Aboard the flight that brought him home to Rome from Sibiu (Romania) yesterday evening, the Holy Father conducted his usual Press Conference with journalists who were accompanying him on the flight.
Alessandro Gisotti
Interim Director of the Holy See Press Centre
Good evening! Welcome, Holy Father, welcome. On the return flight ... Holy Father, the motto for this trip was Let us walk together, but also We want to be together, because I think that we truly wanted so much, and also the commitment, the fatigue ... In the speech to the foreign press, a few days ago, you concluded by saying: I see in your apostolic journeys in particular your fatigue. Here is the effort, the passion, the commitment of the colleagues who have told this journey ... Today is the Day of Social Communications, as you know, dedicated to us, as journalists, operators of communication, focused on the theme We are members of one another . Here, Holy Father, I know that before the questions you want to offer us a brief reflection on this Day dedicated to us.
Pope Francis
Good evening. Thank you so much for your company! As Mister Gisotti said, today this Day calls to you; it focuses our thoughts on you. You work in communications, you are workers - as Alessandro said -, but first of all you are, you should be, witnesses of communication. Today communication generally goes backwards; the contact goes on: making contact and not getting to communicate. And you, by your vocation, are witnesses of communicating. True, you have to make contacts, but don't stop there, move on. I wish you the inspiration to move forward in this vocation, in this testimony of communication, because this time in history needs so much less contact and more communication. Thank you. Congratulations on your day. And now on with the questions.
Alessandro Gisotti
So, Holy Father, as we always do, the first two questions will be asked by media from the country we have just visited. We begin with Diana Dumitraxcu from Tvromena TVR. Please ...
Diana Dumitrascu
Holy Father, we thank you for your visit to Romania. Holiness. You know that millions of our fellow citizens have emigrated in recent years. What is your message for a family who has left their children and gone away to work in another country in order to secure a better life for them? Thank you.
Pope Francis
First of all, this makes me think of the love of the family, because to break away into two, into three is not a beautiful thing. There is always the nostalgia to meet again. But detachment because nothing is missing from the family is an act of love. In yesterday's Mass we heard the last petition of that lady who worked abroad to help the family. Always such detachment is painful. But why do they leave? Not for tourism, but rather out of necessity. Need. And many times, it is not because the country does not find ... so many times, these actions are the results of a world policy that affects this. I know it's the history of your country, after the fall of communism ... Then many many foreign companies have closed in order to open abroad so that they can earn more. Closing a business today is leaving people on the road. And this too is a global, general injustice of lack of solidarity. It is a suffering. How do we fight? Trying to open sources of work. It's not easy; it is not easy in the current world situation of finances, of the economy. But think that you have an impressive level of births: here you don't see the demographic winter that we see in Europe. It is an injustice not to be able to get work for so many young people. And for this reason I hope that this situation will be resolved which does not depend only on Romania, but on the world financial order, on this society of consumerism, of having more, of earning more ... And so many people remain there, alone. I don't know, this is my answer: an appeal to global solidarity in this moment in which Romania has the presidency of the European Union, to look at it a little ... Thank you.
Alessandro Gisotti
Now, we will hear a question from Christian Micaci from Radio Maria-Romania.
Christian Micaci
Holy Father, as the director said earlier, there has been so much talk in these days of walking together. Now, upon your departure, I would like to ask you: what do you recommend to us, from Romania? What should be the relationships between the different religious confessions, particularly between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church - the Catholic minority and the Orthodox majority - the relationship between the various ethnic groups and the relationship between the political world and civil society?
