Archbishop of Moscow leaps to defence of Pope

The Archbishop of Moscow on Francis' words to young Russians: he invited them to be artisans of peace and sowers of reconciliation. The richness of the past must be placed at the service of dialogue.

Saddened by the controversy. But punctual in underlining the importance of the words addressed by Pope Francis to the children. The archbishop of Moscow Monsignor Paolo Pezzi, metropolitan of the Church dedicated to the Mother of God, ideally "relives" the video link with which the Pontiff participated in the Russian Youth Day last August 25 which brought together 400 boys and girls in St. Petersburg . In particular, he explains, the call for dialogue between generations and the need to build bridges were fundamental. With the others. And with his own past.

“I would say that there were many reasons that made this meeting “unique” – observes Monsignor Pezzi -. First of all, the presence of a new generation of young people, who in the vast majority were participating in such an event for the first time. Secondly, the global convergence which effectively prevented our young people from participating in the WYD in Lisbon, "creating" a certain sense of guilt and inadequacy, not easy to overcome.

And then the "explosion" of the meeting with the Holy Father: these boys immediately perceived that this important man was there for them, and with them. And he listened, interested. Furthermore, he had carefully prepared something to say to them, and this exceeded the discomfort of hearing him speak in Spanish!

The boys listened in silence, someone more creative made the automatic translator work on their mobile phone ... then our auxiliary bishop Monsignor Nikolaj Dubinin found an Italian translation and was thus able to give a summary of the speech in Russian. And the Pope was there waiting, without haste... to then answer the questions: he took them seriously, and gave answers of universal scope, for example on the value of diplomacy, or on the relationship between different confessions in the family".

The one in St. Petersburg, which ended on August 27, was an event that renews a tradition started in 2000. "Yes, it was the 10th meeting of young people from all over Russia. The boys had an explosive desire to meet, to talk to each other". The Pope has asked them to be artisans of peace and sowers of reconciliation. "Personally - explains Pezzi - I took the liberty of telling them during the concluding Holy Mass, that one becomes one through friendship with Christ and with each other, and by taking life seriously, which gives everyone a vocation".

However, politics and the international press focused on the words added off the cuff by the Pope. In particular, the invitation addressed to young people "not to forget" their identity. To guard the legacy "of great Russia, of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, that great and cultured Russian empire, of so much culture, of so much humanity".

Words that some of the Ukrainian leaders have read as "imperialist propaganda" in support of the hegemonic and hypernationalist plan of Russian President Putin. Above all, the reactions of Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuck, leader of the Greek-Catholic Church and of the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, were harsh.

cool the climate, the clarification of the director of the Press Office of the Holy See last Tuesday. As can be understood from the context in which the speech was held - explained Matteo Bruni - "the Pope intended to encourage young people to preserve and promote all that is positive in the great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage, and certainly not to exalt imperialist logic and government figures, cited to indicate certain historical periods of reference".

During the St. Petersburg event, no one had these retrospective thoughts - observes Monsignor Pezzi - and we were very saddened by the reactions. In any case, the Pope's words and the context (one must not extrapolate what he said at the end from his splendid speech) were intended to inspire confidence in young people in line with what the Holy Father always repeats, and which he reiterated: the past it is our wealth, our identity. It allows us to dialogue and build with anyone, and we need a dialogue between generations because building bridges means above all building them with one's past to look to the future with hope and openness". In particular, the Ukrainian government considers the reference to Peter the Great to which Putin himself has compared himself out of tune. Peter was among other things the tsar who led the Azov campaign against the Crimean Tatars. "While I understand the unease, it seems to me I can humbly say that the Pope was absolutely far from this reference. And I repeat, none of this occurred to us there".

The reference to Catherine II is also judged wrong by Kiev. Catherine completed Peter's work in Crimea and inspired the partition of Poland. "Yes, of course, but Catherine II is also the one who did away with the monasteries, who had a life that today a certain world would deem unacceptable, and another ...even prophetic. Catherine created the Catholic archdiocese, to which the Pope of that time had to conform and recognize it, Catherine "saved" the Jesuits... I repeat what I have already said: we were interested there in the Pope's presence and words, we just welcomed them."

So when he speaks of Great Mother Russia, the Pope is referring to its great cultural and religious tradition. "Perhaps we should remember that Christ coming to earth did not choose perfect men to make a perfect society into which no one could have entered. Christ chose poor people, full of sins, and to them He handed over His presence in history. This scandal persists. Christ did not condemn the Roman Empire for its invasions, Christ ... "simply made Christianity" as Péguy says. Every tradition, every age, will then be judged by the increase in humanity it has been able to pass on to future generations, as Guardini sharply argues. The Holy Father, in my opinion, simply stated this. And then he wanted to reiterate to young people the idea expressed in Lisbon: do not cultivate fear, be entrepreneurs of hope. Something about it one's own tradition will have to say."

The speech to the young Russians comes in the days of a great commitment to peace on the part of the Pope and the Holy See. A courageous work that is bearing fruit, especially on the humanitarian profile. "Yes, it's true, and young people are in the front row with their prayers, with their offerings for peace. We would have a lot to learn as adults."

Speaking to the youth, in the wake of the Lisbon WYD, the Pope urged them to replace fears with dreams. "Today more than anything else (this is my personal opinion) young people," Pezzi concludes, "are afraid of themselves, and in this sense the reference to the generational relationship and tradition were two really brilliant points touched on by the Holy Father. And they dream "big enough"! In this we want to accompany them. Let us remember what St. Catherine a of Siena said, "Do not be content with small things, God wants them to big. If you will be what you need to be, you will set fire to the whole of Italy."

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