The Pope: deacons are not “half-priests” or “luxury choirboys” but humble servants

Vatican City

Not “half-priests” or “luxury choirboys”, but caring servants who give themselves so that no one is excluded; “Humble”, “good husbands and good parents”; “Sentinels” capable of spotting the poor and the far-off: this is how Pope Francis describes deacons, in his address to the permanent deacons of the diocese of Rome received in audience this morning in the Hall of Blessings, entrusting them with the mandate of the service.

The tradition of diakonia

At the start of the audience, Francis greets Giustino Trincia, appointed yesterday by Cardinal Vicar Angelo De Donatis as the new director of the diocesan Caritas, replacing “Don Ben”, the Romanian priest Benoni Ambarus, whom Francis had in turn appointed bishop. Auxiliary of Rome. With affection, the Pope also greets Andrea Sartori, a 49-year-old deacon who has been entrusted to the parish of San Estanislao, in the region of Cinecittà, in the parish house where he lives with his wife Laura and their four children. It is an “old custom”, says the Pope, “to entrust a church to a deacon so that it becomes a diakonia”. We must turn to these ancient traditions which go back to the roots of the Church of Rome, recommends the Pope: “I am not thinking only of San Lorenzo, but also of the choice to give life to the Diakonians.

The diaconate helps overcome the scourge of clericalism

Then, the Pope stops at the ministry of the deacon: “The principal way to follow is that indicated by the Vatican Council II”, in particular the Lumen Gentium, which says that the deacons “are laid hands not for the priesthood, but for the service . “A” non-negligible “difference, says the Pope, because the diaconate – until then reduced to an order of passage to the priesthood -” thus finds its place and its specificity. And this “helps to overcome the scourge of clericalism, which places a caste of priests ‘above’ the people of God ”.

Power is at the service

In the Church an inverse logic must reign, “the logic of abasement”, says Francis: “We are all called to humble ourselves, because Jesus humbled himself, he became the servant of all. If there is anyone who is great in the Church, it is He, who has become the least and the servant of all. “It all starts here:” The power is in service, not in anything else. If this dimension is not lived, warns the Pontiff, “every ministry empties from the inside, becomes sterile, does not produce fruit. And little by little it becomes worldly”.

Not half-priests or fancy altar boys

Today, however, there is another aspect to be paid attention, which is the decrease in the number of priests, for which the engagement of deacons has multiplied “in substitute tasks which, although important , do not constitute the specificity of the diaconate. “. Los diáconos, en efecto, ensña el Concilio, están sobre todo “dedicados a los oficios de la caridad y de la administración” y en los primeros siglos, cuando atendían las necesidades de los fieles en Nombre del obispo, eran activos entre los pobres y the patients. Today, the Roman deacons are very present in Caritas and in other realities close to the poor. It is a good road, says Pope Francis, because “thus, they will never lose their compass”.

Don’t turn life around the agenda

Deacon spirituality is therefore the spirituality of service: “Availability within and openness to the outside”. “Available from within, from the heart, ready to say yes, docile, without turning life around its own agenda; and open to the outside, with an eye on everyone, especially those who have been left behind. side, to those who feel excluded “, recommends the Pope. And he proposes” three brief ideas “which do not go in the direction of” things to do “, but of” dimensions to cultivate “.

Do everything without regret

First of all, be “humble”. “It is sad to see a bishop and a priest show themselves, but it is even sadder to see a deacon who wants to put himself at the center of the world! May all the good that you do be a secret between you and God. And so it will bear fruit. ” said the Pope. And then he adds: be “good husbands and good parents”.

“It will give hope and comfort to couples who are going through moments of fatigue and who will find in its authentic simplicity an outstretched hand. They may think, “Look at our deacon! He is happy to be with the poor, but also with the parish priest and even with his children and his wife: “To do everything with joy, without complaint: it is a testimony which is worth more than many sermons.

Sentries to spot those who are far away

Finally, the Pope wants the deacons to be sentinels: “Not only do they know how to spot the distant and the poor – it is not that difficult – but they also help the Christian community to discover Jesus in the poor and the far. , knocking on our doors through them.