Mary Teaches us to Listen to “the voices of the forgotten”: Pope Francis in Message

Pope Francis quoted Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, in which the pope emeritus encouraged scholars to study the relationship between Mariology and the theology of the Word.

“We see how at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God,” he said, quoting Benedict.

“Since Mary is completely imbued with the word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.”

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, read the pope’s message aloud at the start of the Marian congress on Sept. 8.

Pope Francis signed the message on Aug. 22, the feast of the Queen of Heaven.

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“The Mother of the Lord has her own special presence: she is the Mother of all, regardless of ethnicity or nationality,” the pope said.

“Thus, the figure of Mary becomes a point of reference for a culture capable of overcoming the barriers that can create division. Therefore, on the path of this culture of fraternity, the Spirit calls us to welcome once again the sign of consolation and sure hope that has the name, the face and the heart of Mary: woman, disciple, mother, and friend.”

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.