‘Be revolutionary,’ Pope Francis tells members of secular institutes

May 12, 2014

Choosing not to deliver his prepared text, which he described as “boring,” Pope Francis challenged participants in a conference of Italian secular institutes to “be revolutionary.”

Pope Pius XII’s 1947 apostolic constitution Provida Mater Ecclesia, which provided a stable juridical discipline for secular institutes, was “a revolutionary act in the Church,” said Pope Francis.

“You live everyday life in the world, but at the same time preserve this contemplative dimension,” he said as he compared the members of secular institutes to yeast that leavens the institutions of society.

Pope Francis concluded by asking those assembled to pray for hope, to read Chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews frequently, and “do not forget: be revolutionary!”

 

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Further information:

• Udienza ai Partecipanti all’Incontro promosso dalla Conferenza Italiana degli Istituti Secolari (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope to Secular Institutes: You are revolutionary! (Vatican Radio)
• Institutes of Secular Life: A Sign of the Church in Dialogue (VIS)
• Venerable Pius XII: Provida Mater Ecclesia (1947)