At the end of the list of new cardinals named by the Pope is the name of 96-year-old Capuchin Father Luis Dri. “He is the last on the list, but by no means the last in Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s heart,” Andrea Tornielli, responsible for Vatican Radio’s editorial operations, is confident. Seven years ago, he had the opportunity to meet Father Louis in person:
Andrew Tornielli
Since 2007, the gray-haired Franciscan monk spends his days in the confessional Buenos Aires shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Pompeii. Luis Pascal Dri was born on April 17, 1927 in Federación, Entre Rios Province, Argentina. All the children of this family, except one, have chosen the path of religious life.
Pope Francis has spoken about Father Louis several times – first on March 6, 2014, when meeting with deans in Rome, later on May 11 of the same year at the Holy Mass of the ordination of priests. He has also mentioned what Capuchin said in the interview-book “God’s name is mercy”. In 2016, Bergoglio cited the example of Father Luis, celebrating the Eucharist with the Capuchins in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as with the confessors in the Jubilee Year. In 2017, the Pope wanted to present the book “Don’t Starve to Forgive” to the deans of the parishes in Rome, which contains the biography of Father Luis Dry. When it comes to confession and the reception of penitents, Pope Bergoglio’s thoughts always turn to Father Luis:
“I remember an excellent confessor, a Capuchin father who served in Buenos Aires. Once he came to see me and wanted to talk. He said: “I’m asking you for help, I always have a lot of people at the confessional, all kinds of people, the humble and the less humble. Also many priests… I forgive a lot, but sometimes the thought creeps into me that I have forgiven too much”. We talked about mercy and I asked him what he does when the thought doesn’t stop him. And he answered me: “I go to our chapel and in front of the tabernacle I say to Jesus: “Lord, forgive me for having forgiven a lot. But you are the one who gave me a bad example!” I will never forget it! If a priest experiences mercy on himself in this way, he is able to give it to others as well.”
Seven years ago, we went to visit Father Luis in the Buenos Aires shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Pompeii. There were few people, it was a muggy afternoon. Only one confessional was open, a man in a Capuchin tunic sat waiting in it. He was surrounded by sound deadening white panels reminiscent of those used in old radio studios. It was him.
He told us why the Pope quotes him so often. “I am, on the whole, if not scrupulous, but, let’s say, a little anxious during confession. When he was a cardinal here in Buenos Aires, I trusted him very much, went to talk to him and told him all this once. He answered me: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I have to forgive!” And I: “Yes, I forgive, but a certain anxiety remains in me, and then I go to Jesus and tell Him that He is the one who taught me this, that He gave me the “bad” example, because Jesus forgave everything, He didn’t push anyone away.”
“You can see that these words had an impact on Bergoglio, he remembered them. He knows that I take many confessions, long hours in the morning and evening. More than once he has advised the priests to come and talk to me if they have a problem. I listened to them and now we are great friends. We talk to some of them who come often, and they feel very good spiritually and pastorally. I must thank the Pope very much for this trust he has shown me, because I do not deserve it. I am a man, a priest, a monk, who has studied, but I don’t have any doctorate, nothing. But life has taught me a lot, life has marked me. Since I was born very poor, I feel that I must always say some kind word, some helpful, kind word to everyone who comes here. No one should leave feeling misunderstood, belittled, or left out.”
The monk, who spends every morning and afternoon in the confessional “until the candles go out”, had no special advice to give to his “colleagues” confessors: “What the Pope says. I can’t say anything else. Compassion, understanding, to listen all your life in order to understand, to be able to “get into the skin of another” to understand what is happening. We don’t need, starting with myself, to be functionaries who do something and it’s enough: “Yes, I gave him absolution.” On the contrary! I think we have to be extra close, extra nice, because sometimes people don’t know too well what confession is. “Don’t be afraid, don’t worry!” Confession… the only thing needed is a desire to be better, nothing else. You don’t have to think with what, or how many times, or that, or the other. All these things are not necessary. I feel like we alienate people. But I have to do everything to bring people closer to God, closer to Jesus.”
To those who come to confession, the monk who will soon be clothed in purple has always given advice: “Do not be afraid! I always show this picture, this holy picture of the Father embracing the prodigal son. Because they ask me: “But will God forgive me?” But God hugs you, God bless you, God loves you, God walks with you, God came to forgive, not to punish, He came to be with us, He came down from heaven to be with us . So why should we be afraid? It seems to me almost absurd not to know, or mistakenly know, our God the Father.”
Father Louis Dry reminds us of Father Leopold Mandic, who behaved in a similar way towards people going to confession. “Yes, yes, I know him very well. I have read about his life and learned a lot from him,” said the Argentinian monk. “I have also learned from Padre Pio. I was with him in 1960 in the same monastery. I have complained to him. Saint Leopold and Saint Pio have taught me many things, taught me many good things about mercy, about love, about peace, silence, intimacy. If Padre Pio was so strong, so energetic when he listened and forgave, it was because of Jesus.”
Translated by Inese Steinert
2023-07-11 12:48:02
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