Pope Leo XIV meets the families of the victims of the Crans-Montana massacre: words of reflection, faith and hope in the midst of pain
Moved, Pope Leo XIV welcomes the families of the victims of the Crans-Montana massacre. The climate of deep contemplation, the deliberately essential language, the comfort to those who have suffered a pain that is difficult to explain. These are the elements that characterized the meeting. A meeting that the Pontiff illustrated thus: «When I learned that someone on your part had requested this meeting, I immediately said: yes, we will find the time». No formality, simply the desire to share a moment of suffering through the support of faith: «I wanted to at least have the opportunity to share a moment that for you is proof of what we believe», recognizing the unbridgeable disproportion between the words of comfort and the extreme violence of the lived experience.
The hope of resurrection
Leone mentioned a particularly fitting personal memory for the moment: the Holy Funeral Mass in which the homily took the form of a direct dialogue between man and God, crossed by a question that characterizes any painful and unexpected mourning: “Why, Lord, why?”. A question to which, according to the Pope, no human response can truly be adequate: “I cannot explain to you why you and your loved ones have been asked to face such a test”. In fact, if you think about it, even compassion and affection, in similar moments, appear to be a meager comfort, limited and impotent.
The fulcrum of Christianity, however, lies precisely in the “limit” of hope. A hope that “is not in vain”, because “Christ is truly risen”. This certainty of faith is anything but abstract, and is precisely what allows one to overcome even the most extreme pain, such as that of those who lost a loved one on that terrible night in Crans-Montana or those who see their loved ones marked forever by flames.
The role of faith in pain
The Pope struggles to find meaning in such a tragic event, and does not try to console in a paternalistic, empty or superficial way. No. Prevost instead refers to a very powerful image: that of Jesus on the cross, who alone and suffering cries out: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”. The Father is silent for three days, he makes us wait, until the extraordinary response which is the cornerstone of the entire Christian faith: the resurrection of Christ.
And here the Pontiff calls into question Saint Paulstating that nothing can separate from the love of Christ, neither those who suffer nor those who have died. Faith does not eliminate pain, clearly, but illuminates it from within with an “irreplaceable” lightcapable of maintaining precisely when patience and perseverance seem exhausted: “Jesus precedes us on this path of death and resurrection”.
Leo XIV assured that he will pray for anyone involved in the Crans-Montana drama: deceased, injured and family members. “Your heart is pierced today, as Mary’s was at the foot of the Cross,” he added. For this reason, in the final act of the meeting, the Pope urged family members to pray the Our Father together. Finally he entrusted them to Our Lady, Lady of Sorrowsso that they turn to her: “She is close to you in these days.” Leo
