I prefer a Church of accidents than a sick Church: Pope
Vatican City, 18 April 2013: Even though due to my ‘recent commitments’ I am not able
to attend the Assembly, I am with you spiritually and ask the Lord to accompany you
these days’, wrote Pope Francis in his letter to the bishops of Argentina for their
Plenary Assembly. The letter dated 25th March was released on Wednesday
by the Vatican.
The Pontiff then urged them to reflect on the theme ‘Into the
Deep’ in light of the great missionary document of Aparecida, launched following the
V General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Pastoral
ministry should always be missionary and its ministers must be courageous evangelizers
not afraid to go out ‘into the deep’, the outskirts of existence, to bring the ‘sweet
and comforting joy’ of faith to people today, said the Pope in his letter.
“Mission”
he notes, “is key to ministry”. “A Church that does not go out of itself, sooner or
later, sickens from the stale air of closed rooms”. Pope Francis went on to concede
that at times, like anyone else, in going out the Church risks running into accidents.
But he added “I prefer a thousand times over a Church of accidents than a sick Church”.
Pope Francis said that the Church typically suffers from being self-referential,
of only looking to and relying on itself. He spoke of a “narcissism that leads to
a routine spirituality and convoluted clericalism” and prevents people from experiencing
the sweet and comforting joy of evangelization.