The primacy of the Pope has always been one of the greatest obstacles on the road to the full unity of the Christian Churches. The ecumenical dialogue is moving forward and is now in the process ofhe Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity has published a study document, "The Bishop of Rome. Primacy and synodality in ecumenical dialogues and responses to the encyclical Ut unum sint'".The first edition of the book, with the approval of Pope Francis, summarizes for the first time the responses to the encyclical of Saint John Paul II and ecumenical dialogues on the question of primacy and synodality. 

The document concludes with a proposal from the Dicastery that identifies the most significant suggestions put forward for a renewed exercise of the Bishop of Rome's ministry of unity "recognized by one and all."

"The aim of the document," said the Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Kurt Koch, "is to offer an objective synthesis of recent developments in the ecumenical discussion reflecting the insights and limitations of the dialogue documents and a brief proposal from the full Dicastery that identifies the most significant suggestions on the Bishop of Rome's ministry of unity. The document incorporates some 30 responses to the encyclical Ut Unum Sint and 50 dialogue documents on the subject, as well as the opinions of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox experts.

"Everyone," Koch added, "agrees on the need for unity at the universal level, but the way to exercise it is subject to different interpretations. Unlike the polemics of the past, the question of the primacy is not seen only as a problem, but as an opportunity to reflect on the nature of the Church and her mission in the world."

One of the most interesting ideas has to do with the exercise of the Petrine ministry intrinsic to a synodal dynamic, as Cardinal Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, pointed out: "This research is invaluable in responding to the request of John Paul II in Ut unum sint: a 'form of exercise of the primacy which, without in any way renouncing the essential nature of its mission, is open to a new situation'". 

Grech also referred "to the era of the great councils: as we prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, we cannot forget that it was the Emperor Constantine who convoked it. And this is because the ancient Church, which was undoubtedly a synodal Church, had not matured a full consensus on the primacy". Finally, the Cardinal underlined how the synodal process highlights a new "way of exercising the Petrine ministry" that "the Church, through the synodal process, already recognizes". 

The synodal dynamic, developed on the triple register of communio - fidelium, Ecclesiarum, episcoporum - shows how it would be possible to arrive at an exercise of primacy at the ecumenical level". 

The representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See, His Eminence Khajag Barsamian, called the document "a renewed starting point for ecumenical dialogue. The first centuries are a source of inspiration for today's reality, not only in terms of law, but also in terms of communion. There was an enormous diversity of ecclesiastical models: we are convinced that these forms of communion must remain paradigmatic". He also stressed the importance of synodality for full communion.

For his part, the representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See, Ian Ernst, stressed the need for a "reformulation of Vatican I, which remains a major stumbling block for ecumenical dialogue because it is incomprehensible today. It is necessary to present it anew in the light of an ecclesiology of communion that clarifies the terms". And this, as Koch clarified, is one of the proposals of the study document, which will be worked on in the coming years.

Other suggestions incorporated in the document include a clearer distinction between the different responsibilities of the Bishop of Rome, in particular between his patriarchal ministry in the Western Church and his primordial ministry of unity in the communion of Churches, as well as a distinction between the patriarchal and primordial role of the Bishop of Rome and his political function as head of state. Another recommendation of the theological dialogues concerns the development of synodality within the Catholic Church.

Finally, the promotion of "conciliar communion" through regular meetings between Church leaders throughout the world, in order to make visible and deepen the communion they already share. In the same spirit, many dialogues have proposed various initiatives to promote synodality among the Churches, especially at the level of bishops and primates, through regular consultations and joint actions and testimonies.

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On November 17, 2024, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of the Poor. On the occasion of this date, the Sala Stampa has published the message Pope Francis, who on this occasion focuses on the prayer of the poor.

The Holy Father begins his message by saying that "Christian hope also embraces the certainty that our prayer reaches the presence of God". But the prayer that God listens to most attentively is "the prayer of the poor". For this reason, the Pontiff considers that prayer is a "way to enter into communion with them [the poor] and to share their suffering".

Drawing on the book of Sirach, Pope Francis underlines "the fact that the poor have a privileged place in God's heart, so that, in the face of their suffering, God is 'impatient' until he has done them justice."

The poor, faces of Christ

The Bishop of Rome goes even further and affirms that "God knows the sufferings of his children because he is an attentive and caring Father to all". And, "as a Father, he cares for those who need him most".

In the face of God's care, "the human mentality demands to become someone, to have prestige in spite of everything and everyone, breaking social rules in order to gain wealth". Something that Francis denounces saying that "happiness is not acquired by trampling on the rights and dignity of others".

It is therefore important for Christians to remind the world that every poor and vulnerable person "bears the face of the Son of God, and our solidarity and the sign of Christian charity must reach each of them. In this line, the Pope quotes the apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium": "Every Christian and every community are called to be instruments of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, so that they can be fully integrated into society; this presupposes that we are docile and attentive to listen to the cry of the poor and come to their aid".

Considering the Year of Prayer, the Pontiff says that "we need to make the prayer of the poor our own and pray with them". At the same time, he qualifies the accompaniment of the poor as "a challenge that we must welcome and a pastoral action that needs to be nourished".

The prayer of the poor

To achieve this goal, the Pope assures us that we need "a humble heart that has the courage to become a beggar. A heart willing to recognize itself as poor and needy. Only in this way, Francis continues, does one "receive strength from God and place all one's trust in him. This is how humility is achieved, which "generates the confidence that God will never abandon us nor leave us without an answer.

