Cardinal Parolin: "Today's situation can be compared to the first centuries of the Church".On April 24, Vatican journalist Ignazio Ingrao, of TG1 RAI, presented his book "Five Questions that Shake the Church" together with Cardinal Pietro Parolin. At the end of the presentation of the book, the Cardinal replied to Omnes: "The most beautiful thing about this book is that it puts on the table the big questions that we all carry with us, but about the answers..." (he just shook his head a little as if to say that he was less convinced).
The 160-page book, in Italian, published by the San Paolo Publishing House, was presented at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Rome in the presence of ministers, ambassadors, civil and religious authorities. Cardinal Parolin recalled another work, "On the Five Wounds of the Church," by philosopher and theologian Antonio Rosmini.
On the other hand," said the Vatican Secretary of State, "we are obviously dealing here with new issues related to the current times, which, however - I like to emphasize - go in the same direction as the 'reform of the Church' promoted by Pope Francis," he said.
"The Church, as we know, is 'semper reformanda'" - the cardinal pointed out - "that is, she must be brought back to her proper form, because, as the conciliar Constitution 'Lumen Gentium', 'Christ is holy, innocent, immaculate... [so] the Church, which has sinners in her bosom, is holy, but at the same time she is 'always in need of purification' and therefore 'continually advances along the path of penance and renewal'."
The Cardinal invited to read the book presented, without forgetting something similar, the "situation of confusion and fear that we find in the Gospel of Matthew: 'At this time there was such a storm that the boat disappeared in the waves; he was asleep. And they came and awoke him, crying out to him, 'Lord, save us, for we perish.
"And yet we, unlike the disciples," Cardinal Parolin continued, "know that the Holy Spirit, that is, the breath of God given by Jesus on the cross and then on the day of Pentecost, makes the Church first and foremost his Church, that is, capable of resisting the storms of cultural upheavals and the sins of the men and women who belong to her."
The cardinal then elaborated on the chapters of the book.
Church on the way out
On the first question: "How far has Bergoglio's Church in departure come; how far is the Church from today's reality, despite his efforts?", the cardinal pointed out how the author describes in a "cold theory of figures" unattractive numbers about the Church in Europe and America, and how Benedict XVI wondered where the momentum of the Second Vatican Council had gone.
"We were happy" - said Benedict XVI on October 11, 2012 - "and full of enthusiasm. The great Ecumenical Council had been inaugurated; we were sure that a new springtime of the Church was coming, a new Pentecost, with a new strong presence of the liberating grace of the Gospel."
The book also points to the vision of Pope Francis in "Evangelii Gaudium" as the program of his pontificate: "To privilege actions that generate new dynamisms in society and involve other persons and groups that carry them forward, until they bear fruit in important historical events". Processes that the author "sees taking shape also in the Pope's choice of new collaborators who are asked to explore new paths".
From the book, the cardinal specifies that in this context the Vaticanist Ingrao criticizes "desktop theology, the daughter of a cold and hard logic that seeks to dominate everything", indicating as an example the Declaration "Fiducia Supplicans", although the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith considers that it is a text that "always remains open to the possibility of clarifying it, enriching it, improving it and perhaps allowing it to be better illuminated by the teachings of Francis".
The first question closes - the cardinal explains - with a snapshot on young people according to Pope Francis, who are defined by the author as "explorers, outposts in the distracted society of social networks to awaken true feelings, the desire for authenticity, the ability to dream", with ecological sensitivity and a deep attention to the times and the challenges of the pontificate.
Decrease in religious practice
The second issue concerns two problematic elements: the decline of religious practice in the world. In particular, the author focuses on Latin America, where the Catholic Church is no longer the first in number of faithful, but has been surpassed by the Pentecostal churches. Without forgetting the interventions of Benedict XVI and Francis, who affirmed with determination how the Church grows not by proselytism but by attraction, that is to say, by testimonial force, the Cardinal explained.
Openness to the laity
The Cardinal, on the "third question, whether openness to the laity and to women is real or just a façade," points out how the author emphasizes a series of experiences and the Synod of Bishops on synodality. And, finally, he recalls the leadership roles that women occupy today within the Roman Curia.
Anthropological emergencies
"Anthropological urgencies open the fourth question. The beginning and end of life, the frontiers of medicine and gender issues: in fact, writes Ingrao, 'it is not a question of seeking answers more or less in line with the times or aligned in defense of traditional morality. It is rather a matter of bringing to maturity a new humanism that, rooted in Christian personalism, knows how to respond to today's questions,' the cardinal explained.
What will happen with the reforms?
"We thus arrive at the last of the five questions, 'What will happen to the reforms undertaken by Pope Francis?' To which is added one that sounds for some like a threat and for others like wishful thinking: 'Is there a risk of going backwards?'"
"The last chapter," Cardinal Parolin concludes, "dedicated to these questions remains open, as it should be. In fact, it speaks of reforms, as the author defines them, 'undertaken', that is, 'in itinere'". Therefore, "discernment, which is not mere intuition, but the fruit of continuous prayer in the Spirit, will indicate, in the relaxed time of those who know how to be patient, how to continue and what to return to institutionally. Precisely because it is the action of the Spirit, there can be no turning back.
