(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday sent a message to members of the Pontifical Academies on the occasion of their twentieth General Meeting.
In the message, Pope Francis described the Annual General Meeting of the Pontifical Academies as “moments of cultural and spiritual enrichment, moments of inspiration to fulfill personal and communal duties … moments which encourage the Church to renew her ideas on humanism, in response to modern day challenges”.
The theme of this year’s meeting was “ Ad limina Petri : historic pilgrimage trails during the first centuries of Christianity ”. The Pope observed how this evocative title could help the faithful to prepare for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which begins in December.
He explained how pilgrimage is a “unique part” of the Holy Year, because it “emblematizes the journey every human being makes during their existence”. “Life is a pilgrimage and the human being is a pilgrim”.
The Holy Father also wrote, “your reflections will contribute to enhance the significance of Christian pilgrimage”. Within the context of the forthcoming Year of Mercy, he noted: “pilgrimage is an experience that involves mercy, sharing and solidarity”.
The Pope then went on to announce awards for those who had made significant contributions to research in historical anthropology. The recipients of the Premio delle Pontificie Accademie (the Pontifical Academies Prize) were the Campo Arqueológico di Mértola , for their work on archeological campaigns, and Dr. Matteo Braconi for his doctoral thesis entitled ‘ The mosaic in the apse of the basilica di S. Pudenziana a Roma ’.
The Medaglia del Pontificato (the Pontifical Medal) was then awarded to Dr. Almudena Alba López, for her publication ‘ Teologia politica y polémica antiarriana’ (‘Political Theology and the anti-Arian controversy’).
Pope Francis concluded his message to the Pontifical Academies with his Apostolic Blessing.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his one-day visit to Florence on Tuesday (Nov. 10) spoke to the Fifth National Convention of the Italian Church gathered in St. Mary of the Flower Cathedral.
In his programmatic speech, Pope Francis laid out his vision for “a new humanism in Christ Jesus.”
Chiara Giaccardi is a member of the preparatory committee for the event and professor of sociology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.
She spoke to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti about the impact of Pope Francis’ words on the assembly.
Listen to the full interview:
His smile tipped them off. Something important was coming.
In what followed, Pope Francis told the assembly what was wrong with the Church. “Everybody was moved by his parresia, his benevolent way of telling what is wrong in the Church, but like a father who loves his sons and daughters, not like a judge,” Ms. Giaccardi said.
“We need to start with mercy”, she continued, “and this is the way that Jesus Christ is telling us where to go and how to go.”
Agreeing that the Holy Father’s speech is also a challenge to the Italian Church to work together, she said it is “a challenge to be free, which is not easy at all”.
“The Church is not free because of money, because of power, because of the image in the media. Pope Francis invited all the Church and all the people to be free from [that which] is not able to make us happy and to make us free.”
Concluding, Ms. Giaccardi said, “And the bishop can be happy only with the sheep, only among his people, and this is the same for all the Church. The Church must be close to the people. This is the only way to be [the] real Church of Jesus Christ.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis stressed the need for “the Church to live among the people and for them,” saying it should maintain a healthy contact with reality and peoples’ lives. Christ’s disciples, he said, “must never forget that they come from the people and must never fall into the temptation of adopting an aloof attitude” and not being concerned about the thoughts and lives of the people. The Pope’s comments came during his homily at an outdoor Mass celebrated in Florence on Tuesday (10th November).
Taking the inspiration for his homily from the St Matthew’s gospel, Pope Francis reminded his listeners that Jesus wanted to know from his disciples what the people were saying about Him in order to communicate with them. He warned that without knowing how people think, “a disciple becomes isolated and begins to judge people according to his own thoughts and convictions.”
For this reason, said the Pope, “a disciple must maintain a healthy contact with reality and with people’s lives with their joys and sorrows,” saying this “is the only way” to be able to help and communicate with them. Christ’s disciples, he stressed, “should never forget from where they have been chosen, namely from among the people, and must never fall into the temptation of adopting an aloof or detached attitude as if the thoughts and lives of the people were not their concern and of no importance for them.”
Pope Francis said “the Church, like Jesus, lives among the people and for the people” and we need to nurture a personal faith in Him, as the Son of God. Only if we recognize this truth about Jesus, will we be able to see the truth of our human condition and add our contribution “to the full humanization of society.”
The Pope went on to explain that “our joy” is to share this faith, whose truth scandalizes. We must also “go against the tide” and “overcome the prevailing opinion” of our contemporary society where just as in the past people are unable to recognize Jesus as more than a prophet or teacher.
He said the good that we sow along our path as Christians helps to create “a new and renewed humanity where no one is marginalized or discarded, where the person who serves is the greatest and where the children and the poor are welcomed and helped.” Noting the importance of humanism in the most creative periods of Florence’s history, the Pope noted that this humanity always had a charitable face, and said he prayed for a new humanity both for the city and Italy as a whole.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on his visit to the Italian city of Florence on Tuesday (Nov. 10) sat down for lunch with the city’s poor at St. Francis’ Soup Kitchen (Mensa di San Francesco Poverino).
