One of the most outstanding of Pope Benedict XVI's appointments has been that of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, whom he plucked from the low-profile post of bishop for Italy's military in 2007 to succeed Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who had led the Italian bishops' coinference for 16 years. Recommended by Ruini himself, he quickly proved to be his own man, following and carrying out Benedict XVI's line as Ruini did, but in his own way, tending to attract less polemic than the dynamic political activism of the equally mild-mannered Ruini.
His addresses as CEI president and as Archbishop of Genoa have been models in defining the pastoral agenda for the Church in Italy, as well as in underscoring the evangelical and theological emphases of Benedict XVI. He came up with another remarkable surprise in his homily for the concluding Mass of the CEI Permanent Council's winter meeting in Ancona this week.
Cardinal Bagnasco urges priests:
Emulate the Pope who carries out
his mission without fear of criticism
Rome, Italy, Jan 27, 2011 (CNA) -
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genova, Italy said that priests should follow the model of Pope Benedict XVI in fulfilling their missions without fear of criticism.
The country's bishops were gathered in Ancona, Italy for the conclusion of their winter meetings on Jan. 27. Cardinal Bagnasco, president of the bishops’ conference, gave the homily during the closing Mass in the city's cathedral.
"If the nihilistic culture tends to erase the interior life of people, priests must help the faithful to rediscover it,” Cardinal Bagnasco. “And in this mission they cannot be afraid of incomprehension or criticisms."
"The example to follow is that of Pope Benedict XVI, who teaches us humility, the disarming clarity of the truth, the lucid wisdom of dialogue, the ardent prudence of action, freedom before the world and the courage that comes from knowing he is in the hands of God."
Cardinal Bagnasco added that priests have the task of maintaining their hope without hesitation. This hope enables them to respond to the expectations "not only of the Catholic community, but also those the whole of society demands of us — despite our limits and weaknesses — words that echo those of the Lord."
"We are called and driven to put the light of our priesthood in service to the world, to relate it to the many spheres of life, and to illuminate the perennial questions of the mystery of pain and death, the meaning of our being, each of our destines, the reason for this extraordinary and dramatic universe and the moral good and evil," the cardinal said.
He encouraged priests to fight against the routine that makes "life fade" and "dulls the faith," which "numbs the vibration of the soul before the Eucharistic mystery."
The cardinal exhorted his fellow priests to "remember daily the 'yes' to him who chose us by his mercy and who invested us with his priesthood."