The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera publishes excerpts from Don Marco Pozza’s new book interview with Pope Francis, in which he explores how doubts and crises of faith take us deeper into the mystery of God.
By Vatican News
“Of Vices and Virtues” (published by Rizzoli) is the title of Don Marco Pozza’s new interview book with Pope Francis, due out on March 2.
Several parts of the book were published on Sunday by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Anger and intimidation
In a part of the interview, the Pope describes anger and the way to cure rabies.
“[Anger] it is a storm whose purpose is to destroy. One example is bullying that occurs among young people. (…) Bullying arises when, instead of seeking to understand one’s own identity, it belittles and attacks the identity of others. When episodes of aggression and bullying occur in youth groups, schools and among neighbors, we see the poverty of the aggressor’s identity. The only way to ‘cure’ bullying is to share, live together, dialogue, listen to others and set aside time, because only time can build a relationship. “
God’s Purifying Wrath
Pope Francis now considers the wrath of God.
He recalls that divine wrath “is directed against evil, not that which comes from human weakness, but evil from Satanic inspiration. (…) God’s wrath seeks to bring justice and ‘cleanse’. The Flood is the result of God’s wrath, according to the Bible. ”
The Pope explains that the flood, according to some experts, is “a mythical story”. But, according to archaeologists, it is “a historic event because traces of a flood were found in their excavations”. Pope Francis warns against not taking care of creation, saying that we are in danger of a new “flood”.
Prudence in governing
Returning to the subject of prudence, the Pope calls it “the virtue of government”.
“It is impossible to govern without prudence. On the contrary, he who governs without prudence, governs badly. They do bad things and make bad decisions, which always destroy people. “
But prudence in government, he notes, “must sometimes be unbalanced in order to make decisions that bring about change.”
Faith and doubt
Finally, Pope Francis speaks of the faith tested by doubts.
“The devil puts doubts in us, so life happens along with his tragedies: ‘Why does God allow this?’ But a faith without a doubt cannot advance. (…) The thought of being abandoned by God is an experience of faith that many saints lived, as well as many people today who feel abandoned by God, but do not lose faith. They take care to care for the gift: ‘At this moment I feel nothing, but I keep the gift of faith. The Christian who has never gone through these moods lacks something, because that means they have settled for less. Crises of faith are not failures against faith. On the contrary, they reveal the need and the desire to enter more deeply into the depths of the mystery of God. A faith without these trials leads me to doubt whether it is true faith. “