On the fourth and final day of his visit to South Sudan, Cardinal Parolin, the Holy See Secretary of State, received a warm welcome in Rumbek, where he then celebrated a Mass for peace and reconciliation.
(Vatican News Network) Vatican Secretary of State Parolin presided over the Eucharist in Rumbek, South Sudan on August 17, praying for the promotion of peace and reconciliation. In his homily at Mass, the cardinal stated that “it is time to turn the page” to make room for justice and peace. According to the cardinal, the Lord Jesus, after his resurrection, came among the terrified disciples and said to them “Peace be with you”, through whom all fear was transformed. These words are also “said to you” today.
The Secretary of State of the Holy See pointed out that the lack of justice and peace creates “fear and a sense of powerlessness”, and when fear takes over, people give in to temptation, “believe more in their own weapons than in the power of forgiveness”, “believe more in ourselves instead of transformation from the risen Lord,” people fail to commit to justice and peace, fail to build a more loving community, add elements of discord, such as economic inequality, and succumb to anger , distrust, pride and selfishness.
Cardinal Parolin warned that “fear can also come from ourselves, from the reality of sin, but Christ has exorcised sin, conquered fear and revealed perfect love”. The church community “is part of human society, with its own difficulties and contradictions”. “The Church is the bride of Christ, not a humanitarian institution or a business”. “We belong to the Church because God has called us and entrusted us with the task of reconciliation”.
The cardinal stated that we do not become members of the Church by appointment, as in an office, or through an assigned program in the fields of education or health. “We are servants of the Gospel, belonging to each other by our Christian faith” and “not by where we come from or what tribe we belong to”.
Cardinal Parolin continued that for a person, “whatever is hurt by a brother or sister is an injury to society”, therefore violence must not be used as a means of resolving differences, “forgiveness from the crucified Christ is justice and peace key”, nonviolence is the only way to overcome divisions within a group. Later, Cardinal Parolin quoted what Pope Francis said when he visited South Sudan in February this year, saying that to be humble, to make room for your neighbor, to treat him as a brother, is to be tall in the eyes of the Lord. people.
The Holy See Secretary strongly appealed to the people of South Sudan to abandon the idols of personal honor and prestige, and to transcend the differences and divisions of ethnic groups. He added that being a church person doesn’t mean just being baptized once and for all, or passively participating in some liturgy. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation should be received frequently, and Christian commitments in marriage or consecrated life should be cherished. “The family is the first school of society, the religious life is essential to the mission of the Church, called to serve and not to dictate”.
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2023-08-18 10:34:27
