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It is not a matter of honours but of service
On Friday morning, 22 April, after an address given by Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, the Holy Father spoke to the Cardinals in the Clementine
Hall at the Vatican.
The Pope told them of his state of mind on the occasion of the
death of his "Venerable Predecessor John Paul II and then during the
Conclave, and especially at its conclusion", which gave way "to a deep
need for silence and two complementary sentiments: a profound, heartfelt
desire to give thanks and a feeling of human powerlessness" as he faces
the lofty task that awaits him, with the Cardinals' support.
The following is a translation of the Holy Father's Address, which
was given in Italian.
Venerable Brother Cardinals,
1. I am also meeting you today and I would like to tell you in a
simple, brotherly way of the state of mind that I am experiencing in
these days. The intense emotions that I felt on the occasion of the
death of my Venerable Predecessor John Paul II and then during the
Conclave, and especially at its conclusion, amount to a deep need for
silence and two complementary sentiments: a profound, heartfelt desire
to give thanks and a feeling of human powerlessness as I face the lofty
task that awaits me.
First of all, gratitude. I feel it my duty, in the first place, to
thank God who wanted me, despite my human frailty, as the Successor of
the Apostle Peter, and has entrusted to me the task of governing and
guiding the Church so that she may be the sacrament of unity in the
world for the entire human race (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 1). We are
certain: it is the eternal Pastor who leads his flock with the power of
his Spirit and assures it in every age to the Pastors whom he has
chosen. In these days, the Christian people have prayed in unison for
the new Pontiff, and my first Meeting with the faithful in the evening
of the day before Yesterday in St Peter's Square was truly moving: to
everyone, Bishops, priests, men and women Religious, young people and
the elderly, I extend my most heartfelt gratitude for their spiritual
solidarity.
Warm gratitude to everyone
2. I feel I owe deep thanks to each one of you, Venerable Brothers,
beginning with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who has just expressed affection
and cordial good wishes to me on behalf of you all. With him I thank the
Camerlengo, Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, for his generous service
in this sensitive period of passage.
I would next like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the members
of the College of Cardinals for their active collaboration in the
management of the Church during the Vacant See. I would like to greet
with special affection the Cardinals who were prevented by age or
illness from taking part in the Conclave. I am grateful to each one for
your example of availability and fraternal communion as well as for your
intense prayers, both of which are expressions of faithful love for the
Church, the Bride of Christ.
In addition, I cannot fail to address my heartfelt thanks to all
those, in their different capacities, who cooperated in the organization
and unfolding of the Conclave and helped the Cardinals in many ways to
spend these days laden with responsibility in the safest and most
tranquil manner.
God's help, Cardinals' support
3. Venerable Brothers, I owe you my most personal gratitude for the
trust you have placed in me by electing me Bishop of Rome and Pastor of
the universal Church. It is an act of trust that encourages me to
undertake this new mission more serenely, for I am convinced that in
addition to God's indispensable help I can also count on your generous
collaboration. Please never let me lack your support!
If on the one hand I am aware of my personal limitations and limited
abilities, on the other hand I well know the nature of the mission
entrusted to me and am preparing myself to carry it out with an attitude
of inner dedication. It is not a matter of honours but of a service to
be rendered with simplicity and willingness, imitating our Teacher and
Lord who did not come to be served but to serve (cf. Mt 20:28), and at
the Last Supper washed the
Apostles' feet, commanding them to do likewise (cf. Jn 13:13-14). It
only remains for me, and for all of us together, to accept from
Providence the will of God and to do our best to measure up to it,
helping one another to carry out our respective tasks in the service of
the Church.
A life offered for world's salvation
4. I would like at this moment to think back to my Venerable
Predecessors, BI. John XXIII, the Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul
I, and especially John Paul II, whose witness in his last days gave us
more support than ever and whose lively presence we still continue to
feel. The sorrowful event of his death, after a period of great trials
and suffering, proved to have the paschal features for which he had
expressed the hope in his Testament (24 February-1 March 1980). The
light and strength of the Risen Christ shone out in the Church from that
sort of "last Mass" that he celebrated in his agony, which culminated in
the "Amen" of a life entirely offered, through the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, for the world's salvation.
United in the Eucharist
5. Venerable Brothers! Each one of you will now be returning to your
respective Sees to resume your work, but spiritually we will remain
united in the faith and love of the Lord, in the bond of the Eucharistic
celebration, in persistent prayer and in the sharing of our daily
apostolic ministry. Your spiritual closeness, your enlightened advice
and your effective cooperation will be a gift for me for which I will
always be grateful and an incentive to fulfil the mandate entrusted to
me with total fidelity and dedication.
I entrust all of us and the expectations, hopes and worries of the
entire community of Christians to the Virgin Mother of God, who
accompanied the steps of the newborn Church with her silent presence and
comforted the faith of the Apostles. I ask you to walk under the
motherly protection of Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, docile and obedient
to the voice of her divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. As I call upon
her constant patronage, I impart to each one of you and to all those
whom divine Providence entrusts to your pastoral care my heartfelt
Apostolic Blessing.
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