Your
Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
and in the Priesthood,
Dear Men and Women Religious,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Continuing what is by now a happy tradition, this year too I am
glad to open the Diocesan Pastoral Convention. To each one of
you who represent here the entire diocesan community, I address
with affection my greeting and heartfelt thanks for the pastoral
work you carry out. Through you, I extend to all the parishes my
cordial greeting in the words of the Apostle Paul: "To all God's
beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rm 1: 7).
I cordially thank the Cardinal Vicar for the encouraging words
interpreting your sentiments that he has addressed to me and for
the help that he offers me, together with the Auxiliary Bishops,
in the daily apostolic service to which the Lord has called me
as Bishop of Rome.
It has just been recalled that in the past decade the Diocese
initially focused its attention on the family; then for another
three years, on teaching the faith to the new generations,
seeking to respond to the "educational emergency", a challenge
to all that is far from easy; and lastly, again with a reference
to education, prompted by the Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi, you
gave attention to the theme of teaching hope.
As I thank the Lord with you for all the good he has granted us
to do I am thinking in particular of the parish priests and
priests who spare no effort in guiding the communities entrusted
to them I wish to express my appreciation of the pastoral
decision to give time to reviewing the ground covered, with a
view to focusing on certain fundamental contexts of ordinary
pastoral work, in the light of past experience, to explain them
better and to make them more broadly shared.
This commitment, which you have already been monitoring for
several months in all the parishes and in the other ecclesial
contexts, must be based on a renewed awareness of our being
Church and of the pastoral co-responsibility which, in Christ's
name, we are all called to exercise. And it is precisely on this
aspect that I would like to reflect now.
The Second Vatican Council, desiring to pass on, pure and
integral, the doctrine on the Church that had developed in the
course of 2,000 years, gave the Church a "more deeply considered
definition", illustrating first of all the enigmatic nature,
that is, as a "reality imbued with the divine presence, hence
always capable of new and deeper exploration" (Paul vi,
Inaugural Address at the Second Session of the Second Vatican
Council, 29 September 1963).
Well, the Church, which originates in the Trinitarian God, is a
mystery of communion. As communion, the Church is not merely a
spiritual reality but lives in history, so to speak, in flesh
and blood. The Second Vatican Council describes her "in the
nature of sacrament a sign and instrument, that is, of communion
with God and of unity among all men" (Lumen Gentium, n. 1).
And the very essence of sacrament is that the invisible is
tangible in the visible and that the tangibly visible opens the
door to God himself. The Church, we said, is a communion, a
communion of people who, through the action of the Holy Spirit,
form the People of God which is at the same time the Body of
Christ.
Let us reflect a little on these two key words. The concept of
"People of God" came into being and was developed in the Old
Testament: to enter into the reality of human history, God chose
a specific people, the People of Israel, to be his People. The
intention of this particular choice is to reach, through a few,
many people and through them to reach all. In other words the
intention of God's specific choice is universality. Through this
People, God enters into the reality of history.
And this openness to universality is achieved in the Cross and
in Christ's Resurrection. In the Cross, St Paul says, Christ
broke down the wall of separation. In giving us his Body, he
reunites us in this Body of his to make us one. In the communion
of the "Body of Christ" we all become one people, the People of
God, in which to cite St Paul again all are one and there are no
longer distinctions or differences between Greek and Jew, the
circumcized and the uncircumcized, the barbarian, the Scythian,
the slave, the Jew, but Christ is all in all. He has broken down
the wall of distinction between peoples, races and cultures: we
are all united in Christ.
Thus we see that the two concepts "People of God" and "Body of
Christ" complete each other and together form the New Testament
concept of Church.
And whereas "People of God" expresses the continuity of the
Church's history, "Body of Christ" expresses the universality
inaugurated in the Cross and in the Lord's Resurrection. For us
Christians, therefore, "Body of Christ" is not only an image,
but a true concept, because Christ makes us the gift of his real
Body, not only an image of it.
Risen, Christ unites us all in the Sacrament to make us one
Body. Thus the concept "People of God" and "Body of Christ
complete one another: in Christ we really become the People of
God. "People of God" therefore means "all", from the Pope to the
most recently baptized child. The First Eucharistic Prayer, the
so-called "Roman Canon" written in the fourth century,
distinguishes between servants "we, your servants" and "plebs
tua sancta"; therefore should one wish to make a distinction,
one should speak of servants and plebs sancta, while the term
"People of God" expresses the Church all together in their
common being.
Subsequent to the Council this ecclesiological doctrine met with
acceptance on a vast scale and thanks be to God an abundance of
good fruit developed in the Christian community. However we must
also remember that the integration of this doctrine in
procedures and its consequent assimilation in the fabric of
ecclesial awareness did not happen always and everywhere without
difficulty and in accordance with a correct interpretation.
