Vatican City, 05 June, 2024 / 12:50 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis said Wednesday the Holy Spirit gives us the freedom to do good and to serve others — and not to do whatever we want or to exploit the weak.
Speaking in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly public audience, the pope gave the second lesson in a series of catechesis on the Holy Spirit and the Church.
The June 5 encounter was centered on the Scripture passage 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
![Pope Francis arrives at his general audience on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media](https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/popefrancisgeneralaudience5060524.jpg)
“A free person, a free Christian, is the one who has the Spirit of the Lord,” Francis explained. “This is a very special freedom, quite different from what is commonly understood. It is not freedom to do what one wants, but the freedom to freely do what God wants. Not freedom to do good or evil, but freedom to do good and do it freely, that is, by attraction, not compulsion.”