Pope Francis presides over the canonization Mass of Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti, recalling how these holy men lived as examples of an inclusive Church and encouraging the faithful to relearn how to humbly give gratitude for our lives and God’s presence in it.

Source - by Sophie Peeters

Pope Francis presided over the beatification mass of now-Saints Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabri and Salesian Brother Artemide Zatti in Saint Peter's Square on Sunday. The Mass was co-celebrated by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, with fifty thousand faithful participating.

In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of Luke which tells the story of the ten lepers who, after crying out to Jesus for mercy, were healed, with only one Samaritan realizing his healing and turned around “praising God with a loud voice” (Lk 17:15). 

The faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, 9 October, 2022

The Pope invited the faithful to reflect on two aspects of the Gospel: walking together and giving thanks.

The importance of walking together

Leprosy, Pope Francis noted, is a disease that isolates those ill from others, forcing those who have the illness to remain together on the “margins of social and even religious life.”

This image of solidarity within desolation is also meaningful for us to reflect upon:  if we can recognize our own illness as sinners in need of God the Father’s great mercy, then we can once more become like brothers and sisters, “mindful that all of us are vulnerable within and in need of healing.”

“Faith always urges us to move beyond ourselves and towards God and our brothers and sisters, never to remain enclosed within ourselves. Faith invites us to acknowledge constantly that we are in need of healing and forgiveness, and to share in the frailty of those who are near to us, without feeling ourselves superior.”

Walking together is a key cornerstone of the Church and is something we can ask ourselves: in our own lives within our families, our workplace, and where we spend our time, are we truly capable of listening and being open and inclusive to all “in the service of the Gospel,” the Pope asked the faithful.

The faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, 9 October, 2022

In his homily, the Pope challenged us to “always be inclusive” in the Church and society, “which is still marred by many forms of inequality and marginalization.”

Furthermore, in off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis said the exclusion of migrants today in Church and society is "scandalous" and "criminal."

“Indeed: the exclusion of migrants is criminal, it makes them die in front of us. Today we have the Mediterranean which is the largest cemetery in the world. The exclusion of migrants is sickening, it is sinful, it is criminal.”

Learning to give thanks to God

In the Gospel, only one leper, realizing he was cured, turned back to praise God and show gratitude, with the others going along their way.

Pope Francis said it is the Samaritan who dares to go back to Jesus in order to enter into a relationship with him to “start a journey of thanksgiving:” Jesus Himself, the Samaritan realized, is “more important than the healing he received.”

This can be a great lesson for us, the Pope continued, as so often we fall way to the “nasty spiritual disease” of taking everything for granted, including our relationship with God.

The canonization Mass of Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti, 9 October, 2022

The ability to give thanks rather, allows us to recognize the presence of God in our lives and the importance of others, of our families.

“So please, let us not forget these key words: thank you!”

Two holy men of faith

Recalling the examples of the two newly-named Saints, Pope Francis said each of these two holy men reminds us “of the importance of walking together and being able to give thanks.”

The canonization Mass of Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti, 9 October, 2022

Both dedicated their lives to a Church that was inclusive and without barriers, as Saint Scalabrini cared a great deal for migrants and Saint Zatti cared greatly for the sick, taking upon himself the wounds of others.

“With great vision, Scalabrini looked forward to a world and a Church without barriers, where no one was a foreigner. For his part, the Salesian Brother Artemide Zatti was a living example of gratitude.”

The Pope noted how today, here in Europe, there is one migration causing "so much pain:" the migration of Ukrainians fleeing the war.

In conclusion, the Pope encouraged us to ask the Saints to help us “walk together, without walls of division” in order to be able to “cultivate that nobility of soul,” that is, gratitude.

Holy Mass with Canonization and Angelus, 09 October 2022, Pope Francis