VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
Today’s General Audience was dedicated to the Church as a “visible reality”: We are all sinners and it is right that this should provoke displeasure in us, especially when we set a bad example. But the Church can represent Jesus. The Pope also sent out an appeal against the Ebola virus
IACOPO SCARAMUZZI
VATICAN CITY
We are all sinners and “we experience our fragility and our limitations, which rightly provoke profound displeasure, especially when we give bad example and become a source of scandal.” Francis concluded today’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square appealing to the international community to increase efforts to combat the Ebola virus and talked about the visible dimension of the Church, which is different from its “spiritual reality”. If Christians become a source of scandal, some may say: ‘If this is a Christian, I prefer to be an atheist! Because people go by our witness.”
“When we refer to the Church, however, our thoughts turn immediately to our communities, our parishes, our diocese, to the structures in which we usually gather together and, of course, of the component and institutional figures which guide and govern it,” Francis pointed out. “This is the visible reality of the Church. We must ask, then: Are they two different things or the One Church? And, if it is the One Church, how can we understand the relationship between its visible and spiritual reality?” the Pope began today’s reflection by acking.
First, when we speak of the visible reality of the Church we said there are two – the visible reality which we see and the spiritual one – we must not think only of the Pope, Bishops, priests and consecrated persons. The visible reality of the Church is made up of the many baptized brothers and sisters around the world who believe, hope and love. [Moving from the prepared text] “Often, we hear people say: the Church doesn’t do this …the Church doesn’t do that!’ ‘Tell me who is the Church? – ‘Well the Church is the priests, the bishops, the Pope …’ We are all the Church! All of us all of us Baptized! We are the Church, the Church of Jesus’.” “Of all those who follow the Lord Jesus and, in His name, are close to the poor and the suffering, trying to offer some relief, comfort and peace.” Francis then set his prepared text aside and spoke off the cuff: “All of those who do these things, which the Lord sent us to do are the Church”. Thus we understand that the visible reality of the Church cannot be measured, it cannot be known in all its fullness: how can one know of all the good that is done?”
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