The Pope also sends a message "to the poor who live in our cities and are part of our communities". He assures them that "God is attentive to each one of you and is at your side. He does not forget you, nor could he ever do so".

For this reason, the Bishop of Rome considers that this World Day "is already an obligatory appointment for every ecclesial community. It is a pastoral opportunity not to be underestimated, because it encourages all believers to listen to the prayer of the poor, becoming aware of their presence and their need".

In this regard, the Pope is grateful for the work of all those people who are already aware of this, "priests, consecrated persons, lay men and women who by their witness give voice to God's answer to the prayer of those who turn to Him."

Prayer and charity

Francis also points out what the poor teach us. He says that "the poor still have much to teach because, in a culture that has put wealth first and often sacrifices the dignity of persons on the altar of material goods, they row against the tide, showing that what is essential is something else".

The Pope concludes his message by explaining that prayer needs works, and works need prayer. He gives the example of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who knew how to support herself on these two pillars. Following in her footsteps, imitating Christ and leaning on the Virgin Mary, the Holy Father encourages every Catholic to be a "pilgrim of hope" and to take care of "the small details of love". In this way, we will respond to the universal call to "be friends of the poor".

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The Pope thanked the Jordanian authorities and the United Nations for convening an international conference to see how to get humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He did so at the Angelus on the Sunday of June in which he denounced the fact that the needy population is being prevented from attending.

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The Church will celebrate the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29, 2024. Pope Francis has published his message for this day, with the motto "God walks with his people".

The Pontiff relates the synodal journey the Church is making to the biblical story of the Exodus: "a long journey from slavery to freedom that prefigures that of the Church towards the final encounter with the Lord".

Likewise, the Holy Father affirms that "it is possible to see in the emigrants of our time, as in those of every age, a living image of the people of God on their way to their eternal homeland".

Francis points out that, like the Jews in the exodus, "migrants often flee situations of oppression and abuse, of insecurity and discrimination, of lack of development projects". Alongside these serious threats, "they encounter many obstacles on their way," such as lack of resources, dangerous and poorly paid jobs, and disease.

However, the Pope says, we cannot lose hope, because "God precedes and accompanies the journey of his people and of all his children in every time and place". The Holy Father recalls the various elements that represented God's presence in the desert: the Tent of Meeting, the Ark, the bronze serpent and the manna, among others.

God, companion of the migrant

As then, "many migrants experience God as a traveling companion, guide and anchor of salvation. But "God not only walks with his people," the Bishop of Rome affirms, "but also in his people, in the sense that he identifies with men and women in their journey through history."

This means that "the encounter with the migrant, as with every brother and sister in need, is also an encounter with Christ." And if this is so, says the Pope, then "the poor save us, because they allow us to meet the face of the Lord".

Pope Francis concludes his message by asking Catholics to unite with migrants and refugees and to turn "to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sign of sure hope and consolation on the journey of the faithful People of God."

The Pontiff's message is accompanied by the following prayer:

God, almighty Father,
we are your pilgrim Church
who walks towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
Each of us dwells in our own homeland,
but as if we were foreigners.
Every foreign region is our homeland,
However, every homeland is for us a foreign land.
We live here on earth,
but we have our citizenship in heaven.
Do not allow us to become masters
of the portion of the world
that you have given us as a temporary home.
Help us to never stop walking
together with our migrant brothers and sisters
to the eternal abode that you have prepared for us.
Open our eyes and our hearts
so that every encounter with those in need
also becomes an encounter with Jesus,
Your Son and our Lord.
Amen.

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Pope Francis has prayed the Angelus with all the faithful present in St. Peter's Square. During the meditation, he reflected on the feast of the Corpus Christirecalling "the dimension of the gift" of the Eucharist.

Through the breaking of the bread, the Pontiff said, we see that "Jesus gave his whole life". This is why the celebration of the Eucharist cannot be "an act of worship detached from life or a mere moment of personal consolation".

On the contrary, the Pope stressed, at every Mass Catholics must be aware of their communion with Christ. This union "makes us capable of becoming bread broken for others, capable of sharing what we are and what we have".

To be "Eucharistic

In this sense, the Pope invited the faithful "to be 'Eucharistic', that is, people who no longer live for themselves". Francis asked Catholics to make "their lives a gift for others", becoming "prophets and builders of a new world".

To make this concrete in daily life, the Pontiff gave the example of daily occasions such as avoiding selfishness, promoting fraternity, accompanying our brothers and sisters in pain, caring for the needy and offering one's talents.

To conclude his meditation, the Pope posed several questions for personal reflection: "Do I keep my life for myself alone or do I give it away like Jesus? Do I spend myself for others or do I shut myself up in my own little self? And, in everyday situations, do I know how to share or do I always seek my own self-interest?"

Pope Francis calls for peace

At the end of the Angelus, the Holy Father asked for prayers for Sudan, "where the war that has been going on for more than a year has not yet found a peaceful solution". He also recalled "Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar...". Francis launched "an appeal to the wisdom of the rulers to stop the escalation and to put all their efforts into dialogue and negotiation".

Finally, he greeted pilgrims from Italy, Croatia and Madrid, as well as "the faithful of Bellizzi and Iglesias; the 'Luigi Padovese' Cultural Center of Cucciago; the postulants of the Daughters of the Oratory; and the group 'Pedalea por los que no pueden' (Pedal for those who cannot)".

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