Dear readers, second a recent survey by Demopolis, published on January 18th, Pope Francis enjoys a great trust among the Italians, confirming – with a 76% of “liking”, Meaning what 3 out of 4 Italians – to be today “the public figure of which the Italians trust the most”. And this not only among those who are believers and practitioners but also outside the ecclesial “enclosure”.
All the more interesting, among the various aspects of the investigation, is the fact that The pontiff is appreciated not only for his “style” – “He likes his harmony with the real needs of families, the clarity and spontaneity of his words”, – but also and above all For the contents, or the choices made in the 12 years of pontificate: the constant call to peace against wars and brotherhood against hatred, attention to the last and weak with the return to the Gospel, spontaneity and way of communicating, attention to young people as protagonists of the future, The commitment to a welcoming Church towards everyone, the effort to renew the ecclesial institution, attention to the climatic crisis and the protection of the environment.
Also having identified the “hope” as the theme of the Jubilee It reveals a pope capable of warning a crisis that crosses, powerful, the whole world and to grasp the aspirations of public opinion. It is good news to rejoice. Pope Francis proved to be one of the few truly authoritative voices in this era of crisis.
I remember – and I believe it is well imprinted in the memory of each – As he accompanied that disorientation time that was the 2020 Pandemic. By contrast, it affects the news of a few days ago of A priest, Don Natale Santonocito, of the diocese of Palestrina, excommunicated by schism, because he said that Bergoglio is not the real Pope, conspiracy thesis which unfortunately – however absurd and indefensible – circulates in some fringes of traditionalist Catholics, with a corollary of equally ridiculous thesis (The pope who would betray the doctrine, unbalanced on the social rather than on the spiritual and so on). The religious excommunicated It is the last of a series of ecclesiastics incurred in the same sanction over a few months for the same reason.
To highlight how these ideas are unreal and false, just remember the quantity ofThe “spiritual” themes dealt with by Bergoglio in Wednesday’s hearings (not to mention the countless homilies, the angelus etc., as well as specific documents, such as Dilexit nos on the sacred heart of Jesus). And we must not forget that his Attention to social problems is placed in the wake of a very traditional magisterium Thatfrom the encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) of Leo XIII In Next, has always paid great attention to what we call today “Social doctrine of the Church”.
Beyond these tiny fringes of protesters, Demopolis’ investigation shows well how the people of God has “flavored” and cultures the guide of a shepherd who has “the smell of sheep” in the figure of Francesco, capable of grasping the instances of the Gospel and to translate them into the daily life of our time. An ¬Fiuto that the theological tradition calls sensus Fidelium. For the analogy, a phrase of the Gospel of John (10,14) comes to mind, where the shepherd par excellence speaks, Jesus: “I know my sheep and my sheep know me”. And you, dear friends? Tell us your opinions.
(Image at the top: Photo Reuters)
