On the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as Successor of Peter, Vatican Secretary of State Card Parolin spoke at a videoconference organized by the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leadership. He emphasized that complete communion with Pope Francis is the only way to have complete communion with the universal Church.
(Vatican News Network)On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as Successor of Peter, Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See, spoke at an online conference organized by the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leadership.
Cardinal Parolin emphasized that the Pope “has both virtues and limitations, he is God’s instrument to educate and correct us”. The pastoral office of the “pope today” is not “abstract” but “a gift from God”. “If we want to fully live out the communion of the Church, with the attitude of truly following Jesus, we must receive this gift without fear and celebrate it.” The cardinal pointed out, citing the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, that The Dzong “is, for the bishops and the mass of the faithful, a permanent and visible center and foundation of unity” (cf. Ecclesiastical Constitution, No. 23). Therefore, “there is no full communion of the Church without communion with Pope Francis”.
“Peter’s pastoral ministry is realized in the pope’s humanity, and there is no doubt that the pope’s humanity also has weaknesses.” Cardinal Parolin said: “The humanity of Peter and all his successors has always been despised and attacked. object”. The famous theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar published “The Plague Against Rome” in 1974 (The anti-roman epidemic) has pointed out in the book that every pope, no matter how holy he may be, always presents a “human side” that is open to criticism. “But it is a pity that in the Catholic Church, which is made up of sinners, as soon as he occupies the highest office, he loses all the sympathy and understanding he had previously received, and ends up being more or less severely criticized”.
These “powerful words” of Balthasar “are true even today,” the Holy See secretary of state explained. “Every pope, from the beginning of his pastoral ministry, has certainly had the experience of being harshly judged to the point of dizziness. Liberals and conservatives, great theologians or contemporary ‘influential’ figures, may give him Advice, judge him and get him into trouble. However, the Peter ministry is much more than a mere question of qualifications. The Peter ministry provides an objective basis for apostolic work, for a life of true communion and fellowship . The Pope is the universal pastor, let us never forget that.”
The decade of Pope Francis’ pastoral ministry is one that will go down in history and is an essential part of the Catholic faith. “Interpreting Pope Francis’ pastoral ministry purely from a secular perspective can easily lead us to power games and power.” On the contrary, “evaluating his personality and his pastoral love on the basis of faith is the way to correctly interpret the divine grace that sustains and guides him”.
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