Pope: Catholics and Anglicans, brothers and sisters in
Christ
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday visited the Anglican
Parish of All Saints in Rome. Speaking at the Church the Pope said,
"today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one another as we truly are:
brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism. As friends
and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ
together."
Find below the English translation of the Pope's words.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I wish to thank you for your gracious invitation to celebrate this parish
anniversary with you. More than two hundred years have passed since the
first public Anglican liturgy was held in Rome for a group of English residents
in this part of the city. A great deal has changed in Rome and in the
world since then. In the course of these two centuries, much has also
changed between Anglicans and Catholics, who in the past viewed each other with
suspicion and hostility. Today, with gratitude to God, we recognize one
another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common
baptism. As friends and pilgrims we wish to walk the path together, to
follow our Lord Jesus Christ together.
You have invited me to bless the new icon of Christ the Saviour. Christ
looks at us, and his gaze upon us is one of salvation, of love and
compassion. It is the same merciful gaze which pierced the hearts of the
Apostles, who left the past behind and began a journey of new life, in order to
follow and proclaim the Lord. In this sacred image, as Jesus looks upon
us, he seems also to call out to us, to make an appeal to us: “Are you ready to
leave everything from your past for me? Do you want to make my love
known, my mercy?”
His gaze of divine mercy is the source of the whole Christian ministry.
The Apostle Paul says this to us, through his words to the Corinthians which we
have just heard. He writes: “Having this ministry by the mercy of God, we
do not lose heart” (2 Cor 4:1). Our ministry flows forth from the mercy
of God, which sustains our ministry and prevents it losing its vigour.
Saint Paul did not always have an easy relationship with the community at
Corinth, as his letters show. There was also a painful visit to this
community, with heated words exchanged in writing. But this passage shows
Paul overcoming past differences. By living his ministry in the light of
mercy received, he does not give up in the face of divisions, but devotes
himself to reconciliation. When we, the community of baptized Christians,
find ourselves confronted with disagreements and turn towards the merciful face
of Christ to overcome it, it is reassuring to know that we are doing as Saint
Paul did in one of the very first Christian communities.
How does Saint Paul grapple with this task, where does he begin? With
humility, which is not only a beautiful virtue, but a question of
identity. Paul sees himself as a servant, proclaiming not himself but
Christ Jesus the Lord (v. 5). And he carries out this service, this
ministry according to the mercy shown him (v. 1): not on the basis of his
ability, nor by relying on his own strength, but by trusting that God is
watching over him and sustaining his weakness with mercy. Becoming humble
means drawing attention away from oneself, recognizing one’s dependence on God
as a beggar of mercy: this is the starting point so that God may work in
us. A past president of the World Council of Churches described Christian
evangelization as “a beggar telling another beggar where he can find
bread”. I believe Saint Paul would approve. He grasped the fact
that he was “fed by mercy” and that his priority was to share his bread with others:
the joy of being loved by the Lord, and of loving him.
This is our most precious good, our treasure, and it is in this context that
Paul introduces one of his most famous images, one we can all apply to
ourselves: “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (v. 7). We
are but earthen vessels, yet we keep within us the greatest treasure in the
world. The Corinthians knew well that it was foolish to preserve
something precious in earthen vessels, which were inexpensive but cracked
easily. Keeping something valuable in them meant running the risk of
losing it. Paul, a graced sinner, humbly recognized that he was fragile,
just like an earthen vessel. But he experienced and knew that it was
precisely there that human misery opens itself to God’s merciful action; the
Lord performs wonders. That is how the “extraordinary power” of God works
(v. 7).
Trusting in this humble
power, Paul serves the Gospel. Speaking of some of his adversaries in
Corinth, he calls them “super apostles” (2 Cor 12:11), perhaps, and with a
certain irony, because they had criticized him for his weaknesses even as they
considered themselves observant, even perfect. Paul, on the other hand,
teaches that only in realizing we are weak earthen vessels, sinners always in
need of mercy, can the treasure of God be poured into us and through us upon
others. Otherwise, we will merely be full of our treasures, which are
corrupted and spoiled in seemingly beautiful vessels. If we recognize our
weakness and ask for forgiveness, then the healing mercy of God will shine in
us and will be visible to those outside; others will notice in some way,
through us, the gentle beauty of Christ’s face.
At a certain point, perhaps in the most difficult moment with the community in
Corinth, the Apostle Paul cancelled a visit he had planned to make there, also
foregoing the offerings he would have received from them (2 Cor 1:15-24).
Though tensions existed in their fellowship, these did not have the final
word. The relationship was restored and Paul received the offering for
the care of the Church in Jerusalem. The Christians in Corinth once again
took up their work, together with the other communities which Paul visited, to
sustain those in need. This is a powerful sign of renewed
communion. The work that your community is carrying out together with
other English-speaking communities here in Rome can be viewed in this
light. True, solid communion grows and is built up when people work
together for those in need. Through a united witness to charity, the
merciful face of Jesus is made visible in our city.
As Catholics and Anglicans, we are humbly grateful that, after centuries of
mutual mistrust, we are now able to recognize that the fruitful grace of Christ
is at work also in others. We thank the Lord that among Christians the
desire has grown for greater closeness, which is manifested in our praying
together and in our common witness to the Gospel, above all in our various
forms of service. At times, progress on our journey towards full
communion may seem slow and uncertain, but today we can be encouraged by our
gathering. For the first time, a Bishop of Rome is visiting your
community. It is a grace and also a responsibility: the responsibility of
strengthening our ties, to the praise of Christ, in service of the Gospel and
of this city.
Let us encourage one another to become ever more faithful disciples of Jesus,
always more liberated from our respective prejudices from the past and ever
more desirous to pray for and with others. A good sign of this desire is
the “twinning” taking place today between your parish of All Saints and All
Saints Catholic parish. May the saints of every Christian confession,
fully united in the Jerusalem above, open for us here below the way to all the
possible paths of a fraternal and shared Christian journey. Where we are
united in the name of Jesus, he is there (cf. Mt 18:20), and turning his
merciful gaze towards us, he calls us to devote ourselves fully in the cause of
unity and love. May the face of God shine upon you, your families and
this entire community!
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