Pope Francis referred to the recent statement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that priests could not bless same-sex unions because ‘God cannot bless sin’, when he said today, March 21, spoke to the Angelus? Informed sources in Rome tell America they believe he was, but did not want to be identified as they were not authorized to comment.
They noted that when commenting on the Gospel of the day, which tells that some Greeks’ wanted to see Jesus’, Pope Francis said that many people today also want to see, meet and get to know Jesus, and therefore ‘our Christians and our communities “have” the great responsibility “to make it possible through” the testimony of a life given in service, a life that adopts the style of God: closeness, compassion, and tenderness. “
Francis explained that it means “sowing of seed of love, not with fleeting words, but through concrete, simple and courageous examples; not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love. He added that ‘the Lord then makes us bear fruit with his grace, even when the ground is dry due to misunderstandings, problems or persecution or allegations of legalism or spiritual moralism. This is infertile soil. Just then, in trials and in solitude, while the seed is dying, it is the moment in which life blooms, to bear ripe fruit at the right time. ”
He said that “it is in this intertwining of death and life that we can experience the joy and true fertility of love, which is always, I repeat, given in God’s style: closeness, compassion, tenderness.”
According to three sources, it was important that Francis called Christians and the church to testify to Jesus “not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love”.
According to three sources, it was important that Francis asked Christians and the church to testify to Jesus “not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love” and that he speak of “misunderstandings, problems or persecution or allegations of legalism or spiritual moralism. . ”As“ bare ground. ”They noted that many people read the CDF document as condemning or condemning and that it was characterized by a lot of” legalism and clericalism “, far from the pastoral spirit of Francis, although the document also The sources suggested that Pope Francis, with his remarks today, distances himself to some extent from the CDF statement – to which he “gave permission for its publication” before his visit to Iraq.
One senior Vatican source, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said: “The three words – ‘closeness, compassion, tenderness’ – which Pope Francis reiterates, speak to the heart of every father and mother, of every spiritual father and mother. He said, “This is the true blessing of the church and its pastor for every person, for every situation.” He added: “This is the true standard of the land. [i.e., the teaching authority of the Church] when it enlightens the conscience and guides the believers. Elke ‘response‘ [i.e., official magisterial answer] and the doctrine in which it was situated would rise to that extent. ”
Given the dispute following the publication of the CDF statement, sources in Rome said America they would not be surprised if the Pope returned more explicitly to the whole question at a future date.
Full text of the Angelus address
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning!
On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the liturgy proclaims the Gospel in which St. John refers to an episode that took place in the last days of Christ’s life, shortly before the Passion (cf. John 12: 20-33). While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover, many Greeks, curious about what he was doing, expressed a wish to see him. They come to the apostle Philip and say to him, “We want to see Jesus” (verse 21). “We want to see Jesus”. Let us remember this: “We want to see Jesus”. Philip tells Andrew and then they report it together to the teacher. At the request of the Greeks, we can look at the request that many men and women, from every place and every time, make to the Church and also to each of us: “We want to see Jesus”.
And how does Jesus respond to this request? In a way that makes us think. He says: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified … Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit ”(vv. 23-24). These words do not seem to respond to the request made by the Greeks. In fact, they surpass it. In fact, Jesus reveals that for every man and woman who wants to find him, he is the hidden seed ready to die to bear much fruit. As if to say: if you want to know me, if you want to understand me, then look at the grain of wheat that dies in the ground, that is, look at the cross.
The sign of the cross comes to us, which has become the symbol of Christians par excellence over the centuries. Those who want to see Jesus, maybe they still come today from countries and cultures where Christianity is not known, what do they see first? What is the most common sign they encounter? The Statue of the Cross, the Cross. In churches, in homes of Christians, even behaved to their persons. Most importantly, the sign is in accordance with the Gospel: the cross can not but express love, service, unconditional self-giving: only in this way is it truly the “tree of life”, of an abundant life.
Today, many people, without saying it, implicitly want to “see” Jesus, meet him, know him. This is how we understand the great responsibility that our Christians and our communities have. We must also respond with the testimony of a life that is given in service, a life that adopts the style of God – closeness, compassion and tenderness – and that is given in service. It means sowing seeds of love, not with fleeting words, but through concrete, simple and courageous examples, not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love. Then the Lord allows us to bear fruit with His grace, even when the ground is dry due to misunderstandings, problems or persecution, or demands of legalism or spiritual moralism. This is infertile soil. Just then, in trials and in solitude, while the seed is dying, it is the moment in which life blooms, to bear ripe fruit at the right time. It is in this intertwining of death and life that we can experience the joy and true fertility of love, which is always, I repeat, given in God’s style: closeness, compassion, tenderness.
May the Virgin Mary help us to follow Jesus, walking strong and joyful on the path of service, so that the love of Christ can shine in every attitude and become more and more the style of our daily lives.