Pope Francis remembers Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros during Wednesday's general audience

Vatican City, Sep 13 (EFE) - (Camera: Antonello Nusca) Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Christians to "get their hands dirty" to "build peace" and gave as an example the Venezuelan Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, "the doctor of the poor" who was "a doctor close to the weakest" who dedicated "his life to helping the needy".

"Blessed José Gregorio encourages us in our commitment in the face of the great social, economic and political issues of today. Many speak, many speak badly, many criticise and say that everything is going badly. But Christians are not called to do this, but to get involved, to get their hands dirty," he said during the Wednesday general audience.

FOOTAGE POPE FRANCIS DURING THE WEDNESDAY AUDIENCE AT THE VATICAN. SOUNDBITES IN ITALIAN OF POPE FRANCIS.

TRANSLATION:

1."... to get to know the figure of a layman, Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros. He was born in 1864 and learnt the faith above all from his mother".

2. "To the wealth of money - he said - he preferred the wealth of the Gospel, spending his life to help the needy. In the poor, in the sick, in the migrants, in those who suffer, Joseph Gregory saw Jesus. And the success he never sought in the world he received, and continues to receive, from the people, who call him "saint of the people", "apostle of charity", "missionary of hope".

3. "on several occasions he tried to become a religious and a priest, but various health problems prevented him from doing so", but this "did not lead him to withdraw into himself, but to become a doctor who was even more sensitive to the needs of others".

4. "His earthly journey ends like this, in a street while doing a work of mercy, and in a hospital, where he had made his work a masterpiece of good.

5. "Many speak, many speak badly, many criticise and say that everything is going badly. But the Christian is not called to do this, but to get busy, to get his hands dirty",

6. "This too is apostolic zeal, it is the proclamation of the Gospel, it is Christian beatitude: 'Blessed are the peacemakers'".