By Vittoria Prisciandaro, photo by Marta Sarlo
The geography of Rome has variable geometries depending on the point of view. From the window of his office, Cardinal Baldassare (known to all as Baldo) Reina has a perspective that is a whole program: the Lateran obelisk, the Altare della Patria and, immediately behind, the dome of St. Peter’s. But the existential geography of the new vicar general of the Pope’s diocese, born in 1970 in the province of Agrigento, has its roots in the South: the cross he wears on his chest is that of Don Tonino Bello, in olive wood, the sinuous features which recall the wave of the sea and the wing of the seagull. And the figures who accompany him on this new path are the martyrs Pino Puglisi and Rosario Livatino.
The passage of the Holy Door, between selfies and crowds, can be a missed opportunity. With what attitude should we pass?
«The door has a very strong symbolic value, in the Gospel Jesus tells us that He is the door. It becomes reductive if, in addition to the physical gesture of crossing the door, there is no desire to open another door, which is that of one’s heart. Today I see many closed doors, there is almost no air, due to indifference, due to a culture of violence that is increasing in an exaggerated manner, due to this war that is devastating the world, and is on our doorstep. I hope that anyone who passes through the Holy Doors can decide to open their heart to their brother. It is the famous appeal of Saint John Paul II: “Open the doors to Christ”»
Continues…
Read the article in the Credere issue on newsstands from Thursday 19 December and in the parish from Saturday 21 December.
