“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and, lying, say all manner of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven”(Mt. 5:11). With these words, Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, offers us to an horizon to carry the weight of earthly disputes. It is clear that Pope Francis, in the wake of the Seraphic Father of Assisi from which he took his name, is making a real revolution, with his strong calls for a return to the Gospel. In some occasions in fact, he confesses that these attacks come from the devil to destroy the unity of the Church.
The devil always wants to divide families, communities, and even the Church. In fact, for Pope Francis, even gossips are one of the best instruments of the devil to foment division. A “gossiper,” he said, “is like a terrorist who leaves a bomb and kills many persons through his/her gossip.”
The principle of the Church’s unity are the successors of Peter.
They are the ones who defend unity in front of external and internal attacks of division in any form and they are the favorite object of hostile and many times, false and offensive words.
Already Saint John Paul II had surprised many, in the Jubilee of 2000, with his repeated requests for forgiveness for the dark times of the Church to defend and safeguard this first characteristic of the Church: Unity. Those warnings were then echoed by similar pronouncements by Pope Benedict XVI. And yet, it remains surprising a successor of Peter who apologizes for having reacted humanly and in a completely understandable way, in the face of the inappropriate impetuosity of a woman who grabbed his hand, yanking him towards her. Pope Francis, while suffering, reacts with great serenity to the continuous attacks of those who do not understand that tradition, rather than a stagnant swamp, marks the vitality of the Spirit. As Saint John XXIII said, “It is not the gospel that changes, it is we who understand it better.”
In fact, his revolution leads more towards the effective unity of the Body of Christ. St. John Paul II was called the collegial pope since he emphasized that the bishops should act as a college in unity with the Pope. Now, Pope Francis wishes a revolution within the Church by calling for a “synodal” Church that listens, learns and shares Christ’smission to proclaim the Gospel. For what reason? To make the unity of the Church more visible.
Forgiveness and mercy are the best methods that the Pope imparts to us. Amid the criticisms, sometimes he just keeps silent to preserve precisely this unity and not add fuel to the fire. This is a manifestation of his revolution from within and invites us to do the same.
Fr. Paolo Gentili and Fr. Am Mijares
Pope Francis wishes a revolution within the Church by calling for a “synodal” Church that listens, learns and shares Christ’s mission to proclaim the Gospel.
