Pope Francis asks that theology be at the service of the people and the poor

Pope Francis pointed out this Friday that culture and the formation of a theological center “are at the service of the people, of the poor, of the last” in his speech addressed to the Community of the San Apolo Theological Study of Catania.

The Pontiff praised the institution founded in 1969 as a place of common formation for the dioceses of Eastern Sicily (Italy) as “a first fruit of the Second Vatican Council” that over time “has revealed itself to be fruitful for priests, religious and lay people.” .

For the Pontiff, this institution “constitutes a model that also encourages other Churches to walk together in this field” in the field of communion which must include “the relationship between formation structures that become laboratories of communion and of mission, animated by theological reflection.”

Pope Francis also noted that “the mission of a Theology Study cannot ignore the territory in which it is situated,” in such a way that the ecclesiality that places people with a diversity of vocations and gifts alongside each other is experienced “in the search for new paths of evangelization.”

This “style of co-responsibility,” added the Pontiff, constitutes “a sign of the times that we must know how to grasp wisely.”

He also considered in this way the fact that the number of women studying in their classrooms has increased and that they are joining ecclesial communities “with tasks of pastoral responsibility, religious and academic teaching.”

Not paying for the hope of migrants

Pope Francis also stated that Sicily is “threatened by mafia speculation and corruption, which hinders development and impoverishes resources, especially condemning inland areas to the emigration of young people.”

In relation to this situation on the Mediterranean island, he pointed out that “the culture and formation of a Theological Study are at the service of the people, the poor, the last” and encouraged the community to “be welcoming and creative in fraternity.” time to integrate migrants.

“This commitment will be more fruitful if you know how to dialogue with the cultures and religions of other Mediterranean peoples who look to the future with hope. Please, let’s not extinguish the hope of the poor, of those poor people who are the emigrants!” he emphasized.

Furthermore, he asked “never to abound in complaint, in resignation, but in hope, and to be missionaries of this virtue.”

Finally, given that this Friday marks the feast of Saint Nicholas of Bari, who participated in the Council of Nicaea defending the divinity of Christ, Pope Francis reiterated his call for the anniversary of this important council to be an impetus to “not get tired of looking for adequate ways to fully correspond to Jesus’ prayer ‘that they may all be one.'”