Pope Francis has announced he is pre-paring to write a document dedicated to that devotion to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say some-thing significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.” Speaking during the weekly General Audience – his first in June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart – he recalled that last 27 December marked the 350th anniversary of the first of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque’s visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
He said that, on that date, celebrations for this devotion began in many countries across the world, and that they will conclude on 27 June next year. For this reason, the Pope said, he is preparing “a document that gathers the precious reflections of previous magisterial texts and a long history dating back to the Holy Scriptures, to reintroduce today, to the whole Church, this devotion full of spiritual beauty.”
“I believe it will be very beneficial for us to meditate on various aspects of the Lord’s love that can illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal; but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart,” he said. Thus, Pope Francis asked believers to accompany him in prayer during this time of preparation, with the intention of making this document public next September.