Vatican
City, 15 March 2013
(VIS) – “Courage, dear brothers! Probably half of us are in our
old age. Old age, they say, is the seat of wisdom. The old ones have
the wisdom that they have earned from walking through life. Like old
Simeon and Anna at the temple whose wisdom allowed them to recognize
Jesus. Let us give with wisdom to the youth: like good wine that
improves with age, let us give the youth the wisdom of our lives.”
This
is how Pope Francisco addressed the cardinals this morning in the
Clementine Hall at his first meeting with the entire College of
Cardinals, electors and non-electors. The pontiff improvised at
several times during his talk, such as when he informed them that,
the day before yesterday, Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, archivist
emeritus of the Vatican Secret Archives, suffered a heart attack and
is now recovering at the Pius XI private clinic. “His condition is
stable and he sent his greetings to us all.”
Before
beginning his address, the Pope listened to the greeting that
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, read to him
on behalf of the entire College. “We give thanks to the Lord our
God. This is the liturgical invitation that we, the Cardinal Fathers
address to one another, between the 'seniors' and the 'juniors', to
thank the Lord for the gift that He has made to His Holy Church,
giving us a new Shepherd. … Know, Holy Father, that all of us, your
cardinals, are at your full disposal, seeking to build with you the
apostolic cenacle of the nascent Church, the Upper Room of Pentecost.
We will try to keep 'an open mind and a believing heart', as you
wrote in your book of meditations.”
During
his address, Pope Francis affirmed that today's encounter “seeks to
be almost an extension of the intense ecclesial communion experienced
in this period. Enlivened by a profound sense of responsibility and
supported by a great love for Christ and the Church, we have prayed
together, sharing our fraternal feelings, our experiences and
reflections. A mutual understanding and openness has brown in this
climate of great cordiality. This is good because we are brothers.
Someone said to me: 'The cardinals are the Holy Father's priests.'
But we are that community, that friendship, that closeness that will
do us all well. And this knowledge, this mutual openness have
facilitated our docility to the Holy Spirit. He, the Paraclete, is
the supreme protagonist of every initiative and expression of faith.”
He then added: “It's curious: It makes me think that the Paraclete
makes all the differences in the Churches and seems to be an apostle
of Babel. But, on the other hand, [the Holy Spirit] is the one who
makes unity of these differences, not in equality, but in harmony. I
remember the Church Father who defined it thus: 'Ipse harmonia est.'
This Paraclete who gives, to each of us, different gifts, unites us
in this Church community that worships the Father, the Son, and Him,
the Holy Spirit.”
The
Holy Father noted that “the period of the Conclave was full of
meaning, not only for the College of Cardinals, but also for all the
faithful. In these days we felt, almost tangibly, the affection and
solidarity of the universal Church, as well as the attention of many
people who, although they do not share our faith, look to the Church
and the Holy See with respect and admiration.” At the same time he
expressed his gratitude to all the cardinals for their cooperation in
the Church's functions during the Sede Vacante. He especially thanked
Cardinal Sodano for “his words of devotion and for the well wishes
that he extended to me [on behalf of the cardinals]” and Cardinal
Camerlengo Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., “for his thoughtful work in
this delicate phase of transition”. He also thanked Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re, cardinal dean of the Conclave “who was our
boss in the Conclave: thank you very much!”
He
then continued: “I think with great affection and deep gratitude of
my venerable predecessor, Benedict XVI, who during these years of his
pontificate has enriched and strengthened the Church with his
teaching, his goodness, his guidance, his faith, his humility, and
his gentleness, which will remain a spiritual heritage for all. He
noted that, “as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us so often in his
teachings and most recently with his brave and humble gesture, Christ
is the one who guides the Church through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit
is the soul of the Church, with his life-giving force that unifies
one body from many: the mystical Body of Christ.”
“Let
us never give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil
offers us every day. Do not give in to pessimism and discouragement.
We have the firm certainty that the Holy Spirit gives the Church with
His mighty breath, the courage to persevere and also to seek new
methods of evangelization, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the
earth. The Christian truth is attractive and persuasive because it
responds to the deep needs of human existence, convincingly
announcing that Chirst is the only Saviour of the whole person and of
all persons. This announcement is as valid today as it was at the
beginning of Christianity when there was a great missionary expansion
of the Gospel.
“Now,”
he finished, “return to your Sees to continue your ministry
enriched by the experience of these days that have been so full of
faith and ecclesial communion. This unique and incomparable
experience has allowed us to understand in depth the beauty of
ecclesial reality, which is a reflection of the splendour of the
Risen Christ. One day we'll look upon that beautiful face of the
Risen Christ.”
On
finishing his address, the Pope greeted, one by one, all the
cardinals present in the Clementine Hall personally.
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