ROME.- Expectations were high. After the sharp speeches that… Pope Francis In his Christmas greetings over the years, in which he denounced “diseases,” suggested “cures,” and even spoke of “educated demons” within the central administration of the Catholic Church, he used to put it: The great unknown was What tone would his successor, who is known for his much more cautious style, adopt?.
and him Pope Leo XIVwhen it premiered this Monday at the traditional year-end event, it did not disappoint. In a speech with a firm tone, he reiterated that he thinks Follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis and urged the Roman Curia to do so “missionary” and to live a greater unity inspired by the love of Christ.
He warned against it “Ghosts of the Division”which, he said, urge us to fall into it “Temptation to oscillate between two opposite extremes”; He also warned of the “danger of falling victim to rigidity and ideology, with the contradictions that this entails,” as well as the “desire for excellence” of some and a general climate of mistrust. The diagnosis was so serious that he even questioned whether it was still possible to have friends within the Curia, the central administration of the Catholic Church.
“Perhaps, after many years of service to the Curia, we realize with disappointment that it is difficult to change some of the dynamics associated with the exercise of power, the desire for excellence and concern for one’s own interests,” he denounced, giving his first speech of this kind to cardinals, bishops, monsignors and lay people of the Roman Curia.
“And it is worth asking: Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia, to maintain friendly relations? In everyday life, it is nice when we find friends we can trust, when masks and deceptions fall, when people are not exploited and ignored, when there is mutual help, when everyone’s own worth and competence are recognized to avoid dissatisfaction and resentment,” he added.
“There is a personal conversion that we must desire and strive for so that in our relationships the love of Christ that makes us brothers can be seen,” he urged, speaking in the spectacular Blessing Hall of the Apostolic Palace, decorated for the occasion with two Christmas trees.
At the beginning of this quote, which is usually followed closely by Vaticanists, is the cardinal Giovanni Battista ReDean of the College of Cardinals, read a Christmas greeting on behalf of his colleagues. The message attracted attention because it highlighted the May 8 election Robert Francis Prevost – someone who, as he said, “captured the hearts” of the Catholic faithful– and reviewed the most important milestones of his first seven months of his pontificate: the influx of pilgrims for the anniversary, his meeting with more than a million young people and his first trip to Türkiye and Lebanon. However, contained no mention of Pope Francisan omission that Cardinal Re had already reiterated in the mass before the conclave.
Then Pope Leo XIV spoke He not only remembered his Argentine predecessor, but also made it clear that he would continue the processes he had started. “First of all, I would like to remember my beloved predecessor, Pope Francis, who ended his earthly life this year. His prophetic voice, his pastoral style and his rich teaching have marked the path of the Church in these years, encouraging us above all to put the mercy of God at the center again, to give greater impetus to evangelization, to be a happy and joyful Church, welcoming to all and paying attention to the poorest,” he said.
“Inspired especially by his apostolic exhortation Evangelii GaudiumI would like to return to two fundamental aspects of the life of the Church: Mission and community” he continued. As for the first point, he remembered it Evangelii Gaudium Francis’ programmatic document states: “Structures must not hinder or stop the path of the Gospel or impede the dynamics of evangelization.” “The work of the Curia must also be animated by this spirit and promote pastoral care in the service of the particular Churches and their pastors. We need an increasingly missionary Roman Curia whose institutions, offices and tasks are geared to the major ecclesiastical, pastoral and social challenges of today and not only ensure proper administration,” he demanded.
On the second point, communion, he emphasized that “this task is more urgent than ever.” “Sometimes, behind an apparent calm, the spirits of division stir. And these leave us tempted to oscillate between two opposite extremes: standardizing everything without valuing differences, or, on the contrary, exacerbating differences and points of view instead of striving for community.“Therefore, in interpersonal relationships, in the internal dynamics of offices and roles, or in dealing with issues related to faith, liturgy, morality and others, there is a risk of falling victim to rigidity and ideology, with the contrasts they entail,” he warned. “But we are the Church of Christ, we are its members, its body.” We are brothers and sisters in Him. And in Christ, although we are many and diverse, we are one: “In Illo uno unum‘” he recalled.
In this framework he called – “especially here in the Curia” – “to be builders of the community of Christ, which must be formed as a synodal Church in which everyone works together and cooperates in the same mission, each according to his own charism and the role received.” “But this is built, more than with words and documents, through concrete gestures and attitudes that must be expressed in everyday life, including in the work environment,” he added.
“I like to remember what St. Augustine wrote in his letter to Proba: “In all human affairs nothing is pleasant to man unless he has man as a friend.” However, he asked himself with a touch of bitterness, “Who can be found who will be such a good friend that we can have some certainty about his intentions and his customs in this life?” he recalled. That was the time He wondered whether it was possible to be friends in the Curia, a statement that froze many of those present.attentive to his words.
Pope Leo XIV expressed the same sentiment He convened the first extraordinary consistory of his pontificate – a meeting of all cardinals – for the days Next January 7th and 8thMore specifically, “to strengthen the communion between the Bishop of Rome and his key collaborators,” as the Vatican announced last Saturday.
In his first Christmas greeting, the American – but also Peruvian – Pope also pointed out that in a world “wounded by discord, violence and conflict, in which we also see an increase in aggressiveness and anger, often exploited through the digital world and politics”, the Roman Curia should be “a prophetic sign in a too fragmented human and cultural context”. “The work of the Curia and of the Church in general must also be viewed in this broad horizon: we are not little gardeners dedicated to tending our own garden, but we are disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, called to be in Christ a ferment of universal brotherhood between different peoples, different religions, between women and men of all languages and cultures,” he emphasized.
“And this happens when we are the first to live as brothers and let the light of communion shine in the world,” he added, concluding: “Dear brothers, mission and communion are possible when we put Christ at the center.”
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