Appearing Saturday on Newsmax's "Saturday Report," Monsignor Hilary Franco said Pope Leo is helping Catholics “understand more deeply whatever is the meaning of Easter,” pointing to the new pontiff’s message and personal example.
"The image of the pontiff, the way he gives us the possibility of understanding more deeply whatever is the meaning of Easter, the way he speaks and conveys that message with great enthusiasm," Franco said.
Franco, a longtime Vatican official who recently had a private audience with the Pope, shared a personal moment: "I tried to kneel and he picked me up and said, ‘No, Monsignor, we have to pray together that I may reach your age with your enthusiasm.'"
Reflecting on Easter, Franco emphasized unity in a divided world.
"Division is not going to build anything. We have to be united no matter what," he said, adding that "unity, universality are the marks" Christians must embody.
He described Easter as a message of renewal and hope: "After considering the passion … immediately after you have the resurrection. So it’s a new life that we are looking forward [to]."
Quoting St. Augustine, Franco called believers to joyful witness: "We are the people of the Hallelujah, ready to change the world."
Encouraging younger generations, he added, "Join in this kind of joyful way of understanding what we can do. We can do wonders."
Franco, 93, who has served more than seven decades in the Church and known multiple Popes and saints, closed by highlighting an upcoming milestone: “Don’t forget that we have the beatification of Fulton J. Sheen, I’m looking forward to that great day.”
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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