Vatican
City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) - This morning, on the solemnity of the
apostles Peter and Paul, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Mass in St.
Peter's Basilica, during which the Pallium, a symbol of the bond of
unity with the See of Peter, was imposed upon thirty-four new
metropolitan archbishops.
The
Holy Father concelebrated the Eucharist with the new archbishops. As
is traditional on the feast of the patrons of Rome, the Pope received
in audience a delegation from the ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople, sent on behalf of ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios
I and led by the metropolitan of Pergamo Ioannis (Zizioulas),
co-president of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between
the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
In
his homily, Pope Francis spoke of the meaning of the verb “to
confirm” in the context of the Petrine ministry, in response to the
question, “What has the Bishop of Rome been called to confirm?”.
“First,
to confirm in faith”, he said. “The Gospel speaks of the
confession of Peter: 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God', a
confession which does not come from him but from our Father in
heaven. Because of this confession, Jesus replies: 'You are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my Church'. The role, the ecclesial
service of Peter, is founded upon his confession of faith in Jesus,
the Son of the living God, made possible by a grace granted from on
high. In the second part of today’s Gospel we see the peril of
thinking in worldly terms. When Jesus speaks of his death and
resurrection, of the path of God which does not correspond to the
human path of power, flesh and blood re-emerge in Peter: 'He took
Jesus aside and began to rebuke him ... This must never happen to
you'. Jesus’ response is harsh: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a
hindrance to me'. Whenever we let our thoughts, our feelings or the
logic of human power prevail, and we do not let ourselves be taught
and guided by faith, by God, we become stumbling blocks. Faith in
Christ is the light of our life as Christians and as ministers in the
Church!”
“To
confirm in love” is the second answer. “In the second reading we
heard the moving words of Saint Paul: I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith'”, continued the Holy
Father. “But what is this fight? It is not one of those fights
fought with human weapons which sadly continue to cause bloodshed
throughout the world; rather, it is the fight of martyrdom. Saint
Paul has but one weapon: the message of Christ and the gift of his
entire life for Christ and for others. It is precisely this readiness
to lay himself open, personally, to be consumed for the sake of the
Gospel, to make himself all things to all people, unstintingly, that
gives him credibility and builds up the Church. The Bishop of Rome is
called himself to live and to confirm his brothers and sisters in
this love for Christ and for all others, without distinction, limits
or barriers. And not only the Bishop of Rome: each of you, new
archbishops and bishops, have the same task: to let yourselves be
consumed by the Gospel, to become all things to everyone. It is your
task to hold nothing back, to go outside of yourselves in the service
of the faithful and holy people of God”.
Finally,
the Pope continued, “To confirm in unity. Here I would like to
reflect for a moment on the rite which we have carried out. The
pallium is a symbol of communion with the Successor of Peter, 'the
lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith
and of communion'. And your presence today, dear brothers, is the
sign that the Church’s communion does not mean uniformity. The
Second Vatican Council, in speaking of the hierarchical structure of
the Church, states that the Lord 'established the apostles as college
or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen
from their number'. To confirm in unity: the Synod of Bishops, in
harmony with the primate. Let us go forward on the path of
synodality, and grow in harmony with the service of the primacy. And
the Council continues, 'this college, in so far as it is composed of
many members, is the expression of the variety and universality of
the people of God'. In the Church, variety, which is itself a great
treasure, is always grounded in the harmony of unity, like a great
mosaic in which every small piece joins with others as part of God’s
one great plan. This should inspire us to work always to overcome
every conflict which wounds the body of the Church. United in our
differences: there is no other Catholic way to be united. This is the
Catholic spirit, the Christian spirit: to be united in our
differences. This is the way of Jesus! The pallium, while being a
sign of communion with the Bishop of Rome and with the universal
church, with the Synod of Bishops, also commits each of you to being
a servant of communion”.
“To
confess the Lord by letting oneself be taught by God; to be consumed
by love for Christ and his Gospel; to be servants of unity. These,
dear brother bishops, are the tasks which the holy apostles Peter and
Paul entrust to each of us, so that they can be lived by every
Christian”, the Holy Father concluded.