Pope Francis
In general, I would say, the relationship of the outstretched hand, when there are conflicts. Today a developing country with a high level of births like you, with this future, cannot afford the luxury of having enemies inside. A process of rapprochement must be made, always: between the different ethnic groups, the different religious denominations, especially the two Christians ... This is the first thing: always the outstretched hand, listening to the other. With Orthodoxy: you have a great Patriarch, a man of great heart and a great scholar. He knows the mystique of the Fathers of the desert, spiritual mysticism, he studied in Germany ... He is also a man of prayer. It's easy to get close to Daniel, it's easy, because I feel like a brother and we talked like brothers. I won't say, But why you ..., and he won't say, But why you ... We go together! Always having this idea: ecumenism is not getting to the end of the game, discussions; ecumenism is made by walking together. Walking together. Praying together. The ecumenism of prayer. We have blood ecumenism in history: when they killed Christians they did not ask: "Are you Orthodox? Are you a Catholic? Are you Lutheran? Are you Anglican No. You are a Christian and your blood is mixed together. An ecumenism of witness is another ecumenism. Of prayer, of blood, of witness. Then, the ecumenism of the poor, as I call it, that is to work together, in what we can, work to help the sick, the people who are a bit on the edge of minimum welfare: helping them. Matthew 25: this is a beautiful ecumenical program, isn't it? Walking together, and this is already Christian unity. But don't wait for theologians to agree to arrive at the Eucharist. The Eucharist is made every day with prayer, with the memory of the blood of our martyrs, with works of charity and even loving one another. In a city of Europe there was a good relationship - there is! - between the Catholic Archbishop and the Lutheran Archbishop. The Catholic Archbishop was to come to the Vatican on Sunday evening and called that he would arrive Monday morning. When he arrived he told me: Excuse me, but yesterday the Lutheran Archbishop had to go to a meeting and he asked me: Please, come to my cathedral and do the worship yourself . That is brotherhood! This is a lot to get to! And the Catholic spoke the sermon. He did not celebrate the Eucharist, but he spoke the sermon. This is brotherhood. When I was in Buenos Aires I was invited by the Scottish Church to do a lot of sermons, and I went there, I did the sermon ... You can! You can walk together. Unity, brotherhood, outstretched hand, looking at each other with kindness, not talking about others ... We all have faults, all of us. But if we walk together, let's leave the flaws to one side: let the zitelloni criticize them ... Thanks.
Alessandro Gisotti
Xavier Lenormand, from Média francese
Xavier Lenormand
Your Holiness, my question draws a little from the previous one. On the first day of this journey, you went to the Orthodox cathedral for a beautiful but also a bit harsh moment of the prayer of the Our Father. A bit harsh because if the Catholics and the Orthodox were together, they did not pray together. You have just spoken of the ecumenism of prayer. So my question is: Your Holiness, what did you think of when you remained silent during the Our Father in Romanian? And what are the next concrete steps in this walking together? Thank you, Your Holiness.
Pope Francis
I will tell you something: I did not remain silent, I prayed the Our Father in Italian. You too? All right. And I saw, during the prayer of the Our Father, that the majority of people prayed both in Romanian and in Latin. People go beyond us leaders: we leaders must make diplomatic balances to ensure that we move together. There are habits, diplomatic rules that it is good to keep so that things do not get ruined; but the people pray together. We too, when we are alone, we pray together. This is a testimony. I have the experience of prayer with many, many Lutheran, Evangelical and even Orthodox pastors. The Patriarchs are open. Yes, we Catholics also have closed people among us, who do not want to participate, and who say: No, the Orthodox are schismatics. They are old. The Orthodox are Christians. But there are some fundamentalist Catholic groups: we must tolerate them, pray for them so that the Lord and the Holy Spirit will soften their hearts a little. I prayed. Both of us did. I didn't look at Daniel, but I think he did the same.
Alessandro Gisotti
Thank you, Holy Father. Let us turn now to the question prepared by Manuela Tulli from Ansa.
Manuela Tulli
Good evening, Holy Father. We have been to Romania, a country that has shown itself to be European. In these recent elections, some political leaders, such as our Vice Premier Matteo Salvini, campaigned showing religious symbols: in the rallies we saw rosaries, crosses, consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I wanted to know what impression this made on you and if it is true, as some people say, that you do not want to meet our Vice Premier.
Pope Francis
First - I will start with the second part - I have not heard that anyone from the Italian government, except the Premier, has requested an audience. Nobody. To request an audience, you must speak to the Secretariat of State, an audience is requested. Prime Minister Conte asked for this and it was given, as the protocol indicates. It was a good audience, with the Premier, an hour or more, perhaps. He is an intelligent man, a professor who knows what he is talking about. With regard to the Vice Premier, I have received no requests, and no other ministers either. Yes, I received the President of the Republic.
