This morning, the Holy Father left the Archbishop's residence and travelled by car to the Waldensian Temple in Turin.
At the entrance to the Temple, shortly before 9:00am, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Moderator of the Waldensian Table, Pastor Eugenio Bernardini; by the President of the Consistory of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in Turin, Doctor Sergio Velluto; and in the name of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of Turin by Pastor Paolo Ribet.
In the Temple, following words of greeting offered by Pastor Paolo Ribet; the Moderator of the Waldensian Church of Uruguay, Oscar Oudri; and by Pastor Eugenio Bernardini; the Holy Father shared the following words:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With great joy, I find myself here with you today. I greet you all with the words of the Apostle Paul: To you, who are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, we wish grace and peace (1 Thes 1:1 - Inter-confessional translation in current language). I particularly greet the Moderator of the Waldensian Table, Reverend Pastor Eugenio Bernardini, and the Pastor of this community in Turin, Reverend Paolo Ribet to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks for the invitation that you have so kindly presented. The cordial welcome which has been offered to me today makes me think of the encounters with friends of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in Rio della Plata, where I was first able to appreciate your spirituality and faith, and learn many good things.
One of the first fruits that the ecumenical movement has already helped to bring to fruition in these past years is the rediscovery of the fraternity that unites all those who believe in Jesus Christ and who have been baptized in his name. This bond is not based on simple human criteria, but on the radical sharing of a fundamental experience of Christian life: the encounter with the love of God which is revealed to us in Jesus Christ and in the transforming action of the Holy Spirit who helps us on the journey of life. The rediscovery of this fraternity allows us to grasp the profound bond that already unites us, despite our differences. It is about a communion that is already in progress - and unity is created on the journey - a communion which, with prayer, with continual personal and community conversion, and with the help of theologians, we hope, by trusting in the actions of the Holy Spirit, can become full and visible communion in truth and charity.
The unity that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not mean uniformity. In fact, brothers are united by a common origin but are not identical to each other. This is very clear in the New Testament, where, despite the fact that all those who shared the same faith in Jesus Christ were called brothers, we realize that not all Christian communities, of which they were part, had the same style, nor did they have identical internal structures. Even within the same small communities, various charisms could be distinguished (cf 1 Cor 12:14) and even in proclaiming the Gospel, there were differences and sometimes even contrasts (cf Acts 15:36-40). Unfortunately, it has happened and it continues to occur that brothers do not accept their differences and end up fighting wars one against the other. Reflecting on the history of our relationships, we are grieved before the disputes and the violence committed in the name of faith, and I ask the Lord to give us the grace of recognizing ourselves as sinners and of knowing how to forgive one another. This is God's idea, he never gives into mankind's sin, which opens new ways to live our fraternity and this we cannot escape. On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask for your forgiveness. I ask forgiveness for non-Christian, even inhuman attitudes and behaviours which, throughout history that we have held against you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!
Therefore, we are profoundly grateful to the Lord to see that relations between Catholics and Waldensians today are increasingly based on mutual respect and fraternal charity. There are more than a few occasions which have contributed to solidifying our relations. I think, just to name a few - even Reverend Bernardini has referred to this - about the collaboration for the publication in Italian of an inter-confessional translation of the Bible, about the pastoral arrangements for the celebration of matrimony and, more recently, about the redaction of a joint call against violence done to women. Among the many cordial contacts in various local contexts, where we share prayer and study of the Scriptures, I want to recall the ecumenical exchange of gifts which was achieved on the occasion of Easter in Pinerolo, between the Waldensian Church in Pinerolo and the Diocese. The Waldensian Church offered Catholics the wine needed for the celebration of the Paschal Vigil and the Catholic diocese offered her Waldensian brothers the bread for the Holy Supper of Easter Sunday. It was a gesture between two Church which reaches far beyond simple courtesy and points in some ways to a foretaste of unity around the Eucharistic banquet table for which we long.
I encourage you to continue along this path, we are called to continue the journey together. One area in which there are ample opportunities for collaboration between Waldensians and Catholics is that of evangelization. Knowing that the Lord has gone before us and always precedes us in love (cf 1 Jn 4:10), let us go together toward the men and women of our time, who sometimes seem so distracted and indifferent, in order to transmit to them the heart of the Gospel, the beauty of the salvific love of God made known to us in Jesus Christ who died and rose again (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 36). Another area where we can work more closely together is in service to humanity that is suffering, to the poor, to the sick, to migrants. Thank you for all that you have said about migrants. From the work of liberating grace in each of us comes the need to bear witness to the merciful face of God who takes care of all of us and, in particular, of those who are in need. An option for the poor, for the least among us, for those who have been excluded by society, draws us close to the heart of Jesus himself, who made himself poor in order to enrich us through his poverty (cf 2 Cor 8:9), and, consequently, we can draw closer to one another. Differences on important anthropological and ethical questions, which continue to exist between Catholics and Waldensians, do not stop us from finding forms of collaboration in this and in other areas. If we journey together, the Lord will help us to live this communion that precedes all differences.
Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you once again for this gathering, which I would like to confirm as a new way of living with one another: looking first of all to all the greatness of our common faith and our life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and, only afterward, the differences that still exist. I assure you of my remembrance in prayer and I ask you please to pray for me. I need your prayer. May the Lord grant to all of us his mercy and his peace.
At the conclusion of the meeting, following the exchange of gifts, the recitation of the Pater Noster and farewell comments spoken by Pastor Paolo Ribet, the Pope met a delegation of guests of the Waldensian Table in an adjacent room in the Temple.
He then returned to the Archbishop's residence in order to meet privately with some of his own family members.
