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Image: Bishop Henry baptizes the Finns at the spring of Kuppis,
a pseudohistorical painting by R. W. Ekman from the 1850s in Turku cathedral
Pope Francis’ greeting to the ecumenical delegation from Finland
Consistory Hall – Monday, 20 January 2025
“Whoever Sings Prays Twice!”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I cordial greet each of you who have come to Rome again this year as an ecumenical delegation on the feast of Saint Henrik. In a special way, I greet the new head of the Finnish Orthodox Church, Archbishop Elia of Helsinki and All Finland, as well as Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of the diocese of Helsinki and you, Bishop Matti Salomäki.
Esteemed brothers in Christ, I am grateful for the thoughts and feelings you have expressed to me on behalf of the Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox participants, and for the gift you have thoughtfully chosen.
As ‘pilgrims of hope’, we are walking together in this Holy Year 2025,
In this journey of faith, we are confirmed by the words of the Letter to the Hebrews: “Let us hold fast to the profession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is worthy of faith” (Heb 10:23).
Journeying in hope!
St. Henrik is, so to speak, an icon of this hope, which finds its sure and enduring foundation in God.
As a messenger of peace, St. Henrik urges us to never cease to raise our prayers for the precious yet fragile gift of peace. At the same time, the Patron Saint of Finland is a symbol of God-given unity, as his feast day continues to unite Christians of different Churches and Ecclesial Communities in offering praise to God.
The fact that your pilgrimage to Rome is accompanied by choirs that honor the Triune God with their music is an eloquent sign of “doxological ecumenism”.
Thank you to the choir, thank you! Whoever sings, prays twice!
I thank you, the singers of the Cappella Sanctae Mariae, for this valuable service!
Staying on the musical note, we could say that the Nicene Creed, which we all share, is an extraordinary “score” of faith. And this “symphony of truth” is Jesus Christ himself, the center of the symphony.
He is truth made flesh, true God and true man, our Lord and Savior.
Whoever listens to this “symphony of truth” – not only with the ears, but with the heart – will be touched by the mystery of God reaching out to us, full of love, in his Son.
And that faithful love is founded the hope that does not disappoint!
Never forget this: hope does not disappoint.
For “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).
Witnessing this incarnate love is our ecumenical vocation, in the communion of all the baptized.
Therefore, I would now like to invite you to express our common vocation with filial confidence, by reciting together the Lord’s Prayer, each in his or her own language. And thank you for your visit.
[Our Father…]
May God bless us all! Amen.
