Pope's First General Audience: Holy Week is Time to Bring Christ to Forgotten

March 27, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis held his first general audience in St. Peter's Square. Before even starting, he made his way through the Square in the Popemobile for about ten minutes.

With flags waving and cheers of 'Viva il Papa' thousands of pilgrims welcomed the first  catechesis of his first general audience.

POPE FRANCIS
“Dear brothers and sisters. Good morning. I am pleased to welcome you to my first general audience. It is with great appreciation and respect that I take this responsibility from the hands of my beloved predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.”

The Pope said he would continue to talk about the Year of Faith, just like his predecessor, but given that it's Holy Week, the Pope said he would instead explain the meaning behind Easter, which he described as the core of the liturgical year.

POPE FRANCIS
“Living Holy Week, means following Jesus not only with moved hearts, it means learning to come out of ourselves, like I said last Sunday,  to meet others, to go toward the edges of our existence and help our brothers and sisters, especially those who are the farthest from us, those who are forgotten, those who need the presence of Jesus and His mercy.”

The Pope improvised on several occasions and spoke only in Italian. Among the audience where about 3,000 university students attending the UNIV congress in Rome. During his  catechesis the Pope explained why Jesus was poor.

POPE FRANCIS
“Jesus doesn't have a home, because his true home rests in people. His mission is to open all doors to God, to represent God's love.”

Before ending his general audience, the Pope made a call for peace in the Central African Republic, where riots and violent attacks have taken over the region in the last few days.