02271986 SJPII speech OFMconv at the Seraphicum
On February 27, 1986, the Pope visited the new headquarters of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Saint Bonaventure in Rome (the "Seraphicum"), which is entrusted to the Minor Conventual Brothers. In the main hall of the Faculty and with the presence of the General Minister OFMConv, the academic authorities, numerous ecclesiastical authorities, the teachers and students of the center, representatives of the other Franciscan families, etc., he gave the following speech.
1. It is a source of great satisfaction for me to meet here today and speak to your qualified community of superiors, professors and students of the Order of Franciscan Minor Conventuals, gathered in this new headquarters of the Theological Faculty "Seraphicum".
I cordially greet the Minister General, Fr. Lanfranco Serrini, the rector-guardian, Fr. Fanin, and the professors of the Faculty. I think of the Rev. president, Fr. Francisco Javier Pancheri, whom the Lord has called unexpectedly these days, while preparing the present meeting. I greet with lively affection the entire community of students and I also greet the parents gathered for the extraordinary General Chapter. I thank you all for having longed for this meeting: I know how much the example and teachings of Saint Francis bind you to the See of Peter.
How can we not remember on this occasion his words, frequently referred to by his biographers: "Let us go, then, to our mother, the holy Roman Church, and let us manifest to the Supreme Pontiff what the Lord is beginning to do through us, so that by will and command let us continue what we have begun" (TC 46). This is what I wish with this visit to encourage and encourage the works that you have undertaken: this Faculty and this seraphic seminary; the commemoration of the two pontiffs Sixtus IV and Sixtus V, on their respective centenaries of death and the beginning of the pontificate; and the study of your chapter on the heritage that the martyr Maximilian Kolbe has left to your Order: an awakening of Franciscan spirituality, your mission in relation to the devotion of the Immaculate Conception and the updating of all the modalities of apostolate in the which the conventual friars minor are in charge of.
Saint Francis, Saint Bonaventure and the studies
Zurbarán: S. Buenaventura2. First of all, the "Seraphicum." As is well known, your religious family wanted to found this Institute in Rome with three fundamental objectives: to give students theological instruction at the university level, introducing them to the use of sources and scientific work; prepare teachers for the other theological colleges of the Order; and preserve and renew the illustrious scientific tradition that is characteristic of you. All this in the main context of the religious, priestly, intellectual and apostolic formation of the students; In fact, the new headquarters was necessary due to the growing number of students and to develop the modern demands of study. I am pleased with you for this distinguished and functional work.
Saint Francis also “wanted such ministers of the Word of God that, dedicating themselves to sacred studies, they would not become overwhelmed with other occupations. Well, he used to say that a great king had chosen them to transmit to the people the orders received from his mouth" (2 Cel 163).
Precisely for this reason the Faculty is inspired by Saint Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, a valiant defender of the obligation of study on the part of the friars minor and, furthermore, a distinguished model in the realization of the Franciscan ideal of the scholar. Indeed, his example shines for two important characteristics: he was a contemplative in the study of theology and he exhausted himself in the service of the Church. He was precisely called the Seraphic Doctor because his exceptional speculative power was constantly inspired by the affectionate and fervent consideration of the mystery of Christ. His work as a brilliant thinker and acute metaphysician, his profound analysis of theological themes cannot be separated from his mystical doctrine. His example teaches us that the fundamental principle of theological science is piety that springs from the experience of God. Remember well that the student of the theological faculties "does not measure himself with an impersonal and cold truth, but with the Self of God, who in Revelation has become "You" for man and has opened a dialogue with him, in which manifests to him some aspect of the unfathomable richness of his being" (John Paul II, Homily during the inauguration of the academic year of the universities and centers of ecclesiastical studies of Rome, 15-X-79; L'OssRom, Ed. in Spanish language, 18-XI-79).
Saint Bonaventure, furthermore, served the Church until he was consumed by it, fulfilling, as is known, his laborious service in the preparation of the Second Council of Lyon, convened by Gregory X. I wish you that your life in the Seraphicum is totally open to the ideal of the Franciscan exhortation, which invites you to first receive in the secret of prayer what is later poured out in preaching, so as not to utter cold words outwardly (cf. 2 Cel 163).
Sixtus IV and Sixtus V
3. This academic session attempts above all to commemorate two popes, your brothers: Sixtus IV, of whom we remember the V centenary of his death; and Sixtus V, on the fourth centenary of his election to the supreme pontificate; both, devoted sons of Saint Francis in the Order of Minor Conventual Franciscans. The study of the pontificate of these my predecessors will certainly serve to show how they were not only worthy of the Order, but also of the entire Church, of culture and, in a special way, of the city of Rome.
