PRESS RELEASE

POPE FRANCIS WITH THE CHILDREN OF SAN GIOVANNI MARIA VIANNEY

FOR THE FIRST MEETING OF THE “SCHOOL OF PRAYER”

This afternoon, Pope Francis met with around 200 children from the parish of San Giovanni Maria Vianney, in the outskirts of Rome, for the first appointment of the “School of Prayer”, instituted at the behest of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Year of Prayer. The meeting took place in the wake of the experience of the “Mercy Fridays” in which Pope Francis met certain categories of people unannounced. The children, who form part of the catechism group in preparation for the sacrament of the First Communion, joyfully welcomed the Pope, who arrived in the community by surprise. Their reaction was astonished when, together with the catechists with whom they were holding catechism as every week, they saw Pope Francis enter the parish hall.

For about an hour, the Pope catechized with the children. Answering their questions, he offered a short catechesis on the theme of the prayer of thanksgiving. He emphasized that this is one of the most important themes in Christian life. “It is important to say thank you for everything. For example, if you enter a person's home and you don’t say thank you, or you don’t say hello, is that good? The first word is ‘thank you’, so, instead, the second is ‘please’”, he told the children of the parish in the suburb of Borghesiana, in the eastern sector of the diocese.

The third word is ‘sorry’”, the Holy Father continued. “Is a person who never apologizes good? It is difficult to say sorry, at times we are ashamed or proud. But it is important, when we slip up, to apologize. Three words: thank you, please, sorry”.

The Pope then asked the children: “Do you pray? How do you pray? What can you say to the Lord?”. One of the children mentioned that he prayed with his family before eating. “You have said something important. But do you know that there are many children who have nothing to eat? Do I thank the Lord who gives me something to eat? Do I thank Him for giving me a family?”.

The last question touched on the theme of faith. “But are you Christians?”, Pope Francis asked. “Do you have faith? Let us say it together: thank you, Lord, for giving me faith”.

In the dialogue, one of the most touching questions on the part of the children was that of Alice, aged 10. “How can I thank the Lord in sickness?”. “Even in dark moments, we must thank the Lord, because He gives us the patience to tolerate difficulties. Let us say it together: thank you, Lord, for giving us the strength to tolerate pain”. Other children asked why there was death and loneliness.

Sofia, who will receive the First Communion in a few days’ time, was instead very shaken by the news of wars, and asked the Pope how we can say “thank you” in such a tragic moment. “We must always thank Him, in every moment. I will give you a piece of advice”, said the Pope, in conclusion. “Before going to sleep, think: what can I thank the Lord for today? Give thanks”.

At the end of the meeting the children, together with the Holy Father, recited a “Prayer of thanksgiving” composed for the occasion, which will remain as a memory of an extraordinary moment in their lives.

Before leaving, Pope Francis, greeting and joking with them, gave each of the catechism children a chocolate egg. To the priests and the twenty or so catechists, he gave the first six brief volumes published in the “Notes on Prayer” series, aids conceived by the first section of the Dicastery for Evangelization to support the pastoral life of communities in the path of rediscovering the centrality of prayer in preparation for the Jubilee 2025.