Vatican Roundup
Pope Francis has said the silence that precedes the opening prayer at Mass is an opportunity for Christians to commend to God the fate of the Church and the world.
Departing from his prepared text at his weekly General Audience, the Pope urged priests “to observe this brief silence and not hurry”. “I recommend this to the priests. Without this silence, we risk neglecting the reflection of the soul,” he said.
Continuing his series of audience talks on the Mass, Pope Francis spoke about the Gloria and the opening prayer. After the encounter between “human misery and divine mercy” experienced in the penitential rite, the Faithful are invited to sing the ancient hymn of praise that was sung by the angels after Christ’s birth, the Pope said.
“The feelings of praise that run through the hymn,” he said, “are intertwined with the confident pleading of divine benevolence” that characterises the entire liturgy and “establishes an opening of earth to heaven”.
After the hymn, the priest invites the assembly to pray and observes a moment of silence so that the Faithful may be conscious of the fact that they are in God’s presence and formulate their petitions, the Pope explained.