As I was able to explain in my Discourse to the Roman Curia on
22 December 2005, an interpretative current, claiming to refer
to a presumed "spirit of the Council", sought to establish a
discontinuity and even to distinguish between the Church before
and the Church after the Council, at times even crossing the
very boundaries that exist objectively between the hierarchical
ministry and the responsibilities of the lay faithful in the
Church.
The notion of "People of God", in particular was interpreted by
some, in accordance with a purely sociological vision, with an
almost exclusively horizontal bias that excluded the vertical
reference to God. This position was in direct contrast with the
word and spirit of the Council which did not desire a rupture,
another Church, but rather a true and deep renewal in the
continuity of the one subject Church which grows in time and
develops but always remains identical, the one subject of the
People of God on pilgrimage.
Secondly, it should be recognized that the reawakening of
spiritual and pastoral energies that has been happening in
recent years has not always produced the desired growth and
development. In fact it must be noted that in certain ecclesial
communities, the period of fervour and initiative has given way
to a time of weakening commitment, a situation of weariness, at
times almost a stalemate, and even resistence and contradiction
between the conciliar doctrine and various concepts formulated
in the name of the Council, but in fact opposed to its spirit
and guidelines.
For this reason too, the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops in 1987 was dedicated to the theme of the vocation and
mission of lay people in the Church and in the world. This fact
tells us that the luminous pages which the Council dedicated to
the laity were not yet sufficiently adapted to or impressed on
the minds of Catholics or in pastoral procedures. On the one
hand there is still a tendency to identify the Church
unilaterally with the hierarchy, forgetting the common
responsibility, the common mission of the People of God, which,
in Christ we all share. On the other, the tendency still
persists to identify the People of God unilaterally, as I have
already said, in accordance with a merely sociological or
political concept, forgetting the newness and specificity of
that people, which becomes a people solely through communion
with Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is now time to ask ourselves what
point our Diocese of Rome has reached. To what extent is the
pastoral co-responsibility of all, and particularly of the
laity, recognized and encouraged? In past centuries, thanks to
the generous witness of all the baptized who spent their life
educating the new generations in the faith, healing the sick and
going to the aid of the poor, the Christian community proclaimed
the Gospel to the inhabitants of Rome.
The self-same mission is entrusted to us today, in different
situations, in a city in which many of the baptized have strayed
from the path of the Church and those who are Christian are
unacquainted with beauty of our faith.
The Diocesan Synod, convoked by my beloved Predecessor John Paul
ii, was an effective receptio of the conciliar doctrine and the
Book of the Synod involved the Diocese in becoming more and more
a living and active Church in the heart of the City, through the
coordinated and responsible action of all its inhabitants.
The City Mission that followed in preparation for the Great
Jubilee of the Year 2000 enabled our ecclesial community to
become aware that the mandate to evangelize does not only
concern a few but rather all of the baptized.
It was a salutary experience that helped to develop in the
parishes, religious communities, associations and movements a
consciousness of belonging to the one People of God which, as
the Apostle Peter said, God made his own: "that you may declare
the wonderful deeds of him" (1 Pt 2: 9). And let us give thanks
for that this evening.
There is still a long way to go. Too many of the baptized do not
feel part of the ecclesial community and live on its margins,
only coming to parishes in certain circumstances to receive
religious services. Compared to the number of inhabitants in
each parish, the lay people who are ready to work in the various
apostolic fields, although they profess to be Catholic, are
still few and far between.
Of course, social and cultural difficulties abound but faithful
to the Lord's mandate, we cannot resign ourselves to preserving
what exists. Trusting in the grace of the Spirit which the Risen
Christ guaranteed to us, we must continue on our way with
renewed energy. What paths can we take?
In the first place we must renew our efforts for a formation
which is more attentive and focused on the vision of the Church,
of which I spoke and this should be both on the part of priests
as well as of religious and lay people to understand ever better
what this Church is, this People of God in the Body of Christ.
At the same time, it is necessary to improve pastoral structures
in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of
the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with
respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the
consecrated and of lay people.
This demands a change in mindset, particularly concerning lay
people. They must no longer be viewed as "collaborators" of the
clergy but truly recognized as "co-responsible", for the
Church's being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation
of a mature and committed laity.
This common awareness of being Church of all the baptized in no
way diminishes the responsibility of parish priests. It is
precisely your task, dear parish priests, to nurture the
spiritual and apostolic growth of those who are already
committed to working hard in the parishes. They form the core of
the community that will act as a leaven for the others.
Although these communities are sometimes small, to prevent them
from losing their identity and vigour they must be taught to
listen prayerfully to the word of God through the practice of
lectio divina, as the recent Synod of Bishops ardently hoped.
