Was Pope Francis alluding to the recent statement by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that priests could not give blessings to unions of the same sex because “God cannot bless sin” when he spoke at the Angelus today, March 21? Informed sources in Rome said America they believe so, but do not wish to be identified, as they are not allowed to comment.
They noted that when commenting on the Gospel of the day, which says that some Greeks wanted to “see Jesus”, Pope Francis said that many people today also want to see, meet and know Jesus, and therefore “us, Christians and our communities. “He has” the great responsibility “to make this possible” by the testimony of a life that gives itself to service, a life that assumes the style of God: closeness, compassion and tenderness “.
Francisco explains that this “means sowing love, not with fleeting words, but with concrete, simple and courageous examples; not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love ”. He added that “then the Lord, with his grace, makes us bear fruit, even when the soil is dry with misunderstandings, difficulties or persecutions or claims of clerical legalism or moralism. This is sterile soil. Precisely then, in trials and in solitude, while the seed dies, it is the moment when life blooms, to bear ripe fruit in due time ”.
He said that “it is in this intertwining of death and life that we can experience the joy and true fruitfulness of love, which always, I repeat, is given in the style of God: closeness, compassion, tenderness”.
According to three sources, it was significant that Francis appealed to Christians and the Church to bear witness to Jesus “not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love”.
According to three sources, it was significant that Francis called on Christians and the Church to bear witness to Jesus “not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love” and that he spoke of “misunderstandings, difficulties or persecution or claims of clerical legalism or moralism ”As“ sterile soil ”. They noted that many people read the CDF document as a judge or condemnation and saw it as marked by a lot of “legalism and clericalism”, far from the pastoral spirit of Francisco, although the document also had positive aspects. The sources suggested that, with his remarks today, Pope Francis seemed to be moving slightly away from the CDF statement – to which he gave “consent to its publication” before his visit to Iraq.
A senior Vatican source, who asked not to be named because she was not authorized to comment publicly, said: “the three words – ‘closeness, compassion, tenderness’ – that Pope Francis repeats speak to the heart of every father and mother, of every spiritual father and mother. ”He said,“ They are the true blessing of the church and its pastor for every person, for every situation. ”In addition, he added:“ They are the true measure of the magisterium itself [i.e., the teaching authority of the Church] when it illuminates consciences and guides the faithful. Each ‘responsum‘ [i.e., official magisterial answer] and the doctrine in which it is formulated must rise to that extent ”.
Given the controversy that followed the publication of the CDF statement, sources in Rome said America they would not be surprised if the pope returned to the whole issue more explicitly at some future date.
Full Text of Angelus Address
Dear brothers and sisters,
Buongiorno!
On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the liturgy announces the Gospel, in which Saint John refers to an episode that took place in the last days of Christ’s life, just before the Passion (cf. Jn 12: 20-33). While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, several Greeks, curious about what he had been doing, expressed the desire to see him. They approach the apostle Philip and say to him: “We want to see Jesus” (v. 21). “We want to see Jesus”. Let us remember this: “We want to see Jesus”. Filipe tells André and together they report to Mestre. In the request of those Greeks we can see the request that many men and women, from all places and from all times, make to the Church and also to each one of us: “We want to see Jesus”.
And how does Jesus respond to that request? In a way that makes us think. He says: “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit ”(vv. 23-24). These words do not seem to respond to the request of those Greeks. In fact, they outperform 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, look at the grain of wheat that dies on the earth, that is, look at the cross.
I remember the sign of the Cross, which over the centuries has become the quintessential symbol of Christians. Even today, who wants to “see Jesus”, perhaps coming from countries and cultures where Christianity is not well known, what do you see first? What is the most common sign they find? The crucifix, the cross. In churches, in the homes of Christians, even used on their people. The important thing is that the sign is consistent with the Gospel: the cross cannot fail to express love, service, unreserved surrender: this is the only way it is truly a “tree of life”, of abundant life.
Today too, many people, often without saying it, implicitly want to “see Jesus”, to meet him, to know him. That is how we understand the great responsibility that we Christians have and that of our communities. We too must respond with the testimony of a life that gives itself to service, a life that takes on the style of God – closeness, compassion and tenderness – and surrenders to service. It means sowing love, not with fleeting words, but with concrete, simple and courageous examples, not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love. Then the Lord, with his grace, makes us bear fruit, even when the soil is dry with misunderstandings, difficulty or persecution, or claims of clerical legalism or moralism. This is sterile soil. Precisely then, in trials and loneliness, while the seed dies, it is the moment when life blooms to bear ripe fruit in due season. It is in this intertwining of death and life that we can experience the joy and true fruitfulness of love, which always, I repeat, takes place in the style of God: closeness, compassion, tenderness.
May the Virgin Mary help us to follow Jesus, to walk, with strength and joy, on the path of service, so that the love of Christ may shine forth in all our attitudes and become more and more the style of our daily life.