Pope to theologians: Move forward in faith and dialogue

Deborah Castellano Lubov

“Promote a theology which, from the top of the Cross and on its knees before others, uses humble, sober and radical words to help everyone approach compassion, and words which teach us to approach the threshold of the Divine Mystery.”

Pope Francis gave this encouragement in a video message he sent to the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sicily “Saint Peter”. John the Evangelist’ in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, on Wednesday afternoon.

In his speech to open the institution’s new academic year, the Holy Father reflected on the diversity, beauty and challenges of the Italian island, suggesting that these elements can strengthen their efforts.

Dialogue and enrichment

The Pope began by recalling how, by addressing them virtually, he is in some way following “the footsteps of Saint John Paul II”, who visited the Faculty of Sicily on November 21, 1982, during his pastoral visit to Belice and Palermo.

“Your Faculty, born with a strong ecclesiological vocation,” encouraged Pope Francis, “is called by history and attentive to the sense of faith that the people of God possess, to be a protagonist in the face of the challenges that the Mediterranean poses to theology.

In his speech, the Pope urged them to advance in ecumenical dialogue with the East, interreligious dialogue with Islam and Judaism, and to defend human dignity in the “Mare nostrum”, “which has -he lamented, is often transformed into a monstrosity by the logic of death.

Furthermore, the Pope invited them to draw on the cultural and social force of popular piety and on literature “for the redemption of the cultural dignity of the people.”

Martyrdom

Furthermore, Pope Francis reiterated the need to listen to “the cry” of the victims of the mafia who aspire to free themselves from their hold on the territory, and particularly praised those who fearlessly fought this scourge, until to give their lives.

“This land knows great witnesses and martyrs,” the Pope said, citing those who have worked tirelessly to oppose organized crime in a territory “still tragically marked by the scourge of the mafia.”

“Let’s not forget that,” he insisted.

In this perspective, the Holy Father stressed that engaging in theological debates in the Mediterranean requires “remembering that the proclamation of the Gospel requires a commitment to promoting justice”, overcoming inequalities and defend innocent victims, so that the gospel of life may shine ever, and evil may be repelled in all its forms. »

Theology to approach the divine mystery

In this spirit, the Pope emphasized, we need a theology “with a promise” and “a commitment”, which “immerses itself in history and, in it, makes the charity of Christ shine”.

Pope Francis concluded by saying that he embraced the faculty members and asked them to pray for him.