Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered at Casa Santa Marta explained the first reading from Acts 23:6-11 and the Gospel from John 17:20-26 that demonstrate two styles of unity. His Holiness Pope Francis sees a false unity binding Paul’s accusers together and he highlighted the significance to walk in the path of good unity towards the mission being a Christian.
As reported by Vatican news, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “When two or three begin to criticize another and begin to talk behind the person’s back, they create a false unity to condemn. They feel safe and condemn. They condemn mentally, then they act it out; then they end in accusing each other because they are divided. In this way gossip is a behavior that kills because it destroys people, it destroys their reputation.”
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his homily by reminding to be the “Men and women who are united and who always seek to progress along the path of unity—not a false unity, which has no substance, which only serves to get ahead and condemn people, and promotes interests which are not ours: the interests of the prince of this world, which is destruction.”
