During a meeting on 3 June with participants of a sustainable finance conference, the Pope emphasised the need for Catholic social teaching to critique, comprehend and improve financial structures.

The Church's social teaching to serve as a "compass" in this area,

However, for the financial compass to work, it is "necessary not just to admonish but to understand the workings of finance, identify weaknesses and propose concrete corrective measures" the Pope stressed.

The Pope commended the conference's aim to blend efficiency and effectiveness with holistic sustainability, inclusivity and ethics in dialogue with finance leaders.

Decrease inequality

Drawing on historical examples, Francis referenced 16th-century Spanish theologians who criticised the wool trade for underpaying shepherds.

Francis said the Spanish theologians deep knowledge of the financial systems enabled them to advocate for fairer practices.

"The Spanish theologians were able to intervene" he said.

"Because they knew that process, and therefore they did not just say: "we must seek the common good"; they explained what was wrong and called for specific action.

"It is up to you to figure out how to make inequality decrease" Pope Francis urged the scholars.

"You understand financial processes and that is your great advantage, but also a significant responsibility" Pope Francis told his visitors.

He reiterated his 2013 message from "Evangelii Gaudium" saying "Money should serve, not rule".

The Pope concluded by urging financial experts to consider the impact of their reforms on the poorest.

He stressed that financial reform should aim to improve the lives of those struggling for a dignified existence.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

Vatican News

He has again started off the month with a bang by naming Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández of La Plata (Argentina) as the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

Fernández, (pictured) who will be 61 in July, has been one of Francis' most trusted theological advisors and ghostwriters, going back to the days when the pope was still the cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires.

He closely collaborated with then-Cardinal Bergoglio in writing the final document at the 2007 conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) in Aparecida.

A former president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, "Tucho" - as he is familiarly called - is also understood to have been the principal author of Evangelii gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel), the apostolic exhortation that is the programmatic document of Francis' pontificate.

Traditionalists sure to be angry

Fernández replaces Cardinal Luis Ladaria, the 79-year-old Spanish Jesuit who has been prefect since 2017.

The Argentine theologian also becomes the president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and head of the International Theological Commission.

By bringing Fernández to Rome, the pope now has another key ally in one of the most important Vatican offices. This should greatly boost the 86-year-old Francis in helping clear internal opposition to his ecclesial reforms.

But the appointment of the new DDF prefect is also certain to infuriate Catholics who are not in agreement with the pope's vision of the Church.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in May 2015 Archbishop Fernández raised the ire of traditionalists when he said the People of God would not tolerate any attempts by a future pope to reverse the changes Francis has already brought to the Church.

Immediately afterwards, Sandro Magister, a veteran Italian journalist who has been one of the vaticanisti most critical of the current pontificate, belittled Fernández' qualifications as a serious theologian. He egregiously mocked him for stating - correctly, by the way - that the Roman Curia was not an "essential part of the Church's mission" and that "cardinals could disappear", too.

Magister claimed the archbishop had signed his own death warrant by taking on the curia and specifically for criticising Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who was still prefect of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It now seems ironic that it was exactly six years ago to the day from Fernández's appointment when Francis dropped another July bombshell by refusing to renew Müller for another five years as prefect.

The German, who was only 69 years old and still six years from retirement, has held no other post since Francis dismissed him in 2017.

"To promote and encourage, not to condemn"

In announcing Fernández's appointment, the Holy See Press Office released an unusually long curriculum vita for the new doctrinal chief.

And even more unusually, it published his full bibliography of books, essays and articles. In addition, it made public a personal letter Pope Francis wrote to his fellow Argentine, in which he urges the new DDF prefect to help promote the faith rather than condemn heresies.

"The dicastery over which you will preside used immoral methods in former times. They were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, it persecuted possible doctrinal errors," the pope says.

"What I expect from you is without a doubt something very different," the pope adds, in a letter that quotes Evangelii gaudium extensively.

Francis goes on to praise Fernández for his theological and pastoral experience, saying he's confident the new prefect is "very capable of bringing theological knowledge into dialogue with the life of the holy People of God".

While pointing out that the DDF also has the task dealing with the most serious clergy sex abuse cases, the pope says the main task of the doctrinal office is to "guard the faith" and "become an instrument of evangelization" that helps the Church "enter into conversation with the people of the world in a context that is unprecedented for the history of humanity".

"Hacer lío!": dropping bombshells

Francis urges the new DDF prefect to promote a theology that "convincingly" presents God as "the God who loves, who forgives, who saves, who liberates, who promotes people and summons them to fraternal service".

Pope Francis loves to tell young people: "Hacer lío!", a Spanish phrase that can mean anything from "shake things up" to "make a mess". And the appointment of Victor Manuel Fernández is certainly part of his own penchant for dropping bombshells in the month of July.

It all began in his first months as Bishop of Rome when - on July 1, 2013 - the Holy See Press Office announced he would be flying a week later down to Lampedusa.

Lampedusa is the island off of Sicily that had become emblematic of the unfolding crisis of African migrants and refugees, many who were perishing at sea in an attempt to reach Europe. The July 8th visit would set the tone for the rest of the pontificate.

But three days before leaving on that dramatic day trip, Francis did something else that shocked some Catholics but delighted many others.

