John Paul I still relevant today
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| Pope John Paul I |
Pope Francis establishes a John Paul I Vatican Foundation
presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State.
By Cardinal Pietro Parolin
The Hoy Father established the Vatican John Paul I
Foundation on 17 February. This was done in response to the proposal made to
create a body destined to deepen the person, thoughts and teachings of John
Paul I (26 August 1978 - 28 September 1978) .
Pope John Paul I was, and remains, a point of reference in
the history of the universal Church. His importance, as Saint John Paul II had
pointed out, is inversely proportional to the length of his very short
pontificate: "magis ostentus quam datus".
The story of Albino Luciani is one of a pastor who is close
to his people, centered on the essentials of faith and with an extraordinary
social sensitivity. His magisterium is contemporary: proximity, humility,
simplicity, insistence on God's mercy, love of one's neighbour and solidarity
are the salient features.
He was a bishop who lived and applied the experience of the
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. In his brief pontificate, he led the Church
along the magisterial paths indicated by this Council: going back to the
sources of the Gospel and a renewed missionary spirit, episcopal collegiality,
service in ecclesial poverty, the search for Christian unity, interreligious
dialogue, dialogue with the modern world and international dialogue, all
conducted with perseverance and determination, in favour of justice and
peace.
I can think, for example, of his general audiences and his
persistence on ecclesial poverty, universal brotherhood and active love for the
poor. Along with the traditional precepts of the Church, he wanted to include a
precept on works of solidarity, which he had proposed to the Italian bishops.
I am thinking, also, of the appeal he made during his
Angelus of 10 September 1978 in which he asked for peace in the Middle East and
addressed his prayer invitation to Presidents of different faiths. He had
already made this appeal in his speech to the Diplomatic Corps on 31 August,
during which he freed himself from presumptions of geopolitical protagonism and
defined the nature and peculiarity of the diplomatic action of the Holy See
from a viewpoint of faith. Receiving then the more than one hundred
representatives of the international missions present at the inauguration of
his pontificate, he stressed how "our heart is open to all peoples, all
cultures and all races". He then affirmed: "We certainly do not have
miraculous solutions to the world's great problems, but we can nevertheless
give something very precious: a spirit that helps to solve these problems and
places them in the essential dimension, that of openness to the values of
universal charity... so that the Church, humble messenger of the Gospel to all
the peoples of the earth, can contribute to creating a climate of justice,
brotherhood, solidarity and hope without which the world cannot live". And
so, following in the footsteps of the Council's Pastoral Constitution Gaudium
et Spes, and in so many messages of Saint Paul VI, he acted in the wake of
the great diplomacy that has given so many fruits to the Church, by nourishing
Her with charity.
This history of the Church, dedicated to serving the world,
was not interrupted with his sudden death. The perspective marked by his brief
pontificate was not a side note. Although John Paul I's governance of the
Church could not unfold in time, he helped - explevit tempora multa -
to strengthen the design of a Church which is close to the pain of the people
and their thirst for charity.
Through John Paul I's cause for canonisation, numerous
sources have been accumulated today, beginning an important work of research
and elaboration from a historical and historiographical perspective. It is now
possible, therefore, to bequeath the memory of Pope Luciani, so that its
historical value can be fully restored within the historical period. It can now
be examined with the analytical rigor that is due to him and may open up new
perspectives of study on his work.
In this regard, the establishment of a new ad hoc Foundation
can rightfully fulfil the task not only of protecting the entire patrimony of
the writings and works of John Paul I, but also of encouraging the systematic
study and diffusion of his thought and spirituality - all the more motivated by
the consideration of how his person and his message are extraordinarily
relevant.
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