Pope recommends ‘Litany of Humility’ for church officials

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The “Litany of Humility,” which often is attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, “outlines a model that is valid for all those who exercise responsibilities in the church,” Pope Leo XIV said.

The first petition of the litany is “From the desire of being esteemed … deliver me, O Jesus!”

“The desire for recognition is a constant temptation for those in positions of responsibility,” the pope said. And while Cardinal Merry del Val held very important positions in the church, “he knew that the only true triumph is to be able to say every day: ‘Lord, I am where you want me to be, doing what you entrust to me today.'”

“Silent fidelity, invisible to the eyes of the world, is what remains and bears fruit,” Pope Leo said, discussing the litany at a meeting Oct. 13 with people attending a conference on the cardinal’s life and work.

Cardinal Merry del Val, a Spaniard who was born to a noble family in 1865 and died in 1930, had served as apostolic delegate to Canada in the late 1800s and later as Vatican secretary of state, then as head of the office now known as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Another line from the litany says, “From the desire of being consulted … deliver me, O Jesus!”

The cardinal was close to Popes Benedict XV and Leo XIII, as well as a direct collaborator of St. Pius X, the pope said. “He could have believed himself indispensable, but he showed us the place of the diplomat: to seek that God’s will be done through the ministry of Peter, beyond personal interests.”

“Those who serve in the church do not seek to have their own voice prevail, but rather that the truth of Christ may speak,” the pope said.

In the litany, people pray: “From the fear of being humiliated … deliver me, O Jesus!”

No matter the assignment he was given, the pope said, Cardinal Merry del Val “strove to continue serving with the same fidelity, with the serenity of one who knows that all service in the church is valuable when lived for Christ.”

Offices in the church are “not a pedestal, but a path of self-giving,” the pope said. “True authority is not based on positions or titles, but on the freedom to serve even away from the spotlight.”

The litany also says, “From the desire of being approved … deliver me, O Jesus!”

Those who minister in the church’s name, Pope Leo said, must strive to do so “with fidelity to the Gospel and freedom of spirit” rather than primarily seeking to please others.

“The fruitfulness of Christian life does not depend on human approval, but on the perseverance of those who, united to Christ like the branch to the vine, bear fruit when their season comes,” the pope said.

The litany ends with the plea, “That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.”

“Here we see a treasure of Christian life: holiness is not measured by comparison, but by communion,” Pope Leo said.

Cardinal Merry del Val “understood that we must work for our own holiness while encouraging that of others, walking together toward Christ.”

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