Let us truly draw nourishment from listening, from meditating on
the word of God. Our communities must not lack the knowledge
that they are "Church", because Christ, the eternal Word of the
Father, convokes them and makes them his People. Indeed, on the
one hand faith is a profoundly personal relationship with God
but on the other it possesses an essential community component
and the two dimensions are inseparable.
Thus young people, who are more exposed to the growing
individualism of contemporary culture, the consequences of which
inevitably involves the weakening of interpersonal bonds and the
enfeeblement of the sense of belonging, will also taste the
beauty and joy of being and feeling Church.
Through faith in God we are united in the Body of Christ and all
become united in the same Body. Thus, precisely by profoundly
believing we may achieve communion among ourselves and emerge
from the loneliness of individualism.
If it is the Word that gathers the community, it is the
Eucharist that makes it one body: "because there is one bread,
we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one
bread" (1 Cor 10: 17). The Church, therefore, is not the result
of an aggregation of individuals but of unity among those who
are nourished by the one Word of God and the one Bread of Life.
Communion and the unity of the Church that are born of the
Eucharist, are a reality of which we must be ever more aware,
also in receiving Holy Communion, ever more aware that we are
entering into unity with Christ and thus become one among
ourselves.
We must learn ever anew to preserve and defend this unity from
the rivalry, disputes, and jealousies that can be kindled in and
among ecclesial communities. In particular, I would like to ask
the movements and communities that came into being after the
Second Vatican Council and that in our Diocese too are a
precious gift for which we must always thank the Lord, I would
like to ask these movements, which I repeat are a gift, always
to ensure that their formation processes lead their members to
develop a true sense of belonging to the parish community.
The Eucharist, as I have said, is the centre of parish life, and
particularly of the Sunday celebration. Since the unity of the
Church is born from the encounter with the Lord, the great care
given to adoration and celebration of the Eucharist, enabling
those who participate in it to experience the beauty of Christ's
mystery is no secondary matter.
Given that the beauty of the liturgy "is no mere aestheticism,
but the concrete way in which the truth of God's love in Christ
encounters us, attracts us and delights us" (Sacramentum
Caritatis, n. 35), it is important that the Eucharistic
celebration manifest and communicate, through the sacramental
signs, the divine life and reveal the true face of the Church to
the men and women of this City.
The spiritual and apostolic growth of the community then leads
to its extension through a convinced missionary action. Strive,
therefore, in every parish as at the time of the City Mission,
to restore life to the small groups or counselling centres for
the faithful who proclaim Christ and his word, places where it
is possible to experience faith, to put charity into practice
and to organize hope.
This structuring of the large urban parishes by the
multiplication of small communities allows the mission a larger
breathing space, which takes into account the density of the
population and its social and cultural features which are often
very different.
If this pastoral method is also to be applied effectively in
workplaces, it would be important to evangelize them with a well
thought-out and adapted pastoral ministry since, because of the
high social mobility, it is here that people spend a large part
of their day.
Lastly, the witness of charity that unites hearts and opens them
to ecclesial belonging should not be forgotten. Historians
answer the question as to how the success of Christianity in the
first centuries can be explained, the ascent of a presumed
Jewish sect to the religion of the Empire, by saying that it was
the experience of Christian charity in particular that convinced
the world. Living charity is the primary form of missionary
outreach. The word proclaimed and lived becomes credible if it
is incarnate in behaviour that demonstrates solidarity and
sharing, in deeds that show the Face of Christ as man's true
Friend.
May the silent, daily witness of charity, promoted by parishes
thanks to the commitment of numerous lay faithful continue to
spread increasingly, so that those who live in suffering feel
the Church's closeness and experience the love of the Father
rich in mercy. Therefore be "Good Samaritans", ready to treat
the material and spiritual wounds of your brethren. Deacons,
conformed by ordination to Christ the Servant, will be able to
carry out a useful service in promoting fresh attention to the
old and new forms of poverty.
I am also thinking of the young people: dear friends, I invite
you to put your enthusiasm and creativity at the service of
Christ and the Gospel, making yourselves apostles of your peers,
ready to respond generously to the Lord if he calls you to
follow him more closely, in the priesthood or in consecrated
life.
Dear brothers and sisters, the future of Christianity and of the
Church in Rome also depends on the commitment and witness of
each one of us. I invoke for this the maternal intercession of
the Virgin Mary, venerated for centuries in the Basilica of St
Mary Major as Salus populi romani. As she did with the Apostles
in the Upper Room while awaiting Pentecost, may she also
accompany us and encourage us to look with trust to the future.
With these sentiments, while I thank you for your daily work, I
warmly impart to you all a special Apostolic Blessing.
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look at the One they
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