No fireworks in Francis' American grand finale

Philadelphia. Pope Francis concludes his visit to the U.S. with a mass at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, surrounded by crowds as far as the eye could see, in a jubilant city sealed with exceptional security measures. The homily was the Pope’s last opportunity to speak, and it was neither a lecture nor an introduction to the family issue, which the Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput has invoked several times in his political remarks. This was simply a homily. Those who thought Francis would address the “challenges” that stand before the family at this “critical” time, themes hinted at in the last days speeches, was caught off guard by the simple words of a pastoral Pope, the same who a few hours earlier, had urged the Pennsylvania clergy to “invest our energies not so much in rehearsing the problems of the world around us and the merits of Christianity”, but rather in preaching by example. Starting from the frictions alluded to in the day’s readings, he uttered a warning in his typical Francis-style: “the temptation to be scandalized by the freedom of God, who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike, bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner circles, threatens the authenticity of faith. Hence it must be vigorously rejected.”

Francis then linked this directly to a criticism of a particular type of religious tribalism, another example of a recurring theme of these days, that of the harmful temptation to divide the world into good and bad:  “To raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not “part of our group”, who are not “like us”, is a dangerous temptation.” Not only does it “block” conversion, said the Pope, but “it is a perversion of faith”. Instead, faith “opens a ‘window’ to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures.” On this last point, the Pope wove a web of references to the small, loving gestures that are interspersed throughout a family’s day, once again insisting on a colloquial tone, without explicitly delving into the theoretical.

Traduzione di Chiara Salce