Second, concerning these images. I have confessed many times that I read two newspapers: the party newspaper, that is L'Osservatore Romano, I read this and it would be nice if you read it, because there are very interesting keys of interpretation there. And also things that I say are there. And then Il Messaggero, which I like, the Messenger, because it has big headlines: I look at it like that, sometimes I stop ... And I haven't entered into this news of the propaganda, as a party has presented some electoral propaganda or another ... Really.
There is a third element, in this I confess myself to be ignorant: I do not understand Italian politics. It's true, I have to study it, I don't understand it. To give an opinion on the attitudes of an electoral campaign, of one of the parties, without information, thus, would be very imprudent on my part. I pray for everyone, so that Italy can go ahead, so that the Italians can unite and be loyal in their commitment. I am also Italian because I am the son of Italian emigrants: in my blood I am Italian. My brothers, everyone has citizenship. I did not want to have it because at the time they acquired it I was a bishop, and I said, No, the bishop must be from the country, and I didn't want to take it. And that's why I don't own it. There is, in the politics of so many countries - so many - the disease of corruption, everywhere. Don't say tomorrow: the Pope said that Italian politics is corrupt, no. I have said that one of the diseases of politics everywhere is slipping on corruption. A universal fact. Please don't let me tell you what I didn't say. And once they told me how political pacts are: let's imagine a meeting of nine entrepreneurs at the table; they discuss to agree on the development of their businesses and eventually, after hours and hours and hours, and coffee, coffee and more coffee, they agree. They took the minutes, make the summary, read it ... Do you agree? We agree. While they do this they take a whiskey to celebrate and then they start turning the cards to sign the agreement. The moment the cards are turned, under the table, me and that ... I make another one under the table. This is political corruption, which is done a little everywhere. We must help politicians to be honest, not to campaign with dishonest flags - slander, defamation, scandals ... And, many times, they sow hatred and fear: this is terrible. A policy, a politician never, must never sow hatred and fear. Only hope. Fair, demanding, but hopeful. Because he must lead the country there, and not be afraid of it. I don't know if I answered. But I don't know about the details of politicians' conduct.
Alessandro Gisotti
Holy Father, we turn now to the question prepared by Eva Fernández, a journalist from Cope.
Eva Fernández
Holy Father, yesterday in your meeting with young people and families, you insisted once again on the importance of relationships between grandparents and youth, so that young people have roots to help them go forward and so that grandparents can dream. Your family is not close to you but you said that Benedict XVI is like a grandfather, it's like having your grandfather in your home ...
Pope Francis
That's true!
Eva Fernández
Do you still see him as a grandfather?
Pope Francis
More! Every time I go to visit him I feel like that. And I take his hand and make him talk. He speaks little, speaks slowly, but with the same depth as ever. Because Benedict's problem is his knees, not his head: he has a great lucidity and I hear him speak, I become strong, I feel the sap from the roots that comes to me and helps me to move forward. I feel this tradition of the Church which is not a museum thing, tradition, no. Tradition is like the roots, which give you the sap you need to grow. And you will not become like the roots, no: you will flourish, the tree will grow, you will bear fruit and the seeds will be roots for others. The tradition of the Church is always in motion. In an interview with Andrea Monda from l'Osservatore - you do read l'Osservatore, don't you? - a few days ago, there was a situation that I liked so much, of the musician Gustav Mahler. And speaking of traditions, he said: Tradition is the guarantee of the future and not the keeper of the ashes. It is not a museum. Tradition does not preserve the ashes, the nostalgia of the fundamentalists, return to the ashes, no. Tradition are roots that guarantee that the tree grows, flourishes and bears fruit. And I repeat that piece by the Argentine poet that I like to mention: Everything that the tree has of flowers, comes from what it has unearthed. I'm happy, because in Iasi I referred to that grandmother with her newborn grandson in her arms: it was a gesture of complicity, and with those eyes ... At that moment I was so excited that I didn't react and then the popemobile went on; in short, I could have told her to come before this grandmother, to show that gesture ... And I said to the Lord Jesus: It is a punishment, but you are able to resolve it. And our good Francesco (photographer), when he saw the communication I had with that woman, with her eyes, took the photograph and it is now public: I saw it this afternoon in the Vatican Insider. These are the roots, and this will grow. It won't be like me, but I give mine. This meeting between old and young is important. Then there are the verbs. When the grandparents feel they have grandchildren who will carry on the story, they start dreaming - when the grandparents don't dream they get depressed -: ah! there is a future! And the young people, encouraged by this, begin to prophesy and make history. Important.