He approved the canonization of John Paul II and the beatification of Alvaro de Portillo, the second prelate of Opus Dei.

Halting the Old Latin Mass

Who can forget the surprise announcement on July 4, 2021 that the Jesuit pope had been taken to Gemelli Hospital and that same Sunday afternoon underwent the first of now two abdominal surgeries?

But the real bombshell came a week after he returned from his hospitalization. That's when released his "motu proprio" Traditionis custodes. This effectively overturned Summorum Pontificum, the "motu proprio" Benedict XVI issued in 2007 to allow for an unfettered celebration and promotion of pre-Vatican II Mass.

The following year - on July 13, 2022 - Francis dropped another bombshell by appointing three women to be members - members, not mere consultants - of one of the most important Vatican offices, the Dicastery for Bishops. This was the second shock in as many years for Catholic traditionalists.

Sacking two cardinals

On July 27, 2018 the Vatican announced that the pope had accepted Theodore McCarrick's resignation from the College of Cardinals.

Francis actually forced McCarrick to resign after the former archbishop of Washington had been credibly accused of sexually abusing adolescents and seminarians. The pope also forced him out of active ministry and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penance. McCarrick was eventually removed from the clerical state altogether.

And, of course, there was the previously-mentioned announcement on July 1, 2017 that Francis had decided Cardinal Gerhard Müller would not be extended as the Vatican's doctrinal chief.

It could not be foreseen back then that Francis would eventually give the post to his Argentine friend and theological aide. Yes, this is certainly another bombshell. But don't think for even one moment that it will be the last.

• Robert Mickens is the La Croix International Editor. Each week he publishes the Letter from Rome, unravelling the issues and policies that are alive in the Vatican and within the Church.
• First published in La Croix International. Republished with permission.

The document, titled "Synodality and Primacy in the Second Millennium", presents an overview of the historical journey of both churches, dating back to the Great Schism of 1054.

The joint statement was issued following the 15th plenary session of the theological dialogue commission, held in Alexandria, Egypt from June 1 to 7.

The meeting witnessed the participation of representatives from ten Orthodox Churches alongside 18 Catholic commission members.

The statement highlights Pope Francis' endorsement of a synodal Church, emphasising the potential for deeper convergence between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Quoting from the Pope's 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, the document acknowledges the opportunity for Catholics to learn about episcopal collegiality and synodality from their Orthodox brethren.

"In the dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal collegiality and their experience of synodality."

According to the statement, it "strives to give as far as possible a common reading of that history, and it gives Orthodox and Roman Catholics a welcome opportunity to explain themselves to one another at various points along the way."

Complexities of synodality and primacy acknowledged

It debunks the notion of a pyramidal church structure with a single governing figure and the idea of a federation of independent churches.

The complexities of synodality and primacy in the Church are acknowledged, highlighting the inadequacy of oversimplified views held by both sides.

This recent statement builds upon the foundation laid by the commission's previous joint statement in 2016, which examined the state of the Christian Church in the first millennium after Christ.

The document acknowledges the growing efforts within the Catholic Church to promote synodality at all levels and the willingness to differentiate between the pope's role within the Latin Church and his service to the broader communion of churches.

Observers perceive these distinctions as a positive step towards creating future opportunities for collaboration and understanding.

The joint statement calls for an ongoing dialogue infused with charity, aiming to comprehend synodality and primacy authentically. It encourages a focus on the theological principles, canonical provisions and liturgical practices of the undivided Church in the first millennium.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

In the motu proprio ("on his own impulse"), the pope said his intention with the changes was to "foster a sense of collegiality and pastoral responsibility" on the part of bishops, local bishops' conferences, and major superiors 0f religious communities.

Among the changes in the document entitled Assegnare alcune competenze ("Assigning some competencies") were articles regarding the establishment of interdiocesan seminaries, the incardination of clerics, the publication of catechisms by bishops' conferences, and laws concerning temporary professed vows.

For setting up an interdiocesan seminary, drafting a programme for the formation of priests or publishing a national catechism, with the new law, the bishop or bishops' conferences involved simply need to obtain a "confirmation" from the Vatican. They are no longer required to seek the "approval" of the Vatican.

Pope Francis explained that he wanted to encourage "a more rapid effectiveness of the pastoral action of government on the part of the local authority".

Bishop Marco Mellino, the secretary of the Council of Cardinals and a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, told Vatican News that he saw the motu proprio as part of "the work of reform that Pope Francis has initiated since the beginning of his pontificate.

"It responds to Pope Francis' spirit of ‘healthy decentralisation' indicated in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium which aimed at favouring and enhancing the dynamics of proximity in the Church, without compromising hierarchical communion with this," he said.

He added: "It is evident, in fact, that when the authority has a direct and closer knowledge of the persons and cases in point that require a pastoral action of government, this action, by virtue of its proximity, can be of more rapid efficacy".

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Crux Now

Vatican News

In him, God brings his project of love for humanity to fulfillment, establishing his lordship over creatures and sowing the seed of divine life in human history, transforming it from within.

Certainly the Reign of God should not be identified or confused with some earthly or political achievement.

Nor should it be envisioned as a purely interior reality, one that is merely personal and spiritual, or as a promise that concerns only the world to come.

Instead, Christian faith lives by a fascinating and compelling "paradox," a word very dear to the Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac.

It is what Jesus, forever joined with our flesh, is accomplishing here and now, opening us up to God the Father, bringing about an ongoing liberation in our lives, for in him the Reign of God has already drawn near (Mark 1:12-15).

At the same time, for as long as we exist in this flesh, God's reign remains a promise, a deep yearning that we carry within us, a cry that arises from a creation still marred by evil, one that suffers and groans until the day of its full liberation (Romans 8:19-24).

Therefore the Reign announced by Jesus is a living and dynamic reality. It invites us to conversion, asking our faith to emerge from the stasis of an individual religiosity or from its reduction to legalism.

It wants our faith to become instead a continuous and restless searching for the Lord and his Word, one that calls us each to cooperate with the work of God in different situations of life and society.

In different ways, often anonymous and silent, even in the history of our failures and our woundedness, the Reign of God is coming true in our hearts and in events happening around us.

Like a small seed hidden in the earth (Matthew 13:31-32), like a bit of yeast that leavens the dough (Matthew 13:24-30), Jesus brings into our life story the signs of the new life he has come to start, asking us to work together with him in this task of salvation.

Every one of us can contribute to realizing the work of the Reign of God on earth, opening up spaces of salvation and liberation, sowing hope, challenging the deadly logics of egoism with the brotherly and sisterly spirit of the Gospel, dedicating ourselves in tenderness and solidarity for the benefit of our neighbors, especially the poorest.

We must never neutralize this social dimension of the Christian faith.

As I mentioned also in Evangelii gaudium, the kerygma or proclamation of the Christian faith itself has a social dimension.

It invites us to build a society where the logic of the Beatitudes and of a fraternal world of solidarity triumphs.

The God Who Is Love, who in Jesus invites us to live out the commandment of sibling love, heals with that same love both our personal and social relationships, calling us to be peacemakers and builders of sisterhood and brotherhood among ourselves:

The Gospel is about the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43); it is about loving God who reigns in our world. To the extent that He reigns within us, the life of society will be a setting for universal fraternity, justice, peace, and dignity. Both Christian preaching and life, then, are meant to have an impact on society (Evangelii gaudium, 180).

In this sense, caring for our Mother Earth and building a society of solidarity as fratelli tutti or siblings all are not only not foreign to our faith; they are a concrete realization of it.

Jesus asks us to work together with him in this task of salvation

This is the foundation of the Church's social teaching

It's not just a simple social extension of Christian faith, but a reality with a theological grounding: God's love for humanity and his plan of love—and of sisterhood and brotherhood—that he accomplishes in human history through Jesus Christ his Son, to whom all believers are intimately united through the Holy Spirit.

I'm grateful to Cardinal Michael Czerny and Fr. Christian Barone, brothers in faith, for their contribution on the subject of brother- and sisterhood.

I'm also grateful that this book, while intended as a guide to the encyclical Fratelli tutti, endeavours to bring to light and make explicit the profound link between the Church's current social teaching and the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

This link is not always noticed, at least not at first. I'll try to explain why.

The ecclesial climate of Latin America, in which I was immersed first as a young Jesuit student and then in ministry, had enthusiastically absorbed and taken possession of the theological, ecclesial, and spiritual intuitions of the Council, actualizing and enculturating them.

For the youngest among us, the Council became the horizon of our belief, and of our ways of speaking and acting.

That is, it quickly became our ecclesial and pastoral ecosystem.

But we didn't get into the habit of reciting conciliar decrees, nor did we linger on speculative reflections.

The Council had simply entered our way of being Christian and our way of "being Church"—and as life went on, my intuitions, my perceptions, and my spirituality were quite simply born out of the suggestions from the teachings of Vatican II.

There wasn't much need to quote the Council's documents.

Today, after many decades, we find ourselves in a world—and in a Church—deeply changed, and it's probably necessary to make more explicit the Second Vatican Council's key concepts, its theological and pastoral horizon, its topics, and its methods.

In the first part of their valuable book, Cardinal Michael and Fr. Christian help us with this.

They read and interpret the social teaching I am trying to carry out, bringing to light something a little hidden between the lines—that is, the teaching of the Council as the fundamental basis, and point of departure for the invitation I'm making to the Church and the whole world with this ideal of brotherhood and sisterhood.

It's one of the signs of the times that Vatican II brings to light, and the thing that our world—our common home, in which we're called to live as siblings—most needs.

That's how we should always journey: always together

In this connection, their new book also has the merit of rereading, in today's world, the Council's intuition of an open Church in dialogue with the world.

In the face of the questions and challenges of the modern world, Vatican II tried to respond with the breath of Gaudium et spes; but today as we follow the path marked out by the Council Fathers, we realize that there's a need not only for the Church to be in dialogue with the modern world, but, most of all, for it to put itself at the service of humanity, taking care of creation as well as announcing and working to realize a new universal sisterhood and brotherhood, in which human relations are healed of egoism and violence and are founded instead on reciprocal love, welcome, and solidarity.

The joys and the hopes,

the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age,

especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted,

these are the joys and hopes,

the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.

Indeed, nothing genuinely human

fails to raise an echo in their hearts.

For theirs is a community composed of men and women.

United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit

in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father

and they have welcomed the news of salvation

which is meant for every man and woman.

That is why this community realizes

that it is truly linked with humanity

and its history by the deepest of bonds.

(Gaudium et Spes Number 1)

If this is what today's world is asking of us—especially in a society strongly marked by imbalances, injuries, and injustices—we realize that this, too, is in the spirit of the Council, which invites us to read and listen to the signs of human history.

This book also has the merit of offering us a reflection on the methodology of post-conciliar theology—a historical-theological-pastoral methodology, in which human history is the site of God's revelation.

Here theology develops its orientation through reflection, and pastoral ministry incarnates theology in ecclesial and social praxis.

This is why papal teachings always need to be attentive to history, and why they require the contributions of theology.

Finally, this collaboration between a cardinal and a young theologian is itself an example of how study, reflection, and ecclesial experience can be joined, and it also indicates a new method: an official voice and a young voice, together.

That's how we should always journey: the magisterium, theology, pastoral praxis, official leadership. Always together.

Our bonds will be more credible if in the Church we too begin to feel like we are siblings all, fratelli tutti, and to live our respective ministries as a service to the Gospel, the building up of the Reign of God, and the care of our common home.

• Pope Francis
• Translated by Griffin Oleynick
• This article first appeared in Commonweal Magazine
• Adapted from the pope's preface to Fraternità—segno dei tempi: il magistero sociale di Papa Francesco by Cardinal Michael Czerny and Fr. Christian Barone, which will be published in Italy by Libreria Editrice Vaticana on September 30.
• The English-language version, Siblings All, Sign of the Times: The Social Teaching of Pope Francis, will be published by Orbis Books in 2022.

Speaking at the Proclaim ‘15 national Catholic evangelisation gathering in Birmingham in England on July 11, Rev. Gumbel said he loves the Catholic Church.

Rev. Gumbel, an Anglican minister from Holy Trinity Brompton, is the pioneer of Alpha, a 15-session introduction to the Christian faith.

Alpha has its roots in the charismatic evangelical movement and is now used - in modified form - by more Catholic churches worldwide than Anglican ones.

Rev. Gumbel had been invited to Proclaim ‘15 to help parishes shift their mentality "from maintenance to mission".

At the gathering, Rev. Gumbel said the key to his current thinking was Pope Francis's 2013 apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium".

Everyone, not just Catholics, should read the encyclical and put it into practice, Rev. Gumbel said.

"If every Christian in England put Evangelii Gaudium into practice the nation would be transformed," Rev. Gumbel said, adding that the Church would also be revitalised and transformed.

Friendship was one key to successful evangelisation, he noted.

Another was personal experience of the Holy Spirit.

He said it was important for Church leaders to be close to people outside as well as inside the Church.

"Evangelise according to your gifting, whether your gift is pastoring or something else. Involve everyone," he said, advocating the "small" approach.

"I love the small group. I love smelling of the sheep, as the Pope would say."

Small teaching inputs about Jesus and a warm welcome were the keys to reaching the unchurched and lapsed.

At Proclaim ‘15, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminister launched plans to inspire 5000 "missionary parishes" in England and Wales.

Parishes are also to be encouraged to establish their own evangelisation teams.

But before Proclaim ‘15, Cardinal Nichols stressed that these teams should avoid proselytising.

"Door-stepping, cold calling, things that minimalise the quality of human relationship is not what we do," he said.

Sources

• Christian Today
• The Tablet
• Alpha
• Image: Holy Trinity Brompton

Speaking in Austria during the second week of the recent synod on the family, Cardinal Walter Kasper said Francis is a "gift of God".

The Pope's theology and his vision for the Church are centred on the Gospel mandate, the good tidings of a merciful God, and the concept of the People of God, which Vatican II had underlined, Cardinal Kasper said.

Francis outlined much of this in his apostolic letter, Evangelii Gaudium, which was, so to speak, the blueprint of his pontificate.

He wanted "the People of God, every single one them, to participate in the Church", Cardinal Kasper said.

He also wants the Church to be a "listening church which has an open ear to the People of God", the cardinal added.

In the Pope's eyes, the Gospel message is also the basis for the "correct understanding of the magisterium", Cardinal Kasper noted.

Therefore, Church teaching and the Gospel mandate must not be played against one another.

The reform programme that Pope Francis has prescribed for the Church is long-term, Cardinal Kasper said, "a programme for a century or more".

This is because it concerns all the dimensions of being a church, "right up to every individual Christian's basic attitude".

Francis' road map for the future of the Church will, therefore, far exceed his pontificate, Cardinal Kasper said.

But the Pope's success will depend on whether it will be possible to maintain his spirit of optimism and a new start in future pontificates.

The cardinal also explained how a special Argentine variation of liberation theology based on "the theology of the people", with a particular sensitivity for regional piety and characterised by the concept of reconciliation, had a formative influence on Francis.

But this has nothing to do with the type of class-war liberation theology that drew the ire of Vatican authorities, the cardinal noted.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: The Blaze

Pope Francis addressed a closed-door conference organised by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace held in Rome on July 11-12.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney was one of almost 70 financial experts who signed a joint statement echoing the Pope's call.

"We must put people and their wellbeing at the centre of our economic and political life," the statement proclaimed.

The statement noted "substantial agreement" between signatories that, "as a human community, we must recover our moral compass . . .".

While acknowledging the positive aspects of the global economy, the signatories noted that "many people experience a severe loss of value and morals in political and economic life".

The statement added that money is "accorded more importance than the proper end or goal of that same economy, that is, sustaining a good life for the human community".

The signatories called for a re-examination of the "assumptions of our economic theory to be more realistic and based on a more complete view of the human being and of the world".

Among reforms they advocated was the creation of rules to stimulate the development of civic and corporate virtue.

The conference was entitled "The Global Common Good: Towards a More Inclusive Economy" and was based on Pope Francis' ideas in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

Among those who attended were Nobel Prizewinner Muhammad Yunus, US economist Jeffrey Sachs and Caritas Internationalis head Michel Roy.

Pope Francis joined the participants for lunch one day.

He urged them to help reverse the current "throwaway" culture and put people at the centre - not the fringes - of monetary strategies and policies.

The joint statement acknowledged the Holy Father's words: "If the human person is not at the centre, then something else gets put there, which the human being then has to serve."

Sources

• The Tablet
• Joint statement by financial experts at Rome conference
• Image: Conscious Life News

276. Christ's resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force. Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit. On razed land life breaks through, stubbornly yet invincibly. However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads. Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. Values always tend to reappear under new guises, and human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who evangelize are instruments of that power.

277. At the same time, new difficulties are constantly surfacing: experiences of failure and the human weaknesses which bring so much pain. We all know from experience that sometimes a task does not bring the satisfaction we seek, results are few and changes are slow, and we are tempted to grow weary. Yet lowering our arms momentarily out of weariness is not the same as lowering them for good, overcome by chronic discontent and by a listlessness that parches the soul. It also happens that our hearts can tire of the struggle because in the end we are caught up in ourselves, in a careerism which thirsts for recognition, applause, rewards and status. In this case we do not lower our arms, but we no longer grasp what we seek, the resurrection is not there. In cases like these, the Gospel, the most beautiful message that this world can offer, is buried under a pile of excuses.

278. Faith also means believing in God, believing that he truly loves us, that he is alive, that he is mysteriously capable of intervening, that he does not abandon us and that he brings good out of evil by his power and his infinite creativity. It means believing that he marches triumphantly in history with those who "are called and chosen and faithful" (Rev 17:14). Let us believe the Gospel when it tells us that the kingdom of God is already present in this world and is growing, here and there, and in different ways: like the small seed which grows into a great tree (cf. Mt 13:31-32), like the measure of leaven that makes the dough rise (cf. Mt 13:33) and like the good seed that grows amid the weeds (cf. Mt 13, 24-30) and can always pleasantly surprise us. The kingdom is here, it returns, it struggles to flourish anew. Christ's resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus did not rise in vain. May we never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope!

279. Because we do not always see these seeds growing, we need an interior certainty, a conviction that God is able to act in every situation, even amid apparent setbacks: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Cor 4:7). This certainty is often called "a sense of mystery". It involves knowing with certitude that all those who entrust themselves to God in love will bear good fruit (cf. Jn 15:5). This fruitfulness is often invisible, elusive and unquantifiable. We can know quite well that our lives will be fruitful, without claiming to know how, or where, or when. We may be sure that none of our acts of love will be lost, nor any of our acts of sincere concern for others. No single act of love for God will be lost, no generous effort is meaningless, no painful endurance is wasted. All of these encircle our world like a vital force. Sometimes it seems that our work is fruitless, but mission is not like a business transaction or investment, or even a humanitarian activity. It is not a show where we count how many people come as a result of our publicity; it is something much deeper, which escapes all measurement. It may be that the Lord uses our sacrifices to shower blessings in another part of the world which we will never visit. The Holy Spirit works as he wills, when he wills and where he wills; we entrust ourselves without pretending to see striking results. We know only that our commitment is necessary. Let us learn to rest in the tenderness of the arms of the Father amid our creative and generous commitment. Let us keep marching forward; let us give him everything, allowing him to make our efforts bear fruit in his good time.

280. Keeping our missionary fervour alive calls for firm trust in the Holy Spirit, for it is he who "helps us in our weakness" (Rom8:26). But this generous trust has to be nourished, and so we need to invoke the Spirit constantly. He can heal whatever causes us to flag in the missionary endeavour. It is true that this trust in the unseen can cause us to feel disoriented: it is like being plunged into the deep and not knowing what we will find. I myself have frequently experienced this. Yet there is no greater freedom than that of allowing oneself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, renouncing the attempt to plan and control everything to the last detail, and instead letting him enlighten, guide and direct us, leading us wherever he wills. The Holy Spirit knows well what is needed in every time and place. This is what it means to be mysteriously fruitful!

269. Jesus himself is the model of this method of evangelization which brings us to the very heart of his people. How good it is for us to contemplate the closeness which he shows to everyone! If he speaks to someone, he looks into their eyes with deep love and concern: "Jesus, looking upon him, loved him" (Mk 10:21). We see how accessible he is, as he draws near the blind man (cf. Mk 10:46-52) and eats and drinks with sinners (cf. Mk 2:16) without worrying about being thought a glutton and a drunkard himself (cf. Mt 11:19). We see his sensitivity in allowing a sinful woman to anoint his feet (cf. Lk 7:36-50) and in receiving Nicodemus by night (cf. Jn 3:1-15). Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is nothing else than the culmination of the way he lived his entire life. Moved by his example, we want to enter fully into the fabric of society, sharing the lives of all, listening to their concerns, helping them materially and spiritually in their needs, rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep; arm in arm with others, we are committed to building a new world. But we do so not from a sense of obligation, not as a burdensome duty, but as the result of a personal decision which brings us joy and gives meaning to our lives.

270. Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the Lord's wounds at arm's length. Yet Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people's lives and know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people, to be part of a people.

271. It is true that in our dealings with the world, we are told to give reasons for our hope, but not as an enemy who critiques and condemns. We are told quite clearly: "do so with gentleness and reverence" (1 Pet 3:15) and "if possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all" (Rom 12:18). We are also told to overcome "evil with good" (Rom 12:21) and to "work for the good of all" (Gal 6:10). Far from trying to appear better than others, we should "in humility count others better" than ourselves (Phil 2:3). The Lord's apostles themselves enjoyed "favour with all the people" (Acts 2:47; 4:21, 33; 5:13). Clearly Jesus does not want us to be grandees who look down upon others, but men and women of the people. This is not an idea of the Pope, or one pastoral option among others; they are injunctions contained in the word of God which are so clear, direct and convincing that they need no interpretations which might diminish their power to challenge us. Let us live them sine glossa, without commentaries. By so doing we will know the missionary joy of sharing life with God's faithful people as we strive to light a fire in the heart of the world.

272. Loving others is a spiritual force drawing us to union with God; indeed, one who does not love others "walks in the darkness" (1 Jn 2:11), "remains in death" (1 Jn 3:14) and "does not know God" (1 Jn 4:8). Benedict XVI has said that "closing our eyes to our neighbour also blinds us to God",[209] and that love is, in the end, the only light which "can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working".[210] When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord's greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God. Whenever our eyes are opened to acknowledge the other, we grow in the light of faith and knowledge of God. If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we must constantly be missionaries. The work of evangelization enriches the mind and the heart; it opens up spiritual horizons; it makes us more and more sensitive to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and it takes us beyond our limited spiritual constructs. A committed missionary knows the joy of being a spring which spills over and refreshes others. Only the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in desiring their happiness, can be a missionary. This openness of the heart is a source of joy, since "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). We do not live better when we flee, hide, refuse to share, stop giving and lock ourselves up in own comforts. Such a life is nothing less than slow suicide.

273. My mission of being in the heart of the people is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an "extra" or just another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being without destroying my very self. I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing. All around us we begin to see nurses with soul, teachers with soul, politicians with soul, people who have chosen deep down to be with others and for others. But once we separate our work from our private lives, everything turns grey and we will always be seeking recognition or asserting our needs. We stop being a people.

274. If we are to share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves, we also have to realize that every person is worthy of our giving. Not for their physical appearance, their abilities, their language, their way of thinking, or for any satisfaction that we might receive, but rather because they are God's handiwork, his creation. God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God's glory. Every human being is the object of God's infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives. Jesus offered his precious blood on the cross for that person. Appearances notwithstanding, every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God's faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our heart is filled with faces and names!

265. Jesus' whole life, his way of dealing with the poor, his actions, his integrity, his simple daily acts of generosity, and finally his complete self-giving, is precious and reveals the mystery of his divine life. Whenever we encounter this anew, we become convinced that it is exactly what others need, even though they may not recognize it: "What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23). Sometimes we lose our enthusiasm for mission because we forget that the Gospel responds to our deepest needs, since we were created for what the Gospel offers us: friendship with Jesus and love of our brothers and sisters. If we succeed in expressing adequately and with beauty the essential content of the Gospel, surely this message will speak to the deepest yearnings of people's hearts: "The missionary is convinced that, through the working of the Spirit, there already exists in individuals and peoples an expectation, even if an unconscious one, of knowing the truth about God, about man, and about how we are to be set free from sin and death. The missionary's enthusiasm in proclaiming Christ comes from the conviction that he is responding to that expectation".[208] Enthusiasm for evangelization is based on this conviction. We have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach. Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love.

266. But this conviction has to be sustained by our own constantly renewed experience of savouring Christ's friendship and his message. It is impossible to persevere in a fervent evangelization unless we are convinced from personal experience that it is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it, and not the same thing to contemplate him, to worship him, to find our peace in him, as not to. It is not the same thing to try to build the world with his Gospel as to try to do so by our own lights. We know well that with Jesus life becomes richer and that with him it is easier to find meaning in everything. This is why we evangelize. A true missionary, who never ceases to be a disciple, knows that Jesus walks with him, speaks to him, breathes with him, works with him. He senses Jesus alive with him in the midst of the missionary enterprise. Unless we see him present at the heart of our missionary commitment, our enthusiasm soon wanes and we are no longer sure of what it is that we are handing on; we lack vigour and passion. A person who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody.

267. In union with Jesus, we seek what he seeks and we love what he loves. In the end, what we are seeking is the glory of the Father; we live and act "for the praise of his glorious grace" (Eph 1:6). If we wish to commit ourselves fully and perseveringly, we need to leave behind every other motivation. This is our definitive, deepest and greatest motivation, the ultimate reason and meaning behind all we do: the glory of the Father which Jesus sought at every moment of his life. As the Son, he rejoices eternally to be "close to the Father's heart" (Jn 1:18). If we are missionaries, it is primarily because Jesus told us that "by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (Jn 15:8). Beyond all our own preferences and interests, our knowledge and motivations, we evangelize for the greater glory of the Father who loves us.

263. We do well to keep in mind the early Christians and our many brothers and sisters throughout history who were filled with joy, unflagging courage and zeal in proclaiming the Gospel. Some people nowadays console themselves by saying that things are not as easy as they used to be, yet we know that the Roman empire was not conducive to the Gospel message, the struggle for justice, or the defence of human dignity. Every period of history is marked by the presence of human weakness, self-absorption, complacency and selfishness, to say nothing of the concupiscence which preys upon us all. These things are ever present under one guise or another; they are due to our human limits rather than particular situations. Let us not say, then, that things are harder today; they are simply different. But let us learn also from the saints who have gone before us, who confronted the difficulties of their own day. So I propose that we pause to rediscover some of the reasons which can help us to imitate them today.[207]

260. In this final chapter, I do not intend to offer a synthesis of Christian spirituality, or to explore great themes like prayer, Eucharistic adoration or the liturgical celebration of the faith. For all these we already have valuable texts of the magisterium and celebrated writings by great authors. I do not claim to replace or improve upon these treasures. I simply wish to offer some thoughts about the spirit of the new evangelization.

261. Whenever we say that something is "spirited", it usually refers to some interior impulse which encourages, motivates, nourishes and gives meaning to our individual and communal activity. Spirit-filled evangelization is not the same as a set of tasks dutifully carried out despite one's own personal inclinations and wishes. How I long to find the right words to stir up enthusiasm for a new chapter of evangelization full of fervour, joy, generosity, courage, boundless love and attraction! Yet I realize that no words of encouragement will be enough unless the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our hearts. A spirit-filled evangelization is one guided by the Holy Spirit, for he is the soul of the Church called to proclaim the Gospel. Before offering some spiritual motivations and suggestions, I once more invoke the Holy Spirit. I implore him to come and renew the Church, to stir and impel her to go forth boldly to evangelize all peoples.

256. When considering the effect of religion on public life, one must distinguish the different ways in which it is practiced. Intellectuals and serious journalists frequently descend to crude and superficial generalizations in speaking of the shortcomings of religion, and often prove incapable of realizing that not all believers - or religious leaders - are the same. Some politicians take advantage of this confusion to justify acts of discrimination. At other times, contempt is shown for writings which reflect religious convictions, overlooking the fact that religious classics can prove meaningful in every age; they have an enduring power to open new horizons, to stimulate thought, to expand the mind and the heart. This contempt is due to the myopia of a certain rationalism. Is it reasonable and enlightened to dismiss certain writings simply because they arose in a context of religious belief? These writings include principles which are profoundly humanistic and, albeit tinged with religious symbols and teachings, they have a certain value for reason.

257. As believers, we also feel close to those who do not consider themselves part of any religious tradition, yet sincerely seek the truth, goodness and beauty which we believe have their highest expression and source in God. We consider them as precious allies in the commitment to defending human dignity, in building peaceful coexistence between peoples and in protecting creation. A special place of encounter is offered by new Areopagi such as the Court of the Gentiles, where "believers and non-believers are able to engage in dialogue about fundamental issues of ethics, art and science, and about the search for transcendence".[204]This too is a path to peace in our troubled world.

258. Starting from certain social issues of great importance for the future of humanity, I have tried to make explicit once again the inescapable social dimension of the Gospel message and to encourage all Christians to demonstrate it by their words, attitudes and deeds.

251. In this dialogue, ever friendly and sincere, attention must always be paid to the essential bond between dialogue and proclamation, which leads the Church to maintain and intensify her relationship with non-Christians.[195] A facile syncretism would ultimately be a totalitarian gesture on the part of those who would ignore greater values of which they are not the masters. True openness involves remaining steadfast in one's deepest convictions, clear and joyful in one's own identity, while at the same time being "open to understanding those of the other party" and "knowing that dialogue can enrich each side".[196] What is not helpful is a diplomatic openness which says "yes" to everything in order to avoid problems, for this would be a way of deceiving others and denying them the good which we have been given to share generously with others. Evangelization and interreligious dialogue, far from being opposed, mutually support and nourish one another.[197]

252. Our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on great importance, since they are now significantly present in many traditionally Christian countries, where they can freely worship and become fully a part of society. We must never forget that they "profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge humanity on the last day".[198] The sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings; Jesus and Mary receive profound veneration and it is admirable to see how Muslims both young and old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfully take part in religious services. Many of them also have a deep conviction that their life, in its entirety, is from God and for God. They also acknowledge the need to respond to God with an ethical commitment and with mercy towards those most in need.

253. In order to sustain dialogue with Islam, suitable training is essential for all involved, not only so that they can be solidly and joyfully grounded in their own identity, but so that they can also acknowledge the values of others, appreciate the concerns underlying their demands and shed light on shared beliefs. We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and respected in countries of Islamic tradition. I ask and I humbly entreat those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and to practice their faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western countries! Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.

254. Non-Christians, by God's gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live "justified by the grace of God",[199] and thus be "associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ".[200] But due to the sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace, God's working in them tends to produce signs and rites, sacred expressions which in turn bring others to a communitarian experience of journeying towards God.[201] While these lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments instituted by Christ, they can be channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in order to liberate non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purely individual religious experiences. The same Spirit everywhere brings forth various forms of practical wisdom which help people to bear suffering and to live in greater peace and harmony. As Christians, we can also benefit from these treasures built up over many centuries, which can help us better to live our own beliefs.

Jesus' gift to his people

285. On the cross, when Jesus endured in his own flesh the dramatic encounter of the sin of the world and God's mercy, he could feel at his feet the consoling presence of his mother and his friend. At that crucial moment, before fully accomplishing the work which his Father had entrusted to him, Jesus said to Mary: "Woman, here is your son". Then he said to his beloved friend: "Here is your mother" (Jn 19:26-27). These words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the expression of his devotion and concern for his mother; rather, they are a revelatory formula which manifests the mystery of a special saving mission. Jesus left us his mother to be our mother. Only after doing so did Jesus know that "all was now finished" (Jn 19:28). At the foot of the cross, at the supreme hour of the new creation, Christ led us to Mary. He brought us to her because he did not want us to journey without a mother, and our people read in this maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel. The Lord did not want to leave the Church without this icon of womanhood. Mary, who brought him into the world with great faith, also accompanies "the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus" (Rev 12:17). The close connection between Mary, the Church and each member of the faithful, based on the fact that each in his or her own way brings forth Christ, has been beautifully expressed by Blessed Isaac of Stella: "In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary... In a way, every Christian is also believed to be a bride of God's word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful... Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary's womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church's faith. He will dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul".[212]

286. Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love. She is the handmaid of the Father who sings his praises. She is the friend who is ever concerned that wine not be lacking in our lives. She is the woman whose heart was pierced by a sword and who understands all our pain. As mother of all, she is a sign of hope for peoples suffering the birth pangs of justice. She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love. As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and she constantly surrounds us with God's love. Through her many titles, often linked to her shrines, Mary shares the history of each people which has received the Gospel and she becomes a part of their historic identity. Many Christian parents ask that their children be baptized in a Marian shrine, as a sign of their faith in her motherhood which brings forth new children for God. There, in these many shrines, we can see how Mary brings together her children who with great effort come as pilgrims to see her and to be seen by her. Here they find strength from God to bear the weariness and the suffering in their lives. As she did with Juan Diego, Mary offers them maternal comfort and love, and whispers in their ear: "Let your heart not be troubled... Am I not here, who am your Mother?"[213]

248. Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus' disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.

249. God continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with his word. For this reason, the Church also is enriched when she receives the values of Judaism. While it is true that certain Christian beliefs are unacceptable to Judaism, and that the Church cannot refrain from proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah, there exists as well a rich complementarity which allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures together and to help one another to mine the riches of God's word. We can also share many ethical convictions and a common concern for justice and the development of peoples.

282. This attitude becomes a prayer of gratitude to God for others. "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you" (Rom 1:8). It is constant thankfulness: "I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 1:4); "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you" (Phil 1:3). Far from being suspicious, negative and despairing, it is a spiritual gaze born of deep faith which acknowledges what God is doing in the lives of others. At the same time, it is the gratitude which flows from a heart attentive to others. When evangelizers rise from prayer, their hearts are more open; freed of self-absorption, they are desirous of doing good and sharing their lives with others.

283. The great men and women of God were great intercessors. Intercession is like a "leaven" in the heart of the Trinity. It is a way of penetrating the Father's heart and discovering new dimensions which can shed light on concrete situations and change them. We can say that God's heart is touched by our intercession, yet in reality he is always there first. What our intercession achieves is that his power, his love and his faithfulness are shown ever more clearly in the midst of the people.

246. Given the seriousness of the counter-witness of division among Christians, particularly in Asia and Africa, the search for paths to unity becomes all the more urgent. Missionaries on those continents often mention the criticisms, complaints and ridicule to which the scandal of divided Christians gives rise. If we concentrate on the convictions we share, and if we keep in mind the principle of the hierarchy of truths, we will be able to progress decidedly towards common expressions of proclamation, service and witness. The immense numbers of people who have not received the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot leave us indifferent. Consequently, commitment to a unity which helps them to accept Jesus Christ can no longer be a matter of mere diplomacy or forced compliance, but rather an indispensable path to evangelization. Signs of division between Christians in countries ravaged by violence add further causes of conflict on the part of those who should instead be a leaven of peace. How many important things unite us! If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. To give but one example, in the dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal collegiality and their experience of synodality. Through an exchange of gifts, the Spirit can lead us ever more fully into truth and goodness.

243. The Church has no wish to hold back the marvellous progress of science. On the contrary, she rejoices and even delights in acknowledging the enormous potential that God has given to the human mind. Whenever the sciences - rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry - arrive at a conclusion which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict it. Neither can believers claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times some scientists have exceeded the limits of their scientific competence by making certain statements or claims. But here the problem is not with reason itself, but with the promotion of a particular ideology which blocks the path to authentic, serene and productive dialogue.