Bergoglio's Intervention: A diagnosis of the problems in the Church
The archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, on Saturday read
from a document given him by Pope Francis, outlining the speech he gave during the
pre-conclave General Congregation meetings of the Cardinals. Cardinal Ortega had
been so impressed with the speech he asked the then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio for
a copy of the intervention. Cardinal Ortega received permission from Pope Francis
to share the information. Listen to our report: Here
is an unofficial translation of the text Evangelizing implies Apostolic
Zeal 1. - Evangelizing pre-supposes a desire in the Church to come out of herself.
The Church is called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only
geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain,
of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents,
and of all misery. 2. - When the Church does not come out of herself to evangelize,
she becomes self-referential and then gets sick. (cf. The deformed woman of the Gospel).
The evils that, over time, happen in ecclesial institutions have their root in self-referentiality
and a kind of theological narcissism. In Revelation, Jesus says that he is at the
door and knocks. Obviously, the text refers to his knocking from the outside in order
to enter but I think about the times in which Jesus knocks from within so that we
will let him come out. The self-referential Church keeps Jesus Christ within herself
and does not let him out. 3. - When the Church is self-referential, inadvertently,
she believes she has her own light; she ceases to be the mysterium lunae and gives
way to that very serious evil, spiritual worldliness (which according to De Lubac,
is the worst evil that can befall the Church). It lives to give glory only to one
another. Put simply, there are two images of the Church: Church which evangelizes
and comes out of herself, the Dei Verbum religiose audiens et fidente proclamans;
and the worldly Church, living within herself, of herself, for herself. This should
shed light on the possible changes and reforms which must be done for the salvation
of souls. 4. - Thinking of the next Pope: He must be a man who, from the contemplation
and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the Church to go out to the existential peripheries,
that helps her to be the fruitful mother, who gains life from “the sweet and comforting
joy of evangelizing.”