Eva Fernández
Thank you, Holy Father.
Alessandro Gisotti
I think we have time for one more question: Lucas Wiegelmann from Herder Korrespondenz ...
Pope Francis
I used to read this review when I was in Buenos Aires ...
Lucas Wiegelmann
Holy Father, in these days you have talked so much about fraternity between people and about walking together, which we have already heard. But we see that in Europe the number of those who do not want fraternity is growing, but selfishness and isolation, they prefer to walk alone. Why is it so, in your opinion, and what must Europe do to change it? Thank you.
Pope Francis
Excuse me if I mention myself, I do it without vanity, for utility. I spoke about this problem in two (three) speeches: the one in Strasbourg; which I shared when I received the Charlemagne Award; and then in the speech to all Heads of State and government in the Sala Regia: there were all of them, when it was the anniversary of the Pacts for the foundation of the European Union. In these speeches I said everything I think. And there is also another speech, which I did not do but the Mayor, the Bürgermeister from Aachen did: this is a jewel, a jewel of yours, Germans. A jewel. Read it and you will find things. Europe must talk. Europe must not say: We are united, now let's say in Brussels: arrange yourselves, go ahead. No. We are all responsible for the European Union, everyone. And this circulation of the presidency is not a gesture of courtesy like dancing the minuet: it's up to you, it's up to you. No. It is a symbol of the responsibility that each of the countries has towards Europe. If Europe does not look well at future challenges, Europe will wither. I took the liberty of saying, in Strasbourg, that I feel that Europe is ceasing to be mother Europe and that it is becoming grandmother Europe. It has aged. She has lost the desire to work together. Perhaps, secretly, someone can ask the question: But won't this be the end of a 70-year adventure? We must take up the spirit of the Founding Fathers: take this up again. Europe needs itself, to be itself, its own identity, its unity, and to overcome this, with so many things that good politics offers, to overcome divisions and frontiers. We are seeing borders in Europe: this is not good. Not even cultural frontiers, they are not good. It is true that every country has its own culture and must safeguard it, but with the spirit of the polyhedron: there is a globalization where everyone's cultures are respected, but all are united. But please, Europe should not let itself be overcome by pessimism or ideologies, because Europe, at this moment, is attacked not with cannons or bombs, but with ideologies: ideologies that are not European, ideologies that come from outside or that are born in small European groups, but they are not large. Think of Europe, divided and belligerent, of 1914 and of 1932-33 until 1939, when war broke out: but let's not go back to this, please! We must learn from history. We cannot fall into the same hole. The other time I told you that it is said that the only animal that falls twice in the same hole is the man: the donkey never does it!
I don't know what else to say ... But read that speech from the Mayor, Bürgermeister from Aachen: it is a jewel.
Alessandro Gisotti
Thank you, Holy Father. Thank you for your availability at the end of these three very busy days, and for these five trips one after another, in the first part of the year; they have been such rich moments, and such diverse encounters that we have had. Thank you.
Pope Francis
Now, two things. Because of the climate (meteorological conditions), I had to travel yesterday by car: two hours and 40 minutes. It was a grace of God: I saw beautiful scenery, like I've never seen before. I travelled through all of Transilvania: it is beautiful! Never have I seen such a thing. And today, to go to Blaj, it was the same: a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing! The landscape of this country. I also thank the rain that made me travel like this and not with the helicopter, to get more in contact with reality.
And the second thing, I know that some of you are believers, others not so much, but I will say to believers: pray for Europe, pray for Europe, for unity. May the Lord give us this grace. To the non-believers: wish good will, the wish of the heart, the desire that Europe returns to be the dream of the Founding Fathers. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I wish you a good end to your celebration of World Communications Day.
