A culture of encounter: Pope Francis

By Pope Francis

Message by Pope Francis to the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement
The Holy Father uses the format of an honest and direct dialogue to give us his vision and expectations of the topics which formed the focus of the experiences and pastoral projects of the jubilee celebrations in Schoenstatt: family life, education, youth evangelization, the church, and a new social order. It is the Holy Father’s message to an ecclesial movement of renewal during a moment of grace, both in the jubilee celebration of our founding and this moment in the life of the Church. One can understand the deeper meaning and value of this audience when seen from the real life that preceded it and reflects an experience of the church that our founder, Fr. Joseph Kentenich, desired through his work and selflessness -- a Church that is truly family, not only in spirit but also in its forms and attitudes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nueva Patris
• Release date: Nov 20, 2015

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Mission

Prologue

More than a prologue --that would be bold of me-- these words are an invitation to draw closer in a spirit of faith --both personally and as a community-- to a text that provides adds a climatic and providential message to the jubilee celebrations of the centenary of the Covenant of Love.

The words that follow are a faithful translation of what was said during the audience. The Holy Father uses the format of an honest and direct dialogue to give us his vision and expectations of the topics which formed the focus of the experiences and pastora

l projects of the jubilee celebrations in Schoenstatt: family life, education, youth evangelization, the church, and a new social order.

The Holy Father’s words do not need any kind of clarification or explanation. They are direct, clear and understandable to everyone, both those who attended the audience and those who accompanied this ecclesial moment from a distance. The Holy Father’s words bring together simple ideas that are deeply theological (examine what he says about the culture of encounter and Covenant culture, the renewal of the Covenant in the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation) and current pastoral challenges and dangers (such as preparation for the sacraments, a body to body pastoral work, the need to de-centre ourselves so that Jesus can become our centre and the danger of a perfectionist functionalism). The text also expresses Pope Francis’ honest and personal testimony of his pastoral and faith life, including his disconcerting I don’t know… after being asked how he can remain joyful and hopeful when surrounded by such extreme challenges, or what a spirit of freedom means in his life and his secrets at the end of the audience. These words invite us to meditate on the bible to deepen the value of a culture of encounter, and simultaneously motivate us to have the courage and endurance" to proclaim the Good News, as he urges us in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

For some, this may have been a disconcerting meeting because it differed from the format that is normally expected at these types of audiences, but it is the Holy Father’s message to an ecclesial movement of renewal during a moment of grace, both in the jubilee celebration of our founding and this