On Churches young & old

‘The young Churches have developed a synthesis of faith, culture and life, and so it is a different synthesis from the one developed by the ancient Churches. For me, the relationship between the ancient Churches and the young ones is similar to the relationship between the young and the elderly in a society. Together, they build the future: the young ones with their strength and the older ones with their wisdom. You always run certain risks, of course. The younger Churches are likely to feel self-sufficient, the more ancient ones are likely to want to impose on the younger Churches their cultural models. But we are building the future together.’

Pope Benedict XVI, announcing his resignation from the pontificate, portrayed today’s world as subject to rapid changes, and concerned with questions of great relevance to the life of the faith that require strength from both body and soul. I ask the Pope, in the light of what he has just said to me: ‘What does the Church most need at this historic moment? Are reforms needed? What are your wishes for the Church of the coming years? What Church do you dream of?’

Pope Francis, picking up the introduction to my question, begins by saying: ‘Pope Benedict did an act of holiness, greatness, humility. He is a man of God’, showing great affection and immense respect for his predecessor.

‘I see clearly’, the Pope continues, ‘what the Church needs most today, and it is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful, together with closeness, and proximity. I see the Church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds... And you have to start from the ground up.

‘The Church has sometimes locked itself up in excessive attention to detail, in small—minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the Church must be ministers of mercy above all. The confessor, for example, is always in danger of being either too much a rigorist, or too lax. Neither are merciful, because neither of these roles really takes responsibility for the person. The rigorist washes his hands and leaves it to the commandment. The lenient minister washes his hands by simply saying "This is not a sin", or something similar. In pastoral ministry we must accompany people, and we must heal their wounds.

‘How are we treating the people of God? I dream of a Church that is both Mother and Shepherdess. The Church’s ministers must be merciful, take responsibility for the people and accompany them like the good Samaritan, who washes, cleans and raises up his neighbour. This is pure Gospel. God is greater than sin. The structural and organizational reforms are secondary-that is, they will come afterwards.

The first reform must be that of approach. The ministers of the Gospel must be those who can warm the hearts of the people, who walk through the dark night with them, who know how to dialogue, and to descend themselves into their people’s night, into the darkness, but without losing themselves.

The people of God want pastors, not bureaucrats, or clergy acting like government officials. The bishops, particularly, must be men able to support the movement of God among their people with patience, so that no one is left behind. But they must also be able to accompany the flock that has a flair for finding new paths.’

‘Instead of being just a Church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us also try to be a Church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent. The ones who quit sometimes do it for reasons that, if properly understood and considered, can lead them to return. But that takes boldness and Courage.’