Press Conference with the Holy Father, Pope Francis
during the flight from Sibiu to Rome
Alessandro Gisotti
Interim Director of the Holy See Press Centre
Good evening! Welcome, Holy Father, welcome. On the return flight ... Holy Father, the motto for this trip was Let us walk together, but also We want to be together, because I think that we truly wanted so much, and also the commitment, the fatigue ... In the speech to the foreign press, a few days ago, you concluded by saying: I see in your apostolic journeys in particular your fatigue. Here is the effort, the passion, the commitment of the colleagues who have told this journey ... Today is the Day of Social Communications, as you know, dedicated to us, as journalists, operators of communication, focused on the theme We are members of one another . Here, Holy Father, I know that before the questions you want to offer us a brief reflection on this Day dedicated to us.
Pope Francis
Good evening. Thank you so much for your company! As Mister Gisotti said, today this Day calls to you; it focuses our thoughts on you. You work in communications, you are workers - as Alessandro said -, but first of all you are, you should be, witnesses of communication. Today communication generally goes backwards; the contact goes on: making contact and not getting to communicate. And you, by your vocation, are witnesses of communicating. True, you have to make contacts, but don't stop there, move on. I wish you the inspiration to move forward in this vocation, in this testimony of communication, because this time in history needs so much less contact and more communication. Thank you. Congratulations on your day. And now on with the questions.
Alessandro Gisotti
So, Holy Father, as we always do, the first two questions will be asked by media from the country we have just visited. We begin with Diana Dumitraxcu from Tvromena TVR. Please ...
Diana Dumitrascu
Holy Father, we thank you for your visit to Romania. Holiness. You know that millions of our fellow citizens have emigrated in recent years. What is your message for a family who has left their children and gone away to work in another country in order to secure a better life for them? Thank you.
Pope Francis
First of all, this makes me think of the love of the family, because to break away into two, into three is not a beautiful thing. There is always the nostalgia to meet again. But detachment because nothing is missing from the family is an act of love. In yesterday's Mass we heard the last petition of that lady who worked abroad to help the family. Always such detachment is painful. But why do they leave? Not for tourism, but rather out of necessity. Need. And many times, it is not because the country does not find ... so many times, these actions are the results of a world policy that affects this. I know it's the history of your country, after the fall of communism ... Then many many foreign companies have closed in order to open abroad so that they can earn more. Closing a business today is leaving people on the road. And this too is a global, general injustice of lack of solidarity. It is a suffering. How do we fight? Trying to open sources of work. It's not easy; it is not easy in the current world situation of finances, of the economy. But think that you have an impressive level of births: here you don't see the demographic winter that we see in Europe. It is an injustice not to be able to get work for so many young people. And for this reason I hope that this situation will be resolved which does not depend only on Romania, but on the world financial order, on this society of consumerism, of having more, of earning more ... And so many people remain there, alone. I don't know, this is my answer: an appeal to global solidarity in this moment in which Romania has the presidency of the European Union, to look at it a little ... Thank you.
Alessandro Gisotti
Now, we will hear a question from Christian Micaci from Radio Maria-Romania.
Christian Micaci
Holy Father, as the director said earlier, there has been so much talk in these days of walking together. Now, upon your departure, I would like to ask you: what do you recommend to us, from Romania? What should be the relationships between the different religious confessions, particularly between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church - the Catholic minority and the Orthodox majority - the relationship between the various ethnic groups and the relationship between the political world and civil society?
