the entire speech for the closing of the conference on popular piety
Mr. Cardinal,
Dear brothers in the episcopate,
Dear priests, religious,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am happy to meet you here in Ajaccio, at the end of the Conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean, in which many researchers and bishops from France and different countries participated.
The lands washed by the Mediterranean Sea have entered history and have been the cradle of numerous civilizations that have experienced exceptional development. Let us recall in particular the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian civilizations which bear witness to the cultural, religious and historical importance of this great “lake” located between three continents, this unique sea in the world that is the Mediterranean.
Let us not forget that in classical literature, both Greek and Latin, the Mediterranean was often the ideal setting for the birth of myths, tales and legends. Likewise, philosophical thought and the arts, with navigation techniques, allowed the civilizations of the Mare nostrum to develop a high culture, to open lines of communication, to build infrastructures and aqueducts, and even more legal systems and institutions of great complexity whose basic principles are still valid and relevant today.
Between the Mediterranean and the Middle East, a very particular religious experience was born, linked to the God of Israel who revealed himself to men and initiated an incessant dialogue with his people, culminating with the singular presence of Jesus, the Son of God, the one who made the face of his Father and our Father definitively known, and who brought to completion the Alliance between God and humanity.
Two thousand years have passed since the Incarnation of the Son of God, and many eras and cultures have succeeded one another. At certain times in history, the Christian faith has illuminated the lives of people and their political institutions, while today, especially in European countries, the question of God seems to fade; and we find ourselves ever more indifferent to his presence and his Word. However, we must be careful in analyzing this scenario and not indulge in hasty considerations or ideological judgments which sometimes, still today, oppose Christian culture and secular culture.
On the contrary, it is important to recognize a reciprocal openness between these two horizons: believers are opening themselves more and more to the possibility of living their faith without imposing it, like leaven in the dough of the world and the environments in which they live; non-believers, or those who have distanced themselves from religious practice, are no strangers to the search for truth, justice and solidarity. Often, even if they do not belong to any religion, they carry in their hearts a greater thirst, a demand for meaning which leads them to question the mystery of life and to seek fundamental values for the common good. .
It is in this context that we can grasp the beauty and importance of popular piety (cf. St Paul VI, Exhort. ap. Evangelii Nuntiandin. 48). On the one hand, it reminds us of the Incarnation as the foundation of the Christian faith which is always expressed in the culture, history and languages of a people and which is transmitted through symbols, customs, rites and the traditions of a living community. On the other hand, the practice of popular piety also attracts and involves people who are on the threshold of faith, who do not practice assiduously but who find there the experience of their own roots and affections, as well as ideals and values that they consider useful for their lives and for society.
By expressing faith with simple gestures and symbolic languages rooted in the culture of the people, popular piety reveals the presence of God in the living flesh of history, strengthens the relationship with the Church and often becomes an opportunity for encounter , cultural exchange and celebration. In this sense, its practices give substance to the relationship with the Lord and to the content of faith by allowing it to truly incarnate in life and in history. In this regard, I like to recall a reflection by Blaise Pascal who, in a dialogue with a fictitious interlocutor, to help him understand how to achieve faith, says that it is not enough to multiply the proofs of faith. existence of God or making too much intellectual effort. We must rather look at those who have already progressed on the path, because they started with few things, “by taking holy water, by having masses said” (Thoughtsin Complete worksParis 2000, n. 681).
We must therefore not forget: “In popular piety, we can understand how the faith received has become incarnated in a culture and continues to be transmitted.” “In her there is therefore an actively evangelizing force which we cannot underestimate: it would be like ignoring the work of the Holy Spirit” (Exhortation. after Evangelii gaudiumn. 123; n. 126).
Of course, this reality must always be evaluated with careful theological and pastoral discernment. There is a risk, in fact, that the manifestations of popular piety are limited to external or folkloric aspects without leading to the encounter with Christ, that they are contaminated by aspects and “fatalistic or superstitious beliefs” ( ibid., 69). Or – another risk – that popular piety is used, instrumentalized by groups who intend to strengthen their identity in a polemical way, by fueling particularisms, oppositions, exclusionary attitudes. All this does not respond to the Christian spirit of popular piety and calls everyone, especially pastors, to vigilance, discernment and the promotion of constant attention to popular forms of religious life.
When popular piety succeeds in communicating the Christian faith and cultural values of a people, uniting hearts and merging a community, an important fruit is born that reflects on the whole of society as well as on the relations between civil and political institutions. and the Church. Faith does not remain a private fact that is exhausted in the sanctuary of conscience, but – if it intends to be fully faithful to itself – it implies a commitment and a witness to all for human growth, social progress and the protection of all creation, under the sign of charity. It is precisely for this reason that from the profession of the Christian faith and community life, animated by the Gospel and the sacraments, countless works of solidarity and institutions have emerged over the centuries as hospitals, schools, health centers – in France, there are many of them! – where believers have engaged with the most deprived and contributed to the growth of the common good. Popular piety, processions and rogations, the charitable activities of brotherhoods, community prayer of the Holy Rosary and other forms of devotion can nourish this “constructive citizenship” of Christians.
At the same time, on the common ground of this audacity to do good, believers can find themselves on a common path with secular, civil and political institutions, to work together for integral human growth and the safeguarding of this “island.” of beauty”.
Hence the need to develop a concept of secularism which is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic, capable of adapting to different or unforeseen situations, and of promoting constant cooperation between civil and ecclesiastical authorities for the benefit of the entire community, each remaining within the limits of its skills and space. As Benedict XVI affirmed, healthy secularism means “liberating belief from the weight of politics and enriching politics with the contributions of belief, maintaining the necessary distance, the clear distinction and the indispensable collaboration between the two. (…) Such healthy secularism guarantees politics to operate without instrumentalizing religion, and religion to live freely without being weighed down by politics dictated by interest, and sometimes inconsistent, or even contrary, to there belief This is why healthy secularism (unity-distinction) is necessary, and even essential to both” (Exhortation. after postsyn. Ecclesia in Medio Orienten. 29).
In this way, more energy and more synergies can be released, without prejudice and without principled opposition, within the framework of an open, frank and fruitful dialogue.
Dear friends, popular piety, very deeply rooted here in Corsica, brings out the values of faith and at the same time expresses the face, history and culture of the people. It is in this intertwining, without confusion, that the constant dialogue takes place between the religious world and the secular world, between the Church and civil and political institutions. On this subject, you have been on the road for a long time and you are a virtuous example in Europe. Continue on this path! And I would like to encourage young people to become even more actively involved in socio-cultural and political life, under the impetus of the healthiest ideals and passion for the common good. Likewise, I urge pastors and the faithful, politicians and those who exercise public responsibilities to always remain close to the people, listening to the needs, understanding the sufferings, interpreting the hopes, because all authority does not grow. than in proximity.
I hope that this Conference on popular piety will help you rediscover the roots of your faith and encourage you to a renewed commitment in the Church and in civil society, in the service of the Gospel and the common good of all citizens.
May Mary, Mother of the Church, accompany you and assist you on your journey.
