This morning at 11:00am local time, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with journalists and those who work in various forms of modern media. They have been present in Rome for about two weeks now, reporting the details of the Pontiff emeritus' momentous announcement that he would renounce the See of Rome, and all of the developments which have followed as a result of that decision.
At the beginning of the audience, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of all the journalists in attendance (from 81 various countries) and asked him give them all his blessing.
The Holy Father then spoke (at times from his prepared remarks, and at times without any notes at all) to the accredited journalists in attendance. Here is a translation of the speech he delivered in Italian and Spanish:
Dear friends,
At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet with all of you who are working here in Rome during this very busy period which began with the surprising announcement made by my venerable predecessor Benedict XVI on February 11 of this year. I cordially greet each one of you.
The importance of the role of mass media has been increasingly growing in recent times, so much so that it has become essential in order to tell the world the events of contemporary history. Therefore I wish to offer you a special word of thanks for your distinguished service in recent days - you have worked, eh, you have Worked - in which the eyes of the Catholic world, and not only Catholics, have been turned toward the Eternal City, in particular this territory which has the Tomb of Peter as its centre of gravity. Throughout these recent weeks, you have had to speak about the Holy See, about the Church, about its rites and traditions, about its faith and in particular about the role of the Pope and his ministry.
A particularly heartfelt word of gratitude is offered to those who have been able to observe and present these historic events in the life of the Church, taking into account the perspective in which they should be understood, the perspective of faith. The chapters in this story almost always demand a complex reading, which at times may also include the dimension of faith. Ecclesiastical events are by no means more complicated than political or economic realities. They do however have one particularly fundamental characteristic: they speak to a logic that is not principally one of categories, that is to say mundane, and precisely for this reason, it is not always easy to interpret and to communicate them to a wide and varied audience. In fact, the Church, though it is essentially a human and historic institution, with all that that implies, does not have a political nature, rather essentially a spiritual one: it is the People of God, the Holy People of God who are on a journey toward the ultimate encounter with Jesus Christ. Just by operating from this point of view, it is possible to understand how the Church operates.
Christ is the Shepherd of the Church, but his presence in history is made manifest through the free cooperation of men: one of them is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of Apostle Peter, but Christ is the centre, not Peter: Christ. Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of he Church. Without Christ, neither Peter nor the Church would exist, or have a reason to be. As Benedict XVI repeated many times, Christ is present and guides his Church. In all that has taken place, the hero is ultimately the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired Benedict XVI's decision for the good of the Church. The Holy Spirit guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election.
It is important, dear friends, that you take due account of this interpretation, this hermenutic in order to truly be able to focus on the real meaning of these days' events.
Therefore, I wish to renew my sincere thanks to all of you for the efforts you have expended in these particularly challenging days, but I wish also to offer you an invitation to get to know more and more the true nature of the Church and its journey in the world, complete with its virtues and its sins, and to know the spiritual motives that guide the Church and which are the most authentic way to understand it. Be assured that for its part, the Church is very much concerned with your precious work. You have the ability to gather and express the expectations and needs of our time, to provide all the necessary elements for the reading of reality. Your job requires study, sensitivity, experience like many other professions, but calls for a particular attention to the truth, goodness and beauty, and this means that we are of like minds because the Church exists to communicate Truth, Goodness and Beauty in persona. It should be abundantly clear that we are all called, not to communicate ourselves but this essential triad that includes truth, goodness and beauty.
Some have been wondering why the Bishop of Rome chose to be known as Francis. Some people thought that it was inspired by Saint Francis Xavier, others thought of Saint Francis de Sales, and even Saint Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop emeritus of Sao Paolo who is also the Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a good friend ... a Good friend! When things were getting a little bit dangerous, he comforted me. And when the votes reached the two-thirds majority, the usual applause erupted because the Pope had been elected. He hugged me, he kissed me and said: Don't forget the poor! And that word entered here (in the heart): the poor, the poor. And suddenly, mindful of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. I thought of the wars, even as the voting went on, until all the votes had been counted. Francis is a man of peace. And so the name entered my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and cares for creation; at this moment in time, humanity doesn't have such a good relationship with creation, right? Francis is the man who gives us the spirit of peace, the poor man ... Oh, how I would love a Church of the poor and for the poor! Afterward, some made jokes about my choice: You should have chosen the name Adrian because Adrian VI was the reformer, you need to reform ... And another said to me: No, no your name should be Clement. I asked, Why? Clement XV, he said, so you could take revenge on Clement XIV who supressed the Society of Jesus. They were joking.
I love you all. Thank you for all that you have done. Mindful of your work, I am grateful for your having worked so serenely to bear fruit. Strive always to know better and better the Gospel of Christ and the reality of the Church. I entrust you all to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Star of evangelization. My best wishes for you and for your families, to each and every one of your families. And I impart to all of you my heartfelt blessing. Thank you.
In Spanish, the Holy Father continued:
I said that I would impart my heartfelt benediction. I know that many of you may not belong to the Catholic Church. Others are not believers. I silently impart this blessing with all my heart, to all of you, respecting your consciences, but knowing that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you.