Pope Francis
In general, I would say, the relationship of the outstretched hand, when there are conflicts. Today a developing country with a high level of births like you, with this future, cannot afford the luxury of having enemies inside. A process of rapprochement must be made, always: between the different ethnic groups, the different religious denominations, especially the two Christians ... This is the first thing: always the outstretched hand, listening to the other. With Orthodoxy: you have a great Patriarch, a man of great heart and a great scholar. He knows the mystique of the Fathers of the desert, spiritual mysticism, he studied in Germany ... He is also a man of prayer. It's easy to get close to Daniel, it's easy, because I feel like a brother and we talked like brothers. I won't say, But why you ..., and he won't say, But why you ... We go together! Always having this idea: ecumenism is not getting to the end of the game, discussions; ecumenism is made by walking together. Walking together. Praying together. The ecumenism of prayer. We have blood ecumenism in history: when they killed Christians they did not ask: "Are you Orthodox? Are you a Catholic? Are you Lutheran? Are you Anglican No. You are a Christian and your blood is mixed together. An ecumenism of witness is another ecumenism. Of prayer, of blood, of witness. Then, the ecumenism of the poor, as I call it, that is to work together, in what we can, work to help the sick, the people who are a bit on the edge of minimum welfare: helping them. Matthew 25: this is a beautiful ecumenical program, isn't it? Walking together, and this is already Christian unity. But don't wait for theologians to agree to arrive at the Eucharist. The Eucharist is made every day with prayer, with the memory of the blood of our martyrs, with works of charity and even loving one another. In a city of Europe there was a good relationship - there is! - between the Catholic Archbishop and the Lutheran Archbishop. The Catholic Archbishop was to come to the Vatican on Sunday evening and called that he would arrive Monday morning. When he arrived he told me: Excuse me, but yesterday the Lutheran Archbishop had to go to a meeting and he asked me: Please, come to my cathedral and do the worship yourself . That is brotherhood! This is a lot to get to! And the Catholic spoke the sermon. He did not celebrate the Eucharist, but he spoke the sermon. This is brotherhood. When I was in Buenos Aires I was invited by the Scottish Church to do a lot of sermons, and I went there, I did the sermon ... You can! You can walk together. Unity, brotherhood, outstretched hand, looking at each other with kindness, not talking about others ... We all have faults, all of us. But if we walk together, let's leave the flaws to one side: let the zitelloni criticize them ... Thanks.
Alessandro Gisotti
Xavier Lenormand, from Média francese
Xavier Lenormand
Your Holiness, my question draws a little from the previous one. On the first day of this journey, you went to the Orthodox cathedral for a beautiful but also a bit harsh moment of the prayer of the Our Father. A bit harsh because if the Catholics and the Orthodox were together, they did not pray together. You have just spoken of the ecumenism of prayer. So my question is: Your Holiness, what did you think of when you remained silent during the Our Father in Romanian? And what are the next concrete steps in this walking together? Thank you, Your Holiness.
Pope Francis
I will tell you something: I did not remain silent, I prayed the Our Father in Italian. You too? All right. And I saw, during the prayer of the Our Father, that the majority of people prayed both in Romanian and in Latin. People go beyond us leaders: we leaders must make diplomatic balances to ensure that we move together. There are habits, diplomatic rules that it is good to keep so that things do not get ruined; but the people pray together. We too, when we are alone, we pray together. This is a testimony. I have the experience of prayer with many, many Lutheran, Evangelical and even Orthodox pastors. The Patriarchs are open. Yes, we Catholics also have closed people among us, who do not want to participate, and who say: No, the Orthodox are schismatics. They are old. The Orthodox are Christians. But there are some fundamentalist Catholic groups: we must tolerate them, pray for them so that the Lord and the Holy Spirit will soften their hearts a little. I prayed. Both of us did. I didn't look at Daniel, but I think he did the same.
Alessandro Gisotti
Thank you, Holy Father. Let us turn now to the question prepared by Manuela Tulli from Ansa.
Manuela Tulli
Good evening, Holy Father. We have been to Romania, a country that has shown itself to be European. In these recent elections, some political leaders, such as our Vice Premier Matteo Salvini, campaigned showing religious symbols: in the rallies we saw rosaries, crosses, consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I wanted to know what impression this made on you and if it is true, as some people say, that you do not want to meet our Vice Premier.
Pope Francis
First - I will start with the second part - I have not heard that anyone from the Italian government, except the Premier, has requested an audience. Nobody. To request an audience, you must speak to the Secretariat of State, an audience is requested. Prime Minister Conte asked for this and it was given, as the protocol indicates. It was a good audience, with the Premier, an hour or more, perhaps. He is an intelligent man, a professor who knows what he is talking about. With regard to the Vice Premier, I have received no requests, and no other ministers either. Yes, I received the President of the Republic.