In between his meeting with the National Congress of the Italian Church and celebrating Mass in the city’s football stadium, the Pope sat down for lunch with 60 of the city’s poorest citizens, both Italians and of other nationalities.
Many had lost both their jobs and their homes, but thanks to the work of the Catholic Church’s charity, Caritas, who runs the meal kitchen where the lunch took place, they had not lost their dignity.
Pope Francis was given a meal voucher when he arrived and ate off a plastic plate, just like the rest of those gathered with him, emphasising his teaching that the Church must be with and accompany the marginalised and those on the peripheries of society.
Before lunch, the Holy Father met briefly with the sick and some persons with disabilities in the Basilica of Annunciation.
After individually greeting those present, Pope Francis recited the Angelus prayer with them before walking over to St. Francis’ Soup Kitchen for lunch.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “I don’t want to design in the abstract a ‘new humanism,’ a certain idea of man, but to present with simplicity some features of the practical Christian humanism that is present in the ‘mind’ of Christ Jesus.”
Pope Francis was speaking in Florence at a meeting of the Fifth National Convention of the Italian Church. In a programmatic speech, Pope Francis laid out his vision for “a new humanism in Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Father said humanism should take its starting point from “the centrality of Jesus,” in whom we discover “the features of the authentic face of man.” His reflection took its starting point from the passage from St Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” What is this attitude? the Pope asked. He suggested three specific traits: humility, disinterest, and happiness (It: beatitudine).
With regard to humility, the Pope said we should pursue the glory of God, and not our own. “The glory of God that blazes in the humility of the cave of Bethlehem or in the dishonour of the Cross of Christ always surprises us.” Disinterest is seen in the quote from Philippians, which speaks of “each one looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others.” A Christian’s humanity, he said, is not narcissistic or self-centred, but always goes out to others, which leads us always to work and to fight to make the world a better place. Finally, a Christian is happy (It: beato) because he has within him the joy of the Gospel. Jesus shows us the path to happiness in the Beatitudes, which “begin with a blessing, and end with the promise of consolation.”
These three traits, the Pope said, show that the Church must not be obsessed with power, even if it seems as though power would be useful. “If the Church does not take up the attitude of Jesus, it is disoriented, and loses its senses.”
Pope Francis acknowledged the temptations the Church faces, mentioning two in particular: Pelagianism and Gnosticism. “Pelagianism leads us to have faith in structures, in organizations, in plans that are perfect because they are abstract.” The reform of the Church does not mean simply coming up with yet another plan to change structures, but instead means “being grafted onto and rooted in Christ, [the Church] allowing herself to be lead by the Spirit.”
Another temptation, Gnosticism, “leads to trusting in logical and clear reasoning, which, however, loses the tenderness of the flesh of the brother.” The fascination with Gnosticism, he said, “is that of “a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten, but which ultimately keep one imprisoned in his or her own thoughts and feelings.”
The Pope noted that Italy has many great saints, such as St Francis of Assisi and St Philip Neri, whose example can help people live the faith with humility, disinterest, and joy. He also gave the example of Don Camillo, a famous Italian literary character. The Pope said he was struck at how the fictional priest always united “the prayer of a good pastor” with the evident closeness to his people.
Pope Francis also had specific recommendations for his audience. He encouraged Bishops to always be pastors, saying, “This will be your joy.” He spoke, too, about the importance of the “social inclusion” of the less fortunate, recalling the teaching of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the doctrine of the preferential option for the poor.
He also called on the Italian Church to avoid being concerned with power, with its own image, with money. “Evangelical poverty,” he said, “is creative, welcoming, supportive, and rich in hope.”
“I recommend to you also, in a special way, the capacity for dialogue and encounter,” the Pope said. The best way to dialogue, he said, is not simply by discussing and talking together, but by working together with all men and women of good will. He also encouraged young people to overcome apathy, to become “builders of Italy, to put [themselves] to work for a better Italy.”
Today, Pope Francis said, “we are not living in an era of change so much as a change of eras.” In the face of the challenges we face in the modern world, he said we must seek to see our problems as “challenges, not obstacles,” reminding us that the Lord is active and at work in the world.” Wherever we find ourselves, he said, we must “never construct walls or borders, but [rather] piazzas and field hospitals.”
Concluding his address, Pope Francis said again he prefers to see the Italian Church as restless, “always close to the abandoned, the forgotten, the imperfect.” He said he longs for “a joyful Church with the face of a mother, who understands, accompanies, caresses,” and called on those present to “dream . . . about this Church, believe in it, innovate with freedom.” Pope Francis said it wasn’t his place to tell them how to accomplish “this dream,” but nonetheless encouraged them to look to his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, seeking ways to deepen their understanding of its message, and find new ways to implement its practical suggestions.”
(from Vatican Radio)…