Pope Francis: Christ is not like other kings, he is a King for others

Pope Francis said on Sunday that Christ is “not like other kings, but he is a King for others.”

In his Angelus address on Nov. 21, the feast of Christ the King, the pope underlined that Jesus’ kingship is “completely different” than that of worldly rulers.

“His kingship is truly beyond human parameters. We could say that he is not like other kings, but he is a King for others,” he said.

The pope was giving his live-streamed address at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square on the day that the Catholic Church celebrates World Youth Day. He was flanked by young people from the Diocese of Rome.

He dedicated the address to Sunday’s Gospel reading, in which Jesus acknowledges that he is a king before Pontius Pilate, governor of the Roman province of Judaea.

“Let us reflect on this: in front of Pilate, Christ says he is a king at the moment in which the crowd is against Him; but when the crowd was following and acclaiming him, he remained distant from this acclamation,” the pope observed.

“That is, Jesus is showing that he is sovereignly free from the desire of earthly fame and glory. And we — let us ask ourselves — do we know how to imitate him in this aspect? Do we know how to govern our tendency to be continuously sought after and approved, or do we do everything to be esteemed by others?”

“So, I ask: what matters? Is it applause or service that matters about what we do, particularly concerning our Christian commitment?”