(OSV News) — The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV‘s Angelus address given Nov. 15 at the square of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cusco, Peru, during during his Nov. 6-17 apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
It is a great joy for me to be here today, surrounded by your affection and lively faith that beats within this beautiful community, alongside our sick and elderly brothers and sisters, and the priests and consecrated men and women. I also remember with special affection and gratitude Archbishop Richard Alarcón, whom we entrust to Mary’s loving intercession. At the same time, I am delighted to welcome the new Archbishop of Cusco, effective from 30 October this year, Monsignor Lizardo Estrada.
This morning, here we contemplate this beautiful image of the Lord of the Earthquakes, the Taytacha, Patron of the city of Cusco.
Today’s liturgy offers us a beautiful and at the same time very demanding passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew: the parable of the talents (cf. Mt 25:14-30). Those ancient coins represent everything the Lord has given us freely, including our life, faith and vocation. Yet if we want to summarize this in a single word, they symbolize his love, which he gives us so that we may make it grow in our lives and share it with others.
‘You are at the heart of the Church, for your suffering’
My thoughts are with you, dear brothers and sisters who are suffering in body and soul because of illness. In the eyes of the world — shaped by a throwaway culture and material productivity — illness is seen as a misfortune that diminishes a person’s worth. What a great lie! In the light of the Gospel, when lived with faith and united to the mystery of Christ’s Passion, illness is a path to growing in his love and sharing it. You are at the heart of the Church, for your suffering, when offered with love for the salvation of souls, for vocations and for peace, becomes a source of spiritual strength. Your weakness is transformed into divine strength that multiplies the gifts of love and redemption. You have been witnesses to the self-offering made by Archbishop Richard, who united his life to the Lord’s Cross.
I now address you, beloved sons and daughters consecrated to the Lord, priests, men and women religious, who have left everything behind to follow in the footsteps of the Master. We have been entrusted with the “talents” of the word of God, the sacraments, the pastoral care of the people of God and the beauty of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. What an immense responsibility we carry in our hands of clay! Let us not be afraid to give our lives, to wear ourselves out for Christ. In this way, we will become visible signs of God’s mercy. This is the best way to foster vocations.
The blessed image of the Lord of the Earthquakes
Dear brothers and sisters, our eyes now turn to the blessed image of the Lord of the Earthquakes. In the year 1650, when the earth shook, sowing destruction and panic among your ancestors, it was enough for the sacred image to be carried out into the streets for the aftershocks to cease and peace to reign once more. Since then, the people of Cusco and all of Peru have known that in the Taytacha they have a safe haven from any storm, an unshakable anchor amid the tremors of history.
As a visible sign of my communion with your community, I would like to offer a special act of devotion today. With filial love, I am going to offer a Shroud to be placed over this image of the Lord Jesus. It is meant to be the Pope’s caress for a people who know how to suffer with dignity and with Christian hope. As you behold the Lord of the Earthquakes clothed in this Shroud, remember that the universal Church is with you.
Now we turn with filial trust to the Virgin Mary. From her we learn not to be afraid, not to bury the grace we have received. With hearts full of gratitude, we recite the Angelus, entrusting to her in a special way the health of the sick and the holiness of priests and consecrated persons. May God bless you, and may the Lord of the Earthquakes always keep your lives in peace!
