SW News: Pope Francis urged seminarians and priests to learn the language of gestures that express closeness and tenderness to the people. This also applies when giving homilies, he said during a long dialogue that took place in Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on Monday. "Let the expression be complete," he said.

The Holy Father spoke of three languages that reveal the maturity of a person: The language of the head, heart, and hands. Pope Francis asked them to learn to express themselves in these three languages.

The Pontiff said that even if one is engaged in studies or in Curial work "it is important to maintain contact with the people, with God's faithful people because there is the anointing of God's people: They are the sheep.”

By distancing from the people, he said, “you can be a theorist, a good theologian, a good philosopher, a very good curial official who does all the things but you will have lost the ability to smell the sheep.”

The Pope then reiterated the principle of the four "proximities" of priests: closeness with God through prayer, closeness with the bishop, closeness with other priests, and closeness to the people of God: "If there is no closeness to the people of God, you are not a good priest."

In the dialogue between science and faith, the Pope first of all invited priests to be open to the questions of scholars and the anxieties of people and university students, to listen, and to always maintain a positive, open, and humble attitude.

He also recommended keeping dialogue open with science, even if one has no answers.

The Pope said dialogue is saying "I cannot explain this to you, but you must go to these scientists, to these people who will perhaps help you.