Pope to Cl: Don Giussani a 'Maestro' for the Church, may he accompany us in prophecy

An audience with the Communion and Liberation movement in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of the centenary of the founder's birth. The invitation to make his charism as educator and son of the Church bear fruit in today''s world: "I have great hopes for you. Do not waste your precious time on gossip, distrust and opposition."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Don Luigi Giussani was "a father and teacher for the whole Church" who deserves our gratitude and whose charism we must keep alive without wasting time in "gossip, distrust and opposition," and whom we must ask to  "accompany us in prophecy for peace" - in an "increasingly violent and warlike world that really frightens" - and "in prophecy that proclaims the presence of God in the poor."

This is the message Pope Francis delivered in a long address to the people of the Communion and Liberation movement, who with so many groups from Italy and around the world filled St. Peter's Square this morning for a special audience in the year that marks the centenary of the birth of the founder, Fr. Luigi Giussani.

"Your movement does not lose its ability to gather and mobilize," noted the pope, who wanted to openly express his gratitude to Fr. Giussani. "As a priest," he said, "it did me good to meditate on some of his books. But gratitude is above all "for what he was able to sow and radiate everywhere for the good of the Church. Fr. Giussani was father and teacher, he was a servant of all the human anxieties and situations he was encountering in his educational and missionary passion. The Church recognizes his pedagogical and theological genius."

Looking at today Francis cited the delicate passage experienced by Cl in recent years: "There has been no lack of serious problems he said-divisions, and certainly also an impoverishment in the presence of such an important ecclesial movement as Communion and Liberation, from which the Church, and I myself, hope for more, much more. Times of crisis are times of recapitulation of your extraordinary history of charity, culture and mission; they are times of critical discernment of what has limited the fruitful potential of Fr. Giussani's charism; they are times of renewal and missionary revitalization in light of the current ecclesial moment, as well as the needs, sufferings and hopes of contemporary humanity."

"A crisis makes one grow," the pontiff said, provided that "unity is stronger than dispersive forces or the dragging on of old oppositions. Unity with those and those who lead the movement, unity with the pastors, unity in carefully following the indications of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, and unity with the Pope, who is the servant of communion in truth and charity."

Francis then recalled three aspects of Fr. Giussani's rich personality: his being a charismatic man, his vocation as an educator, and his love for the Church. "Fr. Giussani was certainly a man of great personal charisma, capable of attracting thousands of young people and touching their hearts. But this charisma came from having himself been "thunderstruck by the discovery of the mystery of Christ."

"Fr. Giussani attracted, convinced, and converted hearts because he transmitted to others what he carried inside after that fundamental experience of his: the passion for man and the passion for Christ as the fulfillment of man. So many young people followed him because young people have a great flair."

And how to make this charism still bear fruit in today? "It is not the charism that needs to change," Francis replied, "it is the ways of living it that can be an obstacle or even a betrayal to the purpose for which the charism was raised by the Holy Spirit. And recognizing them "is not possible except with a humble attitude and under the wise guidance of the Church."

"I encourage you to find the right ways and languages," Francis added, "so that the charism that Fr. Giussani handed over to you reaches new people and new environments, so that it can speak to today's world, which has changed compared to the beginnings of your movement. There are so many men and women who have not yet made that encounter with the Lord that changed and made your lives beautiful."

Fr. Giussani also "taught to have respect and filial love for the Church and, with great balance, always knew how to keep charisma and authority together, which are complementary, both necessary. Without authority one risks going off the path," the pope noted, "but without charisma the path risks becoming boring, no longer attractive to the people of that particular historical moment.

Finally, Pope Francis asked Cl for "concrete help for this time": "I invite you to accompany me in prophecy for peace, in prophecy that points to God's presence in the poor, in those who are abandoned and vulnerable, condemned or set aside in social construction; in prophecy that proclaims God's presence in every nation and culture, going out to meet the aspirations for love and truth, justice and happiness that belong to the human heart and that palpitate in the lives of peoples. Let this holy prophetic and missionary restlessness burn in your hearts. Do not stand still."

"Even difficult moments," he concluded, "can be moments of grace, and they can be moments of rebirth. Communion and Liberation was born precisely in a time of crisis such as '68. And later Fr. Giussani was not frightened by the moments of passage and growth of the Fraternity, but faced them with evangelical courage, reliance on Christ and in communion with Mother Church. Let us thank the Lord together for the gift of Fr Giussani. We invoke the Holy Spirit and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, so that all of you may continue, united and joyful, on the path he showed you with freedom, creativity and courage."