Pope Francis: Lungs of Christian faith

Confraternities -- a traditional reality in the Church that have recently experienced a renewal and a rediscovery -- are "a true lung of faith and Christian life, a breath of fresh air in parishes and dioceses." With this invitation to mission Papa Francesco turned this morning in St. Peter's Square to the more than 70 thousand faithful who had come on pilgrimage from all over the world for the Year of Faith. In the rain-drenched piazza, the Pope emphasized the specific mission of the Confraternities: "to keep alive the relationship between the Faith and the cultures of the peoples to which you belong," through popular piety. "Love the Church, let yourself be guided by her" he said, "be living cells, li