Second, concerning these images. I have confessed many times that I read two newspapers: the party newspaper, that is L'Osservatore Romano, I read this and it would be nice if you read it, because there are very interesting keys of interpretation there. And also things that I say are there. And then Il Messaggero, which I like, the Messenger, because it has big headlines: I look at it like that, sometimes I stop ... And I haven't entered into this news of the propaganda, as a party has presented some electoral propaganda or another ... Really.
There is a third element, in this I confess myself to be ignorant: I do not understand Italian politics. It's true, I have to study it, I don't understand it. To give an opinion on the attitudes of an electoral campaign, of one of the parties, without information, thus, would be very imprudent on my part. I pray for everyone, so that Italy can go ahead, so that the Italians can unite and be loyal in their commitment. I am also Italian because I am the son of Italian emigrants: in my blood I am Italian. My brothers, everyone has citizenship. I did not want to have it because at the time they acquired it I was a bishop, and I said, No, the bishop must be from the country, and I didn't want to take it. And that's why I don't own it. There is, in the politics of so many countries - so many - the disease of corruption, everywhere. Don't say tomorrow: the Pope said that Italian politics is corrupt, no. I have said that one of the diseases of politics everywhere is slipping on corruption. A universal fact. Please don't let me tell you what I didn't say. And once they told me how political pacts are: let's imagine a meeting of nine entrepreneurs at the table; they discuss to agree on the development of their businesses and eventually, after hours and hours and hours, and coffee, coffee and more coffee, they agree. They took the minutes, make the summary, read it ... Do you agree? We agree. While they do this they take a whiskey to celebrate and then they start turning the cards to sign the agreement. The moment the cards are turned, under the table, me and that ... I make another one under the table. This is political corruption, which is done a little everywhere. We must help politicians to be honest, not to campaign with dishonest flags - slander, defamation, scandals ... And, many times, they sow hatred and fear: this is terrible. A policy, a politician never, must never sow hatred and fear. Only hope. Fair, demanding, but hopeful. Because he must lead the country there, and not be afraid of it. I don't know if I answered. But I don't know about the details of politicians' conduct.
Alessandro Gisotti
Holy Father, we turn now to the question prepared by Eva Fernández, a journalist from Cope.
Eva Fernández
Holy Father, yesterday in your meeting with young people and families, you insisted once again on the importance of relationships between grandparents and youth, so that young people have roots to help them go forward and so that grandparents can dream. Your family is not close to you but you said that Benedict XVI is like a grandfather, it's like having your grandfather in your home ...
Pope Francis
That's true!
Eva Fernández
Do you still see him as a grandfather?
Pope Francis
More! Every time I go to visit him I feel like that. And I take his hand and make him talk. He speaks little, speaks slowly, but with the same depth as ever. Because Benedict's problem is his knees, not his head: he has a great lucidity and I hear him speak, I become strong, I feel the sap from the roots that comes to me and helps me to move forward. I feel this tradition of the Church which is not a museum thing, tradition, no. Tradition is like the roots, which give you the sap you need to grow. And you will not become like the roots, no: you will flourish, the tree will grow, you will bear fruit and the seeds will be roots for others. The tradition of the Church is always in motion. In an interview with Andrea Monda from l'Osservatore - you do read l'Osservatore, don't you? - a few days ago, there was a situation that I liked so much, of the musician Gustav Mahler. And speaking of traditions, he said: Tradition is the guarantee of the future and not the keeper of the ashes. It is not a museum. Tradition does not preserve the ashes, the nostalgia of the fundamentalists, return to the ashes, no. Tradition are roots that guarantee that the tree grows, flourishes and bears fruit. And I repeat that piece by the Argentine poet that I like to mention: Everything that the tree has of flowers, comes from what it has unearthed. I'm happy, because in Iasi I referred to that grandmother with her newborn grandson in her arms: it was a gesture of complicity, and with those eyes ... At that moment I was so excited that I didn't react and then the popemobile went on; in short, I could have told her to come before this grandmother, to show that gesture ... And I said to the Lord Jesus: It is a punishment, but you are able to resolve it. And our good Francesco (photographer), when he saw the communication I had with that woman, with her eyes, took the photograph and it is now public: I saw it this afternoon in the Vatican Insider. These are the roots, and this will grow. It won't be like me, but I give mine. This meeting between old and young is important. Then there are the verbs. When the grandparents feel they have grandchildren who will carry on the story, they start dreaming - when the grandparents don't dream they get depressed -: ah! there is a future! And the young people, encouraged by this, begin to prophesy and make history. Important.
