Pope Francis invited the people of Peru to have courage and to follow the many saintly examples the Church of their country offers them.
His comments came ahead of the Angelus prayer in the Peruvian capital of Lima on Sunday.
He said life's many difficulties can leave them discouraged. But the Holy Father told them to look to their Saints, like Martin de Porres,
Rose of Lima, and many others.
He said their example shows that God loves us just as we are, without any kind of falsification or enhancement.
"I know that we all like to see digitally-enhanced photographs, but that only works for pictures; we cannot 'photoshop' others, the world, or ourselves."
The Pope told Peruvians that "the heart can't be 'photoshopped,' because that's where authentic love and genuine happiness have to be found."
Jesus, he said, "loves you as you are, and he has a dream for every one of you."
Pope Francis said that, even if we get discouraged with ourselves or others, God "never grows discouraged with us."
Following the Angelus prayer, the Catholic Church leader left the Archbishop Palace for the Apostolic Nunciature in Jesus Maria district, where he is scheduled to have lunch.
After that, he will head to Las Palmas Air Base in Surco district to celebrate
a multitudinous mass in front of 1,200,000 people.
Source: Vatican News
(END) NDP/RMB/MVB
Published: 1/21/2018