VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The study of theology must include reference to the context in which its students live and will minister, Pope Francis said, so in Sicily that means it must have something to say about the Mafia.
“The mission of a theological school cannot ignore the territory in which it is located,” the pope said Dec. 6 during a meeting with staff and students from St. Paul Theological School in Catania, an ancient port city on the Italian island of Sicily.
“Your land has wonderful natural and artistic beauty,” the pope told them, but it also is “unfortunately threatened by Mafia speculation and corruption, which hold back development and impoverish resources,” often leading young people to flee the island or to join criminal gangs.
“The Mafia always impoverishes, always,” he said.
“Sicily needs men and women who can look to the future with hope and train the new generations to be free and transparent in caring for the common good, to eradicate old and new poverty,” the pope said, urging the students to work to build “in this world the kingdom of love and justice” promised by Christ.
The theological school, the pope said, must be a place that trains academics and pastoral workers to serve the people of Sicily, especially the poor and the many migrants who land on the island from North Africa.
Sicily “has always been a crossroads of peoples,” he said. “I urge you to be welcoming, to be creative in fraternity.”
“Please,” the pope told them, “let us not extinguish the hope of the poor, of those poor who are migrants.”
Pope Francis also urged the students and staff to value the diversity found at the theology school, recognizing the gifts that each person brings to the school community and to the local church.
“Over the years, there has been an increasing number of female students, who now have tasks of pastoral responsibility or religious or academic teaching in your ecclesial communities,” the pope noted. “This, too, is a sign of the times in an area where women have often been devalued in their social role. But let us not forget that Sicily is the homeland of the martyr saints Agatha and Lucia, who were ‘seeds’ of robust faith, capable of renewal and of generating ever new witnesses” for Christ.
Two popes who built St. Peter’s Basilica face each other fully restored
Two popes who played instrumental roles in building the world’s largest church now gaze at one another with renewed clarity in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Continue Reading Two popes who built St. Peter’s Basilica face each other fully restored
Papal preacher: Faith in Resurrection means not clinging to the past
The temptation to cling to the past — to hold on to what was, including something sacred — can keep believers from truly embracing the hope offered by the risen Christ, said the preacher of the papal household.
Continue Reading Papal preacher: Faith in Resurrection means not clinging to the past
Pope’s visit to basilica is sign of improved health, press office says
Pope Francis’ surprise visit to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray and see ongoing restoration work is a clear sign that his condition is improving, the Vatican press office said.
Continue Reading Pope’s visit to basilica is sign of improved health, press office says
Pope prays for victims of Dominican nightclub disaster
Pope Francis prayed for the victims of a nightclub disaster in the Dominican Republic that claimed more than 200 lives and has provoked mourning across the Caribbean country.
Continue Reading Pope prays for victims of Dominican nightclub disaster
Britain’s royal couple meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
Although they postponed their official state visit to the Vatican because of Pope Francis’ health, Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla met privately with the pope April 9, the Vatican press office said.
Continue Reading Britain’s royal couple meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
Holy See warns global nuclear disarmament, AI regulation ‘imperative’ at UN
With fear “the driving force” in the current global climate, nations must recommit to nuclear disarmament and the regulation of artificial intelligence, said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations.
Continue Reading Holy See warns global nuclear disarmament, AI regulation ‘imperative’ at UN
Copyright © 2024 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
