In major address to Italian Catholic convention, Pope explains his vision of 'Christian humanism'

November 10, 2015

Pope Francis sketched out his vision of “practical Christian humanism” in a major address to the 5th National Ecclesiastical Congress in Florence, Italy, on November 10.

The Pope spoke to an audience of about 2,500 participants in the national gathering of the Italian Catholic Church during a one-day trip to Tuscany. Earlier in the day he had visited the city of Prato (see today’s separate CWN headline story. Then, after a helicopter flight to Florence, he had lunch with the homeless—eating off a paper plate and serving lemonade to his fellow diners—before addressing the Ecclesial Congress.

In a lengthy (49-minute) speech, the Pope said that Christian humanism must begin by affirming “the centrality of Jesus.” The faithful should strive to adopt the same attitudes that Jesus lived, he said. The hallmarks of those attitudes, he continued, are humility, an absence of self-interest, and joy.

The Pontiff also warned against two temptations that Christians commonly encounter: the temptations toward Pelagianism or Gnosticism. Pelagianism, he explained, centers the faith “in structures, in organizations, in plans that are perfect because they are abstract.” Gnosticism, on the other hand, trusts in “logical and clear reasoning—which, however, loses the tenderness of the flesh.”

Exploring those two themes further, Pope Francis insisted that Christians must not remain “shut up within structures that give a false sense of security, within rules that make us harsh judges.” He said:

Faced with the ills or the problems of the Church, it is useless to seek solutions in conservatism or fundamentalism, in the restoration of outdated forms and conduct that have no capacity for meaning, even culturally.

Regarding Gnosticism, the Pope remarked: “The difference between Christian transcendence and any other form of gnostic spiritualism resides in the mystery of the Incarnation.”

The world today, Pope Francis told his audience, is “not living in an era of change so much as a change of eras.” Throughout his speech he emphasized the need for a willingness to change and a determination to bring about change in society. “I would like a restless Italian Church,” he said.

However, the Pope cautioned, the Church should not rely on political clout or public influence to bring about change. “May God protect the Church in Italy from any kind of surrogate of power, image, and money,” he said.

Still, the Holy Father said, Christian humanism can influence society through the action of the faithful and because “the Church also knows how to give a clear answer to the threats that emerge within public debate.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis: A new humanism in Christ Jesus (Vatican Radio)
• Francis to the National Ecclesial Congress: the traits of Christian humanism (VIS)
• Pope Francis eats with the poor in Florence (Vatican Radio)