Pope Francis presents the Works
of Maestro Fiorito: a great dream that will bear fruit
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| Pope Francis at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome (Vatican Media) |
On the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, Pope
Francis visits the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome to present a
5-volume collection of the Writings of Fr Miguel Angel Fiorito SJ, an Argentine
Jesuit who died in 2005; and who formed many disciples, including the Pope
himself. The collection is published by La Civiltà Cattolica, and edited by Fr
José Luis Narvaja SJ.
By Vatican News
In his Preface to the Writings of Jesuit Fr Miguel Angel
Fiorito, Pope Francis himself describes the edition as “a source of consolation
for us who have been nurtured by his teachings for many years. These Writings
will do a great good to the Church as a whole”.
The Pope decided to present the 5-volume collection
personally, visiting the Jesuit General Curia on the 50th anniversary
of his priestly ordination, and discussing the figure of Fr Miguel Angel
Fiorito SJ, the man he considers his spiritual father.
A Master of dialogue
Pope Francis began his presentation by calling Fr Fiorito a
“master of dialogue”, someone who spoke little, but who listened a lot: “a
listening capable of discernment, which is one of the pillars of dialogue”,
said the Pope. Fr Fiorito practiced and taught “dialogue between teacher and
students, dialogue with authors and texts, with history and with God”.
He was a professor of philosophy but he loved spirituality,
confided the Pope. “It was he who taught us the way of discernment”. He had a
way of “awakening the passion to dialogue well, with oneself, with others, and
with the Lord”.
Fr Fiorito's writings “distill spiritual mercy”, said Pope
Francis: they offer “teachings for those who do not know, good advice for those
who need it, correction for those who are wrong, consolation for those who are
sad, and help to preserve patience in desolation”.
A Master of listening
Pope Francis described Fr Fiorito’s style of listening in
detail: how it inspired students to confide in him and ask his advice. He
favoured the attitude of not leaning towards one side or the other, said the
Pope, “so that it is the Creator and Lord Himself who communicates to the
person”.
The Jesuit Master had a way of "staying out" of
issues without “the slightest shadow of partiality”. “He listened to you in
silence”, continued Pope Francis, and instead of speaking, “gave you a piece of
paper that he took from his library… that was reminiscent of a pharmacy.
Fiorito resembled a wise pharmacist of the soul”.
Out of that library came not only remedies but, “things of
the Spirit that had been waiting for the right question, for the fervent desire
of someone, who found there the treasure of a discreet formulation that would
direct him, that he could put into practice with fruit for the future”, said
the Pope.
A Master of patience
Pope Francis highlighted the patience of his former
spiritual director: “With the stubborn, with the ‘hard-headed’, he had a lot of
patience”.
The Pope then cut short his own prepared remarks, and
concluded with some personal memories of Fr Fiorito. Comparing “Maestro Miguel
Ángel Fiorito” to the tree planted alongside the water (an image from Psalm 1),
the Pope said he “allowed himself to be contained in the minimal space of his
role at the Collegio Massimo di San Giuseppe… and there he put down roots, and
bore fruit and flowers… in the hearts of us disciples of the School of the
Exercises”.
“I hope that now, thanks to this magnificent edition of his
Escritos, which reach the heights of a great dream, he will put down roots and
bear flowers and fruits in the lives of many people who feed on the same grace
that he received and was able to communicate discreetly [by] giving and
commenting on the Spiritual Exercises”.
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