Sixtus IV, Brother Francisco della Rovere da Savona, was a man of simple character, personal kindness and great religiosity, known for his strong Marian devotion. He celebrated the Holy Year of 1475, intervened in favor of the cult of the Immaculate Conception, and built the churches of "Santa María del Popolo" and "Santa María della Pace" in Rome. His memory is closely linked to the intuition he had of the profound cultural change of his time. For this reason he promoted studies, protected humanists, scientists and artists. It can be said that he was the true and effective founder of the Vatican Library. He gave the people of Rome the first core of the works of art that gave rise to the Capitoline museums. The Sistine Chapel was built by him for papal celebrations.
Furthermore, he was a man of charity and social enterprises. He worked with great effort and energy to liberate the city of Otranto from Turkish occupation. He rebuilt the Holy Spirit Hospital for the poor, pilgrims and the sick. He built the Sixtus Bridge and transformed the regulatory plan of Rome, giving it a more modern appearance, from a medieval city to a Renaissance city.
Sixtus V, Felice Peretti, in his five years of pontificate, became famous for his strong moral character, for his austerity of life and for the administrative rigor of the city and the Papal States. He is also recognized as a distinguished promoter of arts and culture; He projected for Rome a true regulatory plan of surprising modernity. We cannot forget some of its particularly interesting and useful measures for the life of the Church.
First of all we must remember that, with great wisdom and foresight, he created the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the modern Congregations. Furthermore, trying to fully carry out the Catholic reform, according to the spirit of the Council of Trent, he dictated the new norms for the "ad limina" visit of the bishops. He gave provisions for the life of religious orders and congregations. And we must remember the founding of the Vatican Typography and, above all, the effort it put into publishing the Vulgate translation of the Bible, strongly motivated by the desire, which Paul of Tarsus had already had, to guide all his pastoral activity to the jealous custody of the "deposit of faith" and to the tireless propagation of the message of salvation. It is particularly significant for you to remember that Sixtus V founded the "Romanum S. Bonaventurae Collegium", from which, through an uninterrupted cultural tradition, the "Seraphicum" has emanated.
4. Leaving to historians a broader examination and judgment on the figures and the meaning of the work carried out in the Church by these two popes who have succeeded each other a hundred years apart, I would like to highlight the pastoral idea that guided them in the pontifical service, under the stimulus of complex events.
It is worth appreciating Sixtus IV's insight into the cultural change of his time. He realized that a new European cultural era was looming on the horizon, and he understood that humanism would profoundly challenge the Church. For this reason he was farsighted, committing means and people so that the Roman See was open especially to scholars, historians, writers and artists, recognizing that through this path a dialogue could be established with a profoundly renewed world. Therefore, the pontificate of Sixtus IV can be considered a significant moment of the divine plan that guides the Church in the fulfillment of its mission.
The figure of Sixtus V was diverse, who lived his brief pontificate in the complex and urgent commitment of Catholic reform. Due to his brilliant and brilliant mind, during the five years of his pontificate he captured the attention of his contemporaries and was universally admired for his sincere religiosity and administrative and government rigor. He was one of the most helpful popes of the post-Tridentine reform, who combined unusual tenacity and great courage with a clear vision of the problems that burdened the Apostolic See and with an extremely practical spirit.
We know that only God, creator of the universe, moderates and directs history by acting on human events, throughout the course of time, a plan of salvation known only to Him. Well, if on the one hand the history of Church of those times requires an examination of conscience, despite this we can certainly assure that these two pontiffs contributed, in the visible history of the Church, to the invisible plan of divine Providence.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe
5. Finally, I want to express my deep satisfaction with the topic that occupies your capitular fathers: the inheritance left by Father Maximilian Kolbe to the Franciscan family of the Conventuals.
The priest who offers his own life for his brothers, and who follows out of love the example of Jesus Christ until the total and complete oblation of his own existence through an act of supreme charity, is a gift from God, a compromising example, offered to your meditation by the Providence of the Lord.
It is evident that at the center of the spiritual life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe is devotion to the Immaculate Virgin. You will remember how precisely in your community, in San Teodoro, the Movement of the Militia of the Immaculate Conception was born; and you know well how he persevered as a Knight of the Immaculate Conception until the end of his life in the concentration camp, and persevered in fidelity to his Lady in an admirable way. Because of this profound faith he has become a sign for our time, since his sacrifice was offered as a testimony of the sublime value of man's life. At the basis of his holiness - as I said on the occasion of his canonization - is the great and deeply painful human cause (cf. Selections on Franciscanism, n. 33, 1982, pp. 372-376). In this sense, Maximilian Kolbe is a sign offered to our times, a warning and an example that can awaken effective motives for your apostolate. Appropriately, then, you ask yourself what his heritage is and what impact his life may have on your Order today, what pastoral response is asked of you today, in light of his example and his devotion to the Immaculate Virgin. I hope that this reflection can contribute to a strong increase in the numerous forms of apostolate that you deal with in your ecclesial service.
6. Dearest: With these sentiments I express my best wishes for the Extraordinary Chapter, for the centenary celebrations and for the prosperity of the Seraphicum, while I heartily impart my apostolic blessing to you, to the brothers of the communities from which you come and to all the apostolic works of the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals.
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