELUS: FRANCIS REMEMBERS THE HOLODOMOR, THE GREAT UKRAINIAN FAMINE, AND THE GRACE OF THOSE WHO COLLABORATED IN THE YEAR OF FAITH

Vatican City, 24 November 2013 (VIS) – Following the closing Mass of the Year of Faith, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

“Before concluding this celebration”, he said, “I would like to greet all the pilgrims, families, parish groups, associations and movements who have come here from many countries. I greet the participants in the National Congress of Mercy and the Ukrainian community, which commemorates the eightieth anniversary of the Holodomor, the great famine provoked by the Soviet regime, which claimed millions of victims”.

“On this day we also give thanks to the missionaries who, throughout the centuries, have proclaimed the Gospel and sown the seed of faith in many parts of the world, and among them Blessed Junipero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan missionary, the third centenary of whose birth we celebrate today.

“I do not want to finish without sparing a thought for all those who have worked to bring about this Year of Faith. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, who has guided this path: I give heartfelt thanks to him and all those who have collaborated with him. Many thanks!”

After the Marian prayer, Pope Francis again thanked all those present at the concelebration and, as is his custom, wished them a good Sunday and a good lunch.