Eva Fernández
Thank you, Holy Father.
Alessandro Gisotti
I think we have time for one more question: Lucas Wiegelmann from Herder Korrespondenz ...
Pope Francis
I used to read this review when I was in Buenos Aires ...
Lucas Wiegelmann
Holy Father, in these days you have talked so much about fraternity between people and about walking together, which we have already heard. But we see that in Europe the number of those who do not want fraternity is growing, but selfishness and isolation, they prefer to walk alone. Why is it so, in your opinion, and what must Europe do to change it? Thank you.
Pope Francis
Excuse me if I mention myself, I do it without vanity, for utility. I spoke about this problem in two (three) speeches: the one in Strasbourg; which I shared when I received the Charlemagne Award; and then in the speech to all Heads of State and government in the Sala Regia: there were all of them, when it was the anniversary of the Pacts for the foundation of the European Union. In these speeches I said everything I think. And there is also another speech, which I did not do but the Mayor, the Bürgermeister from Aachen did: this is a jewel, a jewel of yours, Germans. A jewel. Read it and you will find things. Europe must talk. Europe must not say: We are united, now let's say in Brussels: arrange yourselves, go ahead. No. We are all responsible for the European Union, everyone. And this circulation of the presidency is not a gesture of courtesy like dancing the minuet: it's up to you, it's up to you. No. It is a symbol of the responsibility that each of the countries has towards Europe. If Europe does not look well at future challenges, Europe will wither. I took the liberty of saying, in Strasbourg, that I feel that Europe is ceasing to be mother Europe and that it is becoming grandmother Europe. It has aged. She has lost the desire to work together. Perhaps, secretly, someone can ask the question: But won't this be the end of a 70-year adventure? We must take up the spirit of the Founding Fathers: take this up again. Europe needs itself, to be itself, its own identity, its unity, and to overcome this, with so many things that good politics offers, to overcome divisions and frontiers. We are seeing borders in Europe: this is not good. Not even cultural frontiers, they are not good. It is true that every country has its own culture and must safeguard it, but with the spirit of the polyhedron: there is a globalization where everyone's cultures are respected, but all are united. But please, Europe should not let itself be overcome by pessimism or ideologies, because Europe, at this moment, is attacked not with cannons or bombs, but with ideologies: ideologies that are not European, ideologies that come from outside or that are born in small European groups, but they are not large. Think of Europe, divided and belligerent, of 1914 and of 1932-33 until 1939, when war broke out: but let's not go back to this, please! We must learn from history. We cannot fall into the same hole. The other time I told you that it is said that the only animal that falls twice in the same hole is the man: the donkey never does it!
I don't know what else to say ... But read that speech from the Mayor, Bürgermeister from Aachen: it is a jewel.
Alessandro Gisotti
Thank you, Holy Father. Thank you for your availability at the end of these three very busy days, and for these five trips one after another, in the first part of the year; they have been such rich moments, and such diverse encounters that we have had. Thank you.
Pope Francis
Now, two things. Because of the climate (meteorological conditions), I had to travel yesterday by car: two hours and 40 minutes. It was a grace of God: I saw beautiful scenery, like I've never seen before. I travelled through all of Transilvania: it is beautiful! Never have I seen such a thing. And today, to go to Blaj, it was the same: a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing! The landscape of this country. I also thank the rain that made me travel like this and not with the helicopter, to get more in contact with reality.
And the second thing, I know that some of you are believers, others not so much, but I will say to believers: pray for Europe, pray for Europe, for unity. May the Lord give us this grace. To the non-believers: wish good will, the wish of the heart, the desire that Europe returns to be the dream of the Founding Fathers. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I wish you a good end to your celebration of World Communications Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment