Address by Pope Francis to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and Pastoral Agents of Belgium

Below is the speech that Pope Francis addressed today to the bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and Pastoral Agents of Belgium from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Koekelberg:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

I feel happy to be here among you. I thank Bishop Terlinden for his words and for reminding us of the priority of announcing the Gospel. Thank you all.

At this crossroads that is Belgium, you are a Church “on the move”. In fact, for some time they have been seeking to transform the presence of the parishes in the territory and give a strong boost to the formation of the laity. They strive, above all, to be a community that is close to the people, that accompanies them and that bears witness with gestures of mercy.

Starting from your questions, I would like to propose some lines of reflection that revolve around three words: evangelism, happiness y misericordia.

The first path we are called to follow is evangelization. The changes of our time and the crisis of faith that we experience in the West have prompted us to return to what is essential, that is, to the Gospel, so that the good news that Jesus brought to the world may be announced again to everyone, making all its glory shine. beauty. The crisis—each crisis—is a time that has been offered to us to shake ourselves, to question ourselves and to change. It is a precious occasion—in biblical language it is said kairós, special occasion—to wake up from sleep and rediscover the ways of the Spirit, as happened to Abraham, Moses and the prophets.

When we experience desolations, in fact, we must always ask ourselves what message the Lord wants to communicate to us. And what does the crisis make us see? We have gone from a Christianity established in a welcoming social framework, to a Christianity “of minorities” or, rather, of testimony. And this calls for the courage of a ecclesial conversionto begin those pastoral transformations that have to do even with the customs, models, languages ​​of faith, so that they are truly at the service of evangelization (cf. Exhort. ap. the joy of the Gospel27).

And I would like to tell Helmut that this courage is also required of priests. To be priests who do not limit themselves to preserving or administering a patrimony of the past, but pastors in love with Jesus Christ and willing to accept the demands of the Gospel – often implicit – while they walk with the holy People of God, and we walk a little ahead, a a little in the middle and a little behind.

And when we bring the Gospel—I think of what Yaninka said—the Lord opens our hearts to encounter those who are different from us. It is good, and even more necessary, that among young people there are different dreams and spiritualities. This is how it should be, because there may be many personal and community paths, but they lead us to the same goal, to the encounter with the Lord. In the Church there is a place for everyone, everyone, everyone, and no one should be a photocopy of anyone. Unity in the Church is not uniformity, it is rather about finding harmony in diversity. And I would also say to Arnaud: the synodal process must be a return to the Gospel, there must not be among the priorities any reform that is “fashionable”, but rather question: how can we bring the Gospel to a society that already Doesn’t he listen to it or is he moving away from the faith? Let’s all ask ourselves.

The second path to follow is the joy. It is not about the joys associated with something momentary, nor about consenting to models of escape or consumerist fun; but of a greater joy, which accompanies and sustains life also in dark or painful moments, and this is a gift that comes from above, from God. It is the joy of the heart aroused by the Gospel, it is knowing that along the path we are not alone and that even in situations of poverty, sin, affliction, God is close, takes care of us and will not allow death to have the last word. God is close, closeness.

Long before becoming Pope, Joseph Ratzinger wrote that a rule of discernment is the following: “where joy is lacking, where humor dies, not even the Holy Spirit exists (…). And vice versa: joy is a sign of grace” (The God of Jesus ChristBrescia 1978, 129) It is beautiful. I would then like to tell you that your preaching, your way of celebrating, your service and apostolate must let the joy of the heart shine through, since this raises questions and attracts even the most remote. The joy of the heart, not the smile of the moment. I thank Sister Agnese and tell her: joy is the path. When fidelity is difficult, we must show — as you have said — that this virtue is a “path to happiness.” And then, seeing where the path leads, we are more prepared to start it.

The third itinerary is mercy. The Gospel, welcomed and shared, received and donated, leads us to joy, because it makes us discover that God is the Father of mercy, who is moved by us, who lifts us up from our falls, who never withdraws his love from us.

Let us fix this in our hearts: God never withdraws his love from us. “But even if I do something serious?” God never withdraws his love for you. This, in the face of the experience of evil, could sometimes seem “unfair” to us, because we only apply earthly justice that says that “whoever makes a mistake must pay for their mistake.” However, God’s justice is superior; He who has made a mistake is called to repair his mistakes, but to heal his heart he needs the merciful love of God. Don’t forget, God forgives everything, and God always forgives. God justifies us with his mercy, that is, he makes us righteous because he gives us a new heart, a new life.

That’s why I would say to Mia: thank you for the great work you do to transform anger and pain into help, closeness and compassion. Abuse generates atrocious suffering and wounds, even diminishing the path of faith. And a lot of mercy is needed not to remain with a heart of stone in the face of the suffering of the victims, to make them feel our closeness and offer them all possible help, to learn from them—as you have said—to be a Church that becomes servant of all without subjugating anyone. Yes, because one root of violence is the abuse of power, when we use our roles to crush or manipulate others.

And mercy—I think of Pieter’s ministry—is a key word for prisoners. When I enter a prison, I ask myself: Why do they join me? Jesus shows us that God does not distance himself from our wounds and impurities. He knows that We all make mistakes, but none of them are mistakes.. No one is lost forever. It is right then to follow the paths of earthly justice and the human, psychological and penal itineraries; but grief must be a medicine, it must lead to healing. People need to be helped to get up and find their way in life and society. Only once in life is there permission to look down at a person from above, to help them get up. Just so. Let’s remember that we can all make mistakes, but none of them are mistakes. No one is lost forever. Mercy, always mercy.

Sisters and brothers, I thank you. And as I say goodbye, I would like to remind you of a work by Magritte, your illustrious painter, which is titled “The Act of Faith.” It represents a door closed from the inside, but with an opening in the center, it is open towards the sky. It is an opening that invites us to go beyond, to look forward and upward, to never close ourselves in. I leave you with this image, as a symbol of a Church that never closes its doors, please, never closes its doors, a Church that offers everyone an opening to the infinite, that knows how to look beyond. This is the Church that evangelizes, that lives the joy of the Gospel, that practices mercy.

Walk together, you and the Holy Spirit, together, and practice Mercy. Without the Spirit, nothing Christian happens. The Virgin Mary, our Mother, teaches us this. May she guide you and take care of you. I bless you all from the bottom of my heart. And please don’t forget to pray for me. Thank you.