At the beginning of the audience, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of all the journalists in attendance (from 81 various countries) and asked him give them all his blessing.
The Holy Father then spoke (at times from his prepared remarks, and at times without any notes at all) to the accredited journalists in attendance. Here is a translation of the speech he delivered in Italian and Spanish:
Discourse of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Audience with representatives of the media
Paul VI Hall
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Dear friends,
At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet with all of you who are working here in Rome during this very busy period which began with the surprising announcement made by my venerable predecessor Benedict XVI on February 11 of this year. I cordially greet each one of you.
The importance of the role of mass media has been increasingly growing in recent times, so much so that it has become essential in order to tell the world the events of contemporary history. Therefore I wish to offer you a special word of thanks for your distinguished service in recent days - you have worked, eh, you have Worked - in which the eyes of the Catholic world, and not only Catholics, have been turned toward the Eternal City, in particular this territory which has the Tomb of Peter as its centre of gravity. Throughout these recent weeks, you have had to speak about the Holy See, about the Church, about its rites and traditions, about its faith and in particular about the role of the Pope and his ministry.
A particularly heartfelt word of gratitude is offered to those who have been able to observe and present these historic events in the life of the Church, taking into account the perspective in which they should be understood, the perspective of faith. The chapters in this story almost always demand a complex reading, which at times may also include the dimension of faith. Ecclesiastical events are by no means more complicated than political or economic realities. They do however have one particularly fundamental characteristic: they speak to a logic that is not principally one of categories, that is to say mundane, and precisely for this reason, it is not always easy to interpret and to communicate them to a wide and varied audience. In fact, the Church, though it is essentially a human and historic institution, with all that that implies, does not have a political nature, rather essentially a spiritual one: it is the People of God, the Holy People of God who are on a journey toward the ultimate encounter with Jesus Christ. Just by operating from this point of view, it is possible to understand how the Church operates.
Christ is the Shepherd of the Church, but his presence in history is made manifest through the free cooperation of men: one of them is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of Apostle Peter, but Christ is the centre, not Peter: Christ. Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of he Church. Without Christ, neither Peter nor the Church would exist, or have a reason to be. As Benedict XVI repeated many times, Christ is present and guides his Church. In all that has taken place, the hero is ultimately the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired Benedict XVI's decision for the good of the Church. The Holy Spirit guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election.
It is important, dear friends, that you take due account of this interpretation, this hermenutic in order to truly be able to focus on the real meaning of these days' events.
Therefore, I wish to renew my sincere thanks to all of you for the efforts you have expended in these particularly challenging days, but I wish also to offer you an invitation to get to know more and more the true nature of the Church and its journey in the world, complete with its virtues and its sins, and to know the spiritual motives that guide the Church and which are the most authentic way to understand it. Be assured that for its part, the Church is very much concerned with your precious work. You have the ability to gather and express the expectations and needs of our time, to provide all the necessary elements for the reading of reality. Your job requires study, sensitivity, experience like many other professions, but calls for a particular attention to the truth, goodness and beauty, and this means that we are of like minds because the Church exists to communicate Truth, Goodness and Beauty in persona. It should be abundantly clear that we are all called, not to communicate ourselves but this essential triad that includes truth, goodness and beauty.
Some have been wondering why the Bishop of Rome chose to be known as Francis. Some people thought that it was inspired by Saint Francis Xavier, others thought of Saint Francis de Sales, and even Saint Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop emeritus of Sao Paolo who is also the Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a good friend ... a Good friend! When things were getting a little bit dangerous, he comforted me. And when the votes reached the two-thirds majority, the usual applause erupted because the Pope had been elected. He hugged me, he kissed me and said: Don't forget the poor! And that word entered here (in the heart): the poor, the poor. And suddenly, mindful of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. I thought of the wars, even as the voting went on, until all the votes had been counted. Francis is a man of peace. And so the name entered my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and cares for creation; at this moment in time, humanity doesn't have such a good relationship with creation, right? Francis is the man who gives us the spirit of peace, the poor man ... Oh, how I would love a Church of the poor and for the poor! Afterward, some made jokes about my choice: You should have chosen the name Adrian because Adrian VI was the reformer, you need to reform ... And another said to me: No, no your name should be Clement. I asked, Why? Clement XV, he said, so you could take revenge on Clement XIV who supressed the Society of Jesus. They were joking.
I love you all. Thank you for all that you have done. Mindful of your work, I am grateful for your having worked so serenely to bear fruit. Strive always to know better and better the Gospel of Christ and the reality of the Church. I entrust you all to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Star of evangelization. My best wishes for you and for your families, to each and every one of your families. And I impart to all of you my heartfelt blessing. Thank you.
In Spanish, the Holy Father continued:
I said that I would impart my heartfelt benediction. I know that many of you may not belong to the Catholic Church. Others are not believers. I silently impart this blessing with all my heart, to all of you, respecting your consciences, but knowing that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you.
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