The Bishop of Orihuela-Aliante (Spain), Mons. José Ignacio Munilla, alerted against temptation to interpret “a pontificate in a discontinuity key with the previous teaching.” The prelate also stressed prophetic gestures of Pope Francis and encouraged to pray for the unity of the Catholic Church.
For the Spanish Prelate “it would be a mistake to read that social teaching of Pope Francis in a horizontal key, in a minimum ethic, of confluence with the politically of this world.”
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In a reflection, he stressed that “there are great temptations in the reception of the magisterium of the Pontificate. And one of the main temptations is usually that of receiving a pontificate in discontinuity key with the previous teaching.”
SINODALITY AND APOSTOLICITY
Mons. Munilla exemplifies two areas in which this incorrect form of teaching exegesis is present. First, he points out that “the Pope’s commitment to Sinodality” has been presented “as opposed to the apostolity of the Church.”
Secondly, he pointed out that the dialectical interpretation “in a code of contrast”, using “a mundane language applied to the life of the Church (that if conservative, that if progressive, that if right -wing, that if left -wing) obviously, this does great damage.”
In this sense, he added that “those ideologies from which they intend to judge the life of the Church, if we have no critical sense towards them, if we assume them, fully deform our reality.”
These types of interpretations cause “within the Catholic Church a great division, a great ideological confrontation” that causes “a strong injury of lack of union, lack of communion.”
Therefore, the bishop of Orihuela-Aliante urged to raise prayers in particular by the unity of the Church and to renew the confidence in the action of the Holy Spirit for the choice of the next Pope: “We do that act of faith, that act of trust and we commit ourselves to welcome the Pope fully, before knowing his name.”
“We are not going to allow us to sell us a false reading of who Pedro is, how he has been chosen,” the Prelate insisted, who urged to consider that “our reading of faith must be above worldly readings.”
Pope Francis’s prophetic gestures
In relation to the figure of Pope Francis, Mons. Munilla stressed that one of his charisms has been “the freedom with which he has proceeded in his life, which has allowed him to make great prophetic gestures.”
Among them, he highlighted the impact when seeing the Argentine pontiff “hugging and kissing the deformed faces that anyone might think in us a certain rejection.”
Likewise, his insistence, until last week, in “Going Holy Thursday to celebrate the Last Supper, The Washing of the Foot, with the prisoners” or always recognizing himself as a sinner more than after having confessed he sat down to confess to others.
Nicolás de Cárdenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish and journalist’s husband and father with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specialized in socio -political and religious information. I have worked more than 10 years in defense of human rights and I have accreditations in journalism and comprehensive communication. Since July 2022, I am a correspondent for ACI Press and Ewtn News in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.