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"We might be tempted to say: I can't pray because I'm busy. But God is busy too. God is busy being close to you, waiting for you," says Francis
Pope Francis during his recent meeting with Slovak Jesuits  (Photo courtesy of Vatican News)
By La Croix International staff | Vatican City
Pope Francis during his recent visit to Slovakia has urged Slovak to draw closer to God through prayer and closeness to people.
"Don't abandon prayer! True prayer, prayer of the heart, not the formal prayer that does not touch the heart," he told a group of 53 Jesuits when he visited Slovakia September 12 – 15.
Pope Francis, who meets with local Jesuits on his apostolic journeys, urged members of the Society of Jesus hold "closeness" to heart in their pastoral work in Slovakia.
"So, here I ask you to be close in four ways: close to God, close among yourselves, close to the bishops and the pope, and close to the people of God, which is the most important," the pope said.
Pope Francis also spoke about the challenges of the Church in the face of the "temptation to go backwards" in search of security.
"It is an ideology that colonizes minds. It is a form of ideological colonization. It is not really a universal problem, but rather specific to the churches of certain countries," he said.
"Today I believe that the Lord is asking the Society to be free in the areas of prayer and discernment. It is a fascinating time, a beautiful moment, even if it is that of the cross: it is beautiful to bring forward the freedom of the Gospel," the pope said.
"I want to point out to you that turning back is not the right way. Instead, we should go forward in discernment and obedience."
"I go ahead, not because I want to start a revolution. I do what I feel I must do. It takes a lot of patience, prayer and a lot of charity," Francis said.
Answering a question from a Jesuit on how he deals with people who look at him with suspicion, the pope said:
"I personally deserve attacks and insults because I am a sinner, but the Church does not deserve them…
"Yes, there are also clerics who make nasty comments about me. I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can't do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies."
The official transcript of Pope Francis' conversation with Slovak Jesuits was released on Tuesday September 21 by the Jesuit journal "La Civiltà Cattolica".
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