At the entrance to the Temple, shortly before 9:00am, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Moderator of the Waldensian Table, Pastor Eugenio Bernardini; by the President of the Consistory of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in Turin, Doctor Sergio Velluto; and in the name of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of Turin by Pastor Paolo Ribet.
In the Temple, following words of greeting offered by Pastor Paolo Ribet; the Moderator of the Waldensian Church of Uruguay, Oscar Oudri; and by Pastor Eugenio Bernardini; the Holy Father shared the following words:
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the community of the Waldensian Church in Turin
Dear brothers and sisters,
With great joy, I find myself here with you today. I greet you all with the words of the Apostle Paul: To you, who are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, we wish grace and peace (1 Thes 1:1 - Inter-confessional translation in current language). I particularly greet the Moderator of the Waldensian Table, Reverend Pastor Eugenio Bernardini, and the Pastor of this community in Turin, Reverend Paolo Ribet to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks for the invitation that you have so kindly presented. The cordial welcome which has been offered to me today makes me think of the encounters with friends of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in Rio della Plata, where I was first able to appreciate your spirituality and faith, and learn many good things.
One of the first fruits that the ecumenical movement has already helped to bring to fruition in these past years is the rediscovery of the fraternity that unites all those who believe in Jesus Christ and who have been baptized in his name. This bond is not based on simple human criteria, but on the radical sharing of a fundamental experience of Christian life: the encounter with the love of God which is revealed to us in Jesus Christ and in the transforming action of the Holy Spirit who helps us on the journey of life. The rediscovery of this fraternity allows us to grasp the profound bond that already unites us, despite our differences. It is about a communion that is already in progress - and unity is created on the journey - a communion which, with prayer, with continual personal and community conversion, and with the help of theologians, we hope, by trusting in the actions of the Holy Spirit, can become full and visible communion in truth and charity.
The unity that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not mean uniformity. In fact, brothers are united by a common origin but are not identical to each other. This is very clear in the New Testament, where, despite the fact that all those who shared the same faith in Jesus Christ were called brothers, we realize that not all Christian communities, of which they were part, had the same style, nor did they have identical internal structures. Even within the same small communities, various charisms could be distinguished (cf 1 Cor 12:14) and even in proclaiming the Gospel, there were differences and sometimes even contrasts (cf Acts 15:36-40). Unfortunately, it has happened and it continues to occur that brothers do not accept their differences and end up fighting wars one against the other. Reflecting on the history of our relationships, we are grieved before the disputes and the violence committed in the name of faith, and I ask the Lord to give us the grace of recognizing ourselves as sinners and of knowing how to forgive one another. This is God's idea, he never gives into mankind's sin, which opens new ways to live our fraternity and this we cannot escape. On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask for your forgiveness. I ask forgiveness for non-Christian, even inhuman attitudes and behaviours which, throughout history that we have held against you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!
Therefore, we are profoundly grateful to the Lord to see that relations between Catholics and Waldensians today are increasingly based on mutual respect and fraternal charity. There are more than a few occasions which have contributed to solidifying our relations. I think, just to name a few - even Reverend Bernardini has referred to this - about the collaboration for the publication in Italian of an inter-confessional translation of the Bible, about the pastoral arrangements for the celebration of matrimony and, more recently, about the redaction of a joint call against violence done to women. Among the many cordial contacts in various local contexts, where we share prayer and study of the Scriptures, I want to recall the ecumenical exchange of gifts which was achieved on the occasion of Easter in Pinerolo, between the Waldensian Church in Pinerolo and the Diocese. The Waldensian Church offered Catholics the wine needed for the celebration of the Paschal Vigil and the Catholic diocese offered her Waldensian brothers the bread for the Holy Supper of Easter Sunday. It was a gesture between two Church which reaches far beyond simple courtesy and points in some ways to a foretaste of unity around the Eucharistic banquet table for which we long.
I encourage you to continue along this path, we are called to continue the journey together. One area in which there are ample opportunities for collaboration between Waldensians and Catholics is that of evangelization. Knowing that the Lord has gone before us and always precedes us in love (cf 1 Jn 4:10), let us go together toward the men and women of our time, who sometimes seem so distracted and indifferent, in order to transmit to them the heart of the Gospel, the beauty of the salvific love of God made known to us in Jesus Christ who died and rose again (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 36). Another area where we can work more closely together is in service to humanity that is suffering, to the poor, to the sick, to migrants. Thank you for all that you have said about migrants. From the work of liberating grace in each of us comes the need to bear witness to the merciful face of God who takes care of all of us and, in particular, of those who are in need. An option for the poor, for the least among us, for those who have been excluded by society, draws us close to the heart of Jesus himself, who made himself poor in order to enrich us through his poverty (cf 2 Cor 8:9), and, consequently, we can draw closer to one another. Differences on important anthropological and ethical questions, which continue to exist between Catholics and Waldensians, do not stop us from finding forms of collaboration in this and in other areas. If we journey together, the Lord will help us to live this communion that precedes all differences.
Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you once again for this gathering, which I would like to confirm as a new way of living with one another: looking first of all to all the greatness of our common faith and our life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and, only afterward, the differences that still exist. I assure you of my remembrance in prayer and I ask you please to pray for me. I need your prayer. May the Lord grant to all of us his mercy and his peace.
At the conclusion of the meeting, following the exchange of gifts, the recitation of the Pater Noster and farewell comments spoken by Pastor Paolo Ribet, the Pope met a delegation of guests of the Waldensian Table in an adjacent room in the Temple.
He then returned to the Archbishop's residence in order to meet privately with some of his own family members.
No comments:
Post a Comment