“The homily
Pope Francis gave at Lampedusa represented a turning point. It
resembled the Gaudet Mater Ecclesia, the opening speech John XXIII gave
at the Second Vatican Council. Not many seemed to have noticed this,”
says Church historian Alberto Melloni, stressing the importance of the
Pope’s words during his recent visit to the southern Italian island of
Lampedusa on 8 July.
Melloni told Vatican Insider that “Pope John XXIII wrapped a message of huge evangelical importance inside a web of traditional, devotional words. And he was perfectly aware of how powerful these were. This is evident from his decision to preserve the original copy of the opening speech made at the Second Vatican Council, so that it would be clear to future generations that it was the fruit of his own work. Pope Francis’ secret is different: he puts extraordinary doctrinal concepts into a language that is easy to understand. Lampedusa is an example of this; in fact for me it is the most important example.”
According to Melloni, on an occasion such as that, anyone else would have talked about the death of our society, bout modernity and about indifference. But Francis spoke about Christians’ place in society and in the world. In his penitential liturgy, he didn’t leave anyone out, not even himself.”
Melloni was referring to the part of Francis’ homily where he said: “How many of us, myself included, have lost our bearings; we are no longer attentive to the world in which we live; we don’t care; we don’t protect what God created for everyone, and we end up unable even to care for one another! And when humanity as a whole loses its bearings, it results in tragedies like the one we have witnessed.”
Melloni, who is also director of Alberigo’s Bologna school of thought, explained that the Pope’s aim is not to teach his audience how to be in the world. He talks about tears and self-accusation. In his final prayer, when he asked for forgiveness for the indifference shown to many brothers and sisters, “for those who are complacent and closed amid comforts which have deadened their hearts” and “for those who by their decisions on the global level have created situations that lead to these tragedies,” Francis is pointing to the role and purpose of the Church in society.
Melloni said that after John Paul II, who “saw the Church as an entity which aimed to show its strength in the world” and Benedict XVI, who “described the Church as a small humble community, a creative minority, which helped the world, in a non arrogant way, to recognise the evil that existed within it,” comes Francis with his talk of a “theophoric people,” who are bearers of God...” Here he was referring to the people of Lampedusa who are a living example of the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (25:35) which reads: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
The historian explained that in his message, Pope Francis “said that the Church’s task in society is not to show its strength. Look at the same-sex marriage saga in France. The fact Francis didn’t comment on it doesn’t mean he approves or that he has no idea of what’s going on, or that he’s seeking mediation. He suggests completely switching perspectives, focusing on the poor and Christ’s presence in them. It is not the world that is judged by this presence, but the Church. This is one remarkable doctrinal operation the Pope is engaging in,” Melloni added.
The Pope “doesn’t say: follow natural law and at least consider God as a possibility, then you’ll see society fares better. Instead, he says there is a great potential for evangelical action in places where the poor are not cared for. That is where the Church finds its meaning. The Pope doesn’t just seek out Christians or those who help because they are Christian but also the people described in chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel,” Melloni said.
Professor Melloni added it would be wrong to focus solely on the problem of immigration: “The Church is penitent before the Lord. The Pope is aware that there are entities in everyday life that preach the Gospel to the Church itself. This is the conciliar doctrine of the “signs of the times”, in other words things which communicate the Gospel to us. I personally believe the speech in Lampedusa was like an encyclical encapsulating Francis’ pontificate.”