Vatican
City, 17 September 2013 (VIS) – Yesterday in the Basilica of St.
John Lateran, Pope Francis met with the clergy of the diocese of
Rome, of which he is the bishop. In a relaxed and cordial atmosphere,
the Holy Father invited the priests to feel free to ask any question
they chose, affirming that he considered himself above all to be a
priest, and now as Pope he was afraid of feeling otherwise. “I
would be afraid of feeling a bit more important; I am afraid of that,
because the devil is cunning ... and makes you think you have power,
that you can do this and that ... But thanks to God, I haven't yet
lost that fear, and if once you see that I have lost it, please, tell
me, and if you can't tell me privately, say it publicly, but say it:
'Look, convert!' It's clear, isn't it?”.
Francis
also spoke about the weariness priests experience owing to the hard
work they do. “There is the tiredness resulting from work, which we
all know; we arrive home in the evening, tired after our work and we
spend a moment before the Tabernacle to greet the Lord, which we must
always do ... When a priest is in contact with his people, he works,
but he sleeps well. When a priest is not in contact with his people,
he works, but he works badly and sleeps badly. ... When a priest is
in contact with his people, who have many real needs, need for God,
then this requires serious effort”.
However,
he continued, “there is a final effort, which is necessary at the
moment that there should be triumph. ... This happens when a priest
questions himself about his existence, he looks within himself at the
path he has followed, at the sacrifices he has made, the children he
has not had and asks if perhaps he made a mistake, if his life was a
failure”. The Pope cited the great effort made my many figures in
the Bible, by Elijah and Moses, by Jeremiah and John the Baptist. The
latter, he remarked, “in the darkness of his confinement
experienced the darkness of his soul, and sent his disciples to ask
Jesus if it was He Who awaited him. So, what can a priest do when he
lives the experience of John the Baptist? Pray, to the point of
falling asleep before the Tabernacle, but stay there”. He added
that they should “seek the affinity of other priests and, most
importantly, bishops”.
In
response to a question on pastoral service, Francis reiterated that
one should not “confuse creativity with making something new.
Creativity is finding the path to proclaim the Gospel and ... this is
not easy. It is not simply a question of changing things. It is
something different, it comes from the spirit and passes through
prayer and dialogue with people, with the faithful”. The Pope
recalled an experience he had as archbishop of Buenos Aires, when a
priest was seeking a way of making his church more welcoming: “Ah,
if many people pass this way, perhaps it would be good if the church
were open all day ... Good idea! And it would also be good if there
were always a confessor available there. ... Good idea! And so it
went on”.
This,
he explained, is “courageous creativity”, and it is necessary to
“find new paths”. The Church, “and also the Code of Canon Law”,
he added, “give us many, many possibilities, so much freedom to
look for these things. ... We must find those moments to welcome and
receive the faithful, when they enter the parish church for one
reason or another”. He severely criticised those who were more
concerned about asking for money for a certificate than with the
Sacrament and therefore “keep people away”. Instead, there must
be a “cordial welcome” so that those “who go to Church feel at
home. They feel comfortable and do not feel as if they are being
exploited. ... When people feel there are economic interests at work,
they stay away”.
Francis
proposed to the priests of Rome the figure of the “missionary
priest”. A priest should always keep in mind his first love, for
Jesus. “For me”, he said, “this is the key point: that a priest
has the capacity to return in memory to his first love. ... A Church
that loses her memory is an electronic Church, without life”. He
advised the priests of his diocese to beware of both severe and lax
priests. “Instead, the merciful priest proclaims that 'God's truth
is this, so to speak, dogmatic or moral truth', but always
accompanied by God's love and patience”, adding “Do not panic –
the good God awaits us. ... We must always keep in mind the word
'accompany' – let us be travelling companions. Conversion always
takes place on the street, not in the laboratory”.
The
Holy Father also referred to the scandals that have beset the Church,
confirming that it is necessary to face the most serious problems
with clarity, “but without pessimism”, since “holiness is
greater than scandal”. “The Church will not collapse”, he said.
“On the contrary, the Church has never been in better form and is
experiencing a very positive moment; one need only read her history.
There are saints recognised even by non-Catholics, such as Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, but there is also the everyday holiness of
ordinary mothers and women, of men who work every day for their
families, and this brings us hope”.
Attention
turned to the theme of existential peripheries, this time referring
to the situation of divorced and remarried Catholics. “The
problem”, said Francis, “cannot be reduced merely to a matter of
who can receive communion or not, because to pose the question in
these terms does not enable an understanding of the real problem. ...
It is a serious problem regarding the Church's reponsibility towards
families living in this situation. ... The Church must now do
something to solve the problem of marriage annulment”. The Pope
reiterated that this matter will be discussed with the group of eight
cardinals who will meet at the beginning of October in the Vatican
and it will also be considered during the next Synod of Bishops which
will focus on the anthropological relationship of the Gospel with the
person and the family, as “a synodal approach should be take to the
study of this problem”. He emphasised, “this is a real
existential periphery”.
Finally,
in an atmosphere of great cordiality, the Pope reminded the priests
that on 21 September he will celebrate sixty years since he received his vocation as a priest.
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