Bl Pope John XXIII a pastor and a Father: Pope Francis

Vatican City, 04 June 2013: The "true wellspring of Pope John's holiness, "of the peace that he sowed throughout the world" lies in the "daily abandonment to God's will". It is "a lesson for all of us, and also for the Church of our time. If we let ourselves be led by the Holy Spirit, if we mortify our selfishness to make room for the love of the Lord and to His will, then we will find peace, then we will be builders of peace and peace will spread around us" said Pope Francis while addressing thousands of pilgrims from the Italian diocese of Bergamo on Monday evening in St Peter's Basilica, where they had gathered to mark the 50^th anniversary of the passing of one of their most illustrious sons, Blessed Pope John XXIII. At the end of the Mass celebrated by their bishop, Mgr Francesco Beschi, Francis mingled among them at length.

"Exactly fifty years ago," Pope Francis said, "just at this moment, Blessed John XXIII left this world. Those who, like me, [are of] a certain age, retain a vivid memory of the commotion that spread everywhere in those days: St. Peter's Square had become a sanctuary in the open, day and night welcoming the faithful of all ages and social conditions, in trepidation and prayer for the Pope's health. The whole world had recognized in Pope John a pastor and a father: a shepherd because [he was] father. What made him such? How could he reach the hearts of so many different people, even many non-Christians?"

"I would like to begin from peace, because this is the most obvious aspect-that, which people perceived in Pope John: Angelo Roncalli was a man who was able to communicate peace; a natural, serene, friendly peace; a peace that, with his election to the Pontificate, was manifested to all the world and [came to be called his] 'goodness'."

"This," the pope reiterated, "was undoubtedly a hallmark of his personality, which enabled him to build strong friendships everywhere and in particular that stood out in his ministry as Representative of the Pope, which he carried out for nearly three decades, often in contact with environments and worlds far removed from that Catholic universe in which he was born and formed."

"Here, then, we come to the second and decisive word: "obedience." If peace was the outward hallmark, obedience constituted for [Pope John] the inner disposition: obedience, in fact, was the instrument with which to achieve peace."

Such "priestly path," the pope noted, saw him travel as a diplomat to Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, then France, later becoming the bishop of Venice, and finally onto Rome. "Even more profoundly, through this daily abandonment to the will of God, the future Pope John lived a purification, which allowed him to detach completely from himself, and to adhere to Christ, thus allowing the holiness to emerge, which the Church has [now] officially recognized."

"This, then, is a lesson for all of us, and also for the Church of our time. If we let ourselves be led by the Holy Spirit, if we mortify our selfishness to make room for the love of the Lord and to His will, then we will find peace, then we will be builders of peace and peace will spread around us." Source: Asia News