El papa se ha quejado de la imagen de las familias que no se sientan a la mesa juntas, o que cuando lo hacen no hablan, ven la tele o se distraen con el móvil. A su juicio, según ha dicho durante la catequesis de la audiencia general, esa es "una familia poco familiar".
Francisco dedicó su catequesis a la "convivialidad" (calidad de la convivencia), que dijo "es el termómetro seguro para medir la salud de las relaciones".
El papa explicó que cuando hay algo que en una familia no funciona se ve enseguida cuando se sienta a comer y describió cómo los hijos "en la mesa están pegados al ordenador o al aparatito (en referencia al teléfono móvil)" y la familia no se escucha entre ella y por tanto "no es una familia, es una pensión".
"El símbolo más evidente es la familia reunida en torno a la mesa, donde se comparte no sólo la comida, sino también los afectos, los acontecimientos alegres y también los tristes. Esta virtud constituye una experiencia fundamental en la vida", explicó.
Afirmó que los cristianos deben tener "una especial vocación hacia la convivialidad" y puso el ejemplo de que "Jesús no desdeñaba comer con sus amigos". Al respecto, el papa quiso explicar que el sentarse a la mesa y el "nutrirse" no es siempre "el símbolo de una justa división de los bienes, capaz de llegar a quien no tiene ni paz ni afecto".
Criticó a los países ricos que "tienden a un nutrición excesiva" y esto hace que se olviden de lo que es "el hambre verdadero".
Hizo notar que la publicidad "nos hace tener siempre hambre de bollos y dulces" mientras "tantos, demasiados hermanos se quedan sin sentarse a la mesa" y exclamó: "Esto es una vergüenza".
Por ello, en el saludo final a los fieles, pidió que "cada familia participando en la Eucaristía, se abra al amor de Dios y del prójimo, especialmente para con quienes carecen de pan y de afecto y que el próximo Jubileo de la Misericordia nos haga ver la belleza del compartir".
Pope Francis holds up a baby upon his arrival for the weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ALTERNATIVE CROP OF AJM103 Pope Francis adjusts a baby's hood as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 10, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 13: Pope Francis kisses a baby during an audience with Scouts in St. Peter's Square on June 13, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pontiff met this morning with thousands of members of the Association of Italian Catholi...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 14: Pope Francis greets a baby as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for a meeting with the Roman Diocesans on June 14, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Pontiff invited everyone to pay attention to environmental iss...
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 17, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis holds a baby as he leaves the cathedral after holding a mass and blessing the city on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending fou...
PHILADELPHIA, USA - SEPTEMBER 26: Pope Francis blesses a baby from the crowd with a kiss as he arrives at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, USA on September 26, 2015. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pope Francis kisses a baby at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (David Swanson/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is in Philadelphia for the last leg of his six-day visit to the U.S. (Photo bt Alex Br...
In this photo taken on Saturday Sept. 26, 2015 Pope Francis kisses a baby on his way to the Indipendence Mall in Philadelphia. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis looks to a baby that he just kissed as he pauses in the popemobile during a parade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis holds the head of a baby as he stands in the popemobile during a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 in Philadelphia. The pope will end the final day of his three-city U.S. tour with a Mass on Philadelphi...
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Pope Francis caresses a baby after his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis holds up a baby upon his arrival for the weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ALTERNATIVE CROP OF AJM103 Pope Francis adjusts a baby's hood as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 10, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 13: Pope Francis kisses a baby during an audience with Scouts in St. Peter's Square on June 13, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pontiff met this morning with thousands of members of the Association of Italian Catholi...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 14: Pope Francis greets a baby as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for a meeting with the Roman Diocesans on June 14, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Pontiff invited everyone to pay attention to environmental iss...
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 17, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis holds a baby as he leaves the cathedral after holding a mass and blessing the city on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending fou...
PHILADELPHIA, USA - SEPTEMBER 26: Pope Francis blesses a baby from the crowd with a kiss as he arrives at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, USA on September 26, 2015. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pope Francis kisses a baby at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (David Swanson/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is in Philadelphia for the last leg of his six-day visit to the U.S. (Photo bt Alex Br...
In this photo taken on Saturday Sept. 26, 2015 Pope Francis kisses a baby on his way to the Indipendence Mall in Philadelphia. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis looks to a baby that he just kissed as he pauses in the popemobile during a parade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis holds the head of a baby as he stands in the popemobile during a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 in Philadelphia. The pope will end the final day of his three-city U.S. tour with a Mass on Philadelphi...
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)