"This is important ..."

Do sermons take too long? Clear opinion from the Pope

Pope Francis calls on priests to give short homilies(Bild: AFP)

At the general audience on Wednesday, Francis called on priests to keep their sermons short at masses. "After more than eight minutes, the sermon fades, it is no longer understood," the Pope emphasized to the applause of the faithful. 

"Sometimes there are long sermons, 20 minutes, 30 minutes ... But please, preachers must proclaim an idea, a call to action," said the Pope. 

"Sermons should never last longer than ten minutes"
"I can see that you like to hear that!" joked the Pope to the applause of the faithful. "Sometimes we see people who, when the sermon begins, go outside to smoke a cigarette and then return. The sermon should never last longer than ten minutes. This is very important," said Francis.

New appeal for peace
Wednesday's audience was the first with a summary in Chinese and a greeting from the Pope to the faithful in this language. Afterwards, Francis made a new appeal for peace: "Please, let us continue to pray for peace! War is a human defeat. War does not solve problems, war is evil, war destroys. Let us pray for the countries that are at war. Let us not forget the tormented Ukraine, let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar... So many dead children! So many innocent dead! Let us pray for the Lord to bring us peace. Let us always pray for peace," said the Pope.