Pope
Francis: full text of remarks at Synod opening
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis addressed the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on
Monday morning - the morning of their first full day of sessions. Below, please
find Vatican Radio's full English translation of the Holy Father's remarks.
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Dear
Beatitudes, Eminences, Excellencies, brothers and sisters,
The
Church today takes up once again the dialogue begun with the announcement of
the extraordinary Synod on the family, and certainly even long before that, to
evaluate and reflect on the text of the Working Document (Lt. Instrumentum
laboris), elaborated on the basis of the [Extraordinary Assembly’s] final
report (Relatio Synodi) and the responses of the Bishops’ Conferences
and from the other organizations with the right to contribute.
The
Synod, as we know, is a journey undertaken together in the spirit of
collegiality and synodality, on which participants bravely adopt parrhesia,
pastoral zeal and doctrinal wisdom, frankness, and always keep before our eyes
the good of the Church, of families and the suprema lex, the Salus
animarum.
I
should mention that the Synod is neither a convention, nor a parlor, nor a
parliament or senate, where people make deals and reach compromises. The Synod
is rather an Ecclesial expression, i.e., the Church that journeys
together to read reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of God; it
is the Church that interrogates herself with regard to her fidelity to the
deposit of faith, which does not represent for the Church a museum to view, nor
even something merely to safeguard, but is a living source from which the
Church shall drink, to satisfy the thirst of, and illuminate, the deposit of life.
The
Synod moves necessarily within the bosom of the Church and of the holy people
of God, to which we belong in the quality of shepherds – which is to say, as
servants. The Synod also is a protected space in which the Church experiences
the action of the Holy Spirit. In the Synod, the Spirit speaks by means of
every person’s tongue, who let themselves be guided by the God who always
surprises, the God who reveals himself to little ones, who hides from the
knowing and intelligent; the God who created the law and the Sabbath for man
and not vice versa; by the God, who leaves the 99 sheep to look for the one
lost sheep; the God who is always greater than our logic and our calculations.
Let
us remember, however, that the Synod will be a space for the action of the Holy
Spirit only if we participants vest ourselves with apostolic courage,
evangelical humility and trusting prayer: with that apostolic courage, which
refuses to be intimidated in the face of the temptations of the world –
temptations that tend to extinguish the light of truth in the hearts of men,
replacing it with small and temporary lights; nor even before the petrification
of some hearts, which, despite good intentions, drive people away from God;
apostolic courage to bring life and not to make of our Christian life a museum
of memories; evangelical humility that knows how to empty itself of conventions
and prejudices in order to listen to brother bishops and be filled with God –
humility that leads neither to finger-pointing nor to judging others, but to
hands outstretched to help people up without ever feeling oneself superior to
them.
Confident
prayer that trusts in God is the action of the heart when it opens to God, when
our humors are silenced in order to listen to the gentle voice of God, which
speaks in silence. Without listening to God, all our words are only words that
are meet no need and serve no end. Without letting ourselves be guided the
Spirit, all our decisions will be but decorations that, instead of exalting the
Gospel, cover it and hide it.
Dear
brothers, as I have said, the Synod is not a parliament in which to reach a
consensus or a common accord there is recourse to negotiation, to deal-making,
or to compromise: indeed, the only method of the Synod is to open up to the
Holy Spirit with apostolic courage, with evangelical humility and confident,
trusting prayer, that it might be He, who guides us, enlightens us and makes us
put before our eyes, with our personal opinions, but with faith in God,
fidelity to the Magisterium, the good of the Church and the Salus
animarum.
In
fine, I would like to thank: His Eminence Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri,
Secretary General of the Synod; His Excellency, Archbishop Fabio Fabene,
Undersecretary; and with them I thank the Rapporteur, His Eminence Cardinal
Peter Erdő and the Special Secretary, His Excellency Archbishop Bruno Forte;
the Presidents-delegate, writers, consultors, translators and all those who
worked with true fidelity and total dedication to the Church. Thank you so
much!
I
also thank all of you, dear Synod Fathers, fraternal delegates, auditors and
assessors, for your active and fruitful participation.
I
want to address a special thanks to the journalists present at this time and to
those who follow us from afar. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation
and for your admirable attention.
We
begin our journey by invoking the help of the Holy Spirit and the intercession
of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Thank you.
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