“Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the
love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but
carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way – that is, with love,
joy and faith.”
That’s what Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered in
Saint Peter’s square on Wednesday for the weekly General Audience.
Speaking
in Italian, the Pope said the Church is not without sin because it is
made up of sinners. Priests, sisters, bishops, cardinals and even Popes
are sinners. ‘Who, among the pilgrims gathered in the square, he asked,
is not a sinner?’ ‘We are all sinners!’ He exclaimed.
Throughout
its two thousand year history, he said, the Church went through many
“trials, problems (and) moments of darkness.” But how can a Church “made
up of human beings, of sinners,” he asked, “be holy?”
Recalling
Christ, who gave himself up for the Church, he said this ultimate
sacrifice is what renders the Church holy. The Church, he went on, is
holy for three reasons: firstly because it is faithful to God, who does
not abandon it to the “powers of death and evil.” Secondly, because it
“is united in an everlasting way to Jesus Christ,”and thirdly, because
“it is led by the Holy Spirit who purifies, transforms and renews it.”
The
Church, he concluded, does not renounce sinners, but opens its doors to
everyone so they may find God’s tender mercy and forgiveness.
Below, we publish Pope Francis’ remarks read out in English by an assistant:
Dear
Brothers and Sisters: In the Creed, we confess our faith that the
Church is “holy”.
But how can we say that the Church is holy when she
is all too evidently made up of sinners?
Saint Paul helps us to see
things aright when he tells us that “Christ loved the Church and gave
himself up for her, to make her holy” (Eph 5:25-26). The Church is
inseparably one with Christ, and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
It is not ourselves, or our merits, which make the Church holy, but God
himself, through the infinite merits of Christ’s sacrifice on the
Cross. God calls all of us, as sinners, to be redeemed, renewed and
made holy in the communion of the Church. So the Church constantly
welcomes everyone, even the greatest sinners, to trust in God’s offer of
loving mercy, and to encounter Christ in the sacraments of Penance and
the Eucharist. Let us not be afraid to respond to Christ’s call, to
trust in the working of the Holy Spirit and to pray and strive for that
holiness which brings true joy to our lives.
I cordially greet the
members of the delegation from the International Centre for
Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna.
I also welcome the
Buddhist visitors from Japan, including the delegations from the Tendai
denomination and the Nakano Dharma Center of Rissho Kosei-kai.
Upon
all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s
Audience, including those from Scotland, Benin, Australia, India, Japan,
Canada and the United States I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!