Find the homily of the inauguration mass of the new pope

“Dear Cardinal brothers,
Brothers in the episcopate and in the priesthood,
distinguished authorities and members of the diplomatic corps,
Greetings to pilgrims who came for the jubilee of the brotherhoods!
siblings,

It is with a heart full of gratitude that I greet you all at the start of the ministry that was entrusted to me. Saint Augustine wrote: “You made us for you, Lord, and our heart is without rest as long as it is resting in you” (The Confessions, 1.1.1).

In recent days, we have experienced a particularly intense moment. The death of Pope Francis filled our hearts with sadness and, in these difficult hours, we felt like these crowds whose Gospel says they were “like sheep without shepherd” (cf. Mt 9, 36). The day of Easter, however, we received his last blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we faced this moment in the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, that he brings him together when he is dispersed and that he “keeps him like a shepherd his herd” (Jr 31, 10).

In this spirit of faith, the college of cardinals met for the conclave; Coming from different stories and journeys, we gave in the hands of God the desire to elect the new successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, a pastor capable of keeping the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, to take his gaze in the distance to answer the questions, the concerns and the challenges of today. Accompanied by your prayer, we felt the action of the Holy Spirit which knew how to grant the different musical instruments by vibrating the strings of our hearts in a unique melody.

I was chosen without any merit and, with fear and tremors, I come to you as a brother who wants to make the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of the love of God, who wants us to be united in a single family.

Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus.

This is what the passage of the Gospel tells us that leads us to the lake of Tiberias, where Jesus had started the mission received from the Father: “fishing” humanity to save it from the waters of evil and death. By passing on the shore of this lake, he had called Pierre and the other first disciples to be like him “men’s fishermen” and now, after the resurrection, it is up to them to continue this mission, to throw the net again and again to dive into the waters of the world the hope of the Gospel, to sail on the Sea of ​​Life so that everyone can find themselves in the embrace of God.

How can Pierre pay this task? The Gospel tells us that this is only possible because he has experienced the infinite and unconditional love of God in his own life, including at the time of failure and denial. This is why, when Jesus is addressed to Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapaowhich refers to the love that God has for us, to his unreserved offering and without calculation, different from that used for Pierre’s response, which rather describes the love of friendship, which we have between us.

When Jesus asks Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (Jn 21, 16), he therefore refers to the love of the Father. It is as if Jesus said to him: it is only if you have known and experienced this love of God, which never lacks, that you can graze my lambs; It is only in the love of God the Father that you can love your brothers an “even more”, that is to say by offering your life for your brothers.

To Pierre is therefore entrusted the task of “loving more” and giving his life for the herd. The ministry of Peter is precisely marked by this oblative love, because the church of Rome presides over charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of imprisoning others by domination, religious propaganda or the means of power, but it is always and only to love it as Jesus did.

He – affirms the apostle Peter himself – “is the stone despised by you, the builders, but become the corner stone” (AC 4, 11). And if the stone is Christ, Pierre must graze the herd without ever giving in to the temptation to be a lonely leader or a chief placed above the others, being master of the people who are entrusted to him (cf. 1 p 5, 3). On the contrary, he is asked to serve the faith of his brothers, walking with them: indeed, we are all constituted “living stones” (1 p 2, 5), called by our baptism to build the building of God in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the spirit, in the coexistence of diversities. As Saint Augustine says: “The church is made up of all those who agree with their brothers and who love their neighbor” (Speech 359, 9).

This brothers and sisters, I would like it to be our first great desire: a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes closed for a reconciled world.

In our time, we still see too much discord, too many injuries caused by hatred, violence, prejudices, fear of the other, by an economic paradigm which exploits the resources of the earth and marginalizes the poorest. And we want to be, in the heart of this dough, a small sourdough of unity, communion, fraternity. We mean to the world, with humility and joy: look at Christ! Approach him! Welcome his speech that illuminates and consoles! Listen to his love proposal to become his only family: in the only Christ, we are one. And it is the road to travel together, between us, but also with the Christian churches sisters, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who cultivate the concern of the research of God, with all women and all men of good will, to build a new world where peace reigns!

This is the missionary spirit that must animate us, without locking ourselves in our small group or feeling superior to the world; We are called to offer everyone the love of God, so that this unity is realized which does not erase the differences, but values ​​the personal history of each and the social and religious culture of each people.

Brothers and sisters, it’s time of love! The charity of God who makes us brothers is at the heart of the Gospel and, with my predecessor Léon XIII, today, we can ask ourselves if we would not see “the appeasement being done in short delay, if these teachings could prevail in societies?” (Lett Enc. Rerum novarumn. 21)

With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let’s build a church based on the love of God and a sign of unity, a missionary church, which opens its arms to the world, announces the word, lets itself be challenged by history and becomes a sourdough of unity for humanity.

Together, like one people, like brothers all, let’s walk towards God and love each other. »»