The mission of proclaiming the salvation bestowed by Christ becomes fruitful if it manifests the face of a "patient Church", which "does not allow itself to be shocked and disturbed by changes, but serenely welcomes novelty and discerns situations in the light of the Gospel". A "fraternal Church", "without walls", made united and harmonious in its variety by the work of the Holy Spirit, an "open space" where anyone can enter and be welcomed not for "sterile proselytism" but because they are attracted and embraced "by the mercy of God. And where the bond of friendship and communion between those who are drawn to Christ can become "an instrument of fraternity for the world". With these evocative images, scattered throughout the first speech delivered in Cyprus on the afternoon of Thursday 2 December - the first day of the apostolic journey that in the coming days will also take him to Greece - Pope Francis re-proposed patience and brotherhood as congenital traits of the mission entrusted by Christ to His Church. He did so speaking "as a pilgrim in the footsteps of the great Apostle Barnabas, son of this people, disciple in love with Jesus, intrepid proclaimer of the Gospel", Patron of the Church in Cyprus. Precisely by retracing the footsteps of Barnabas, Pope Francis re-proposed the events of the first proclamation of the Gospel narrated in the Acts of the Apostles as an inescapable paradigm of every authentic missionary adventure, always animated by the present and gratuitous work of the Holy Spirit. St. Barnabas," recalled the Successor of Peter, quoting the Acts of the Apostles, "passing among the nascent Christian communities, saw 'the grace of God at work', rejoiced 'and exhorted everyone to remain, with a resolute heart, faithful to the Lord. I come with the same desire: to see the grace of God at work in your Church and in your land, to rejoice with you for the wonders that the Lord works and to exhort you to persevere always, without growing weary, without ever becoming discouraged'.In his speech, delivered in the Maronite cathedral of Our Lady of Graces in Nicosia, before Patriarchs, bishops, priests, men and women religious, deacons, catechists, members of associations and movements of the local Catholic communities, the Pope traced precisely in the story of St Barnabas and his bond with the Apostle Paul the traits of patience and fraternity as the hallmarks of every authentic apostolic movement. Barnabas,' recalled the Bishop of Rome, 'had been chosen by the Church of Jerusalem as the most suitable person to visit a new community, that of Antioch, "composed of several neo-converts from paganism". In Antioch he had found people from 'another world, another culture, another religious sensibility'. And with these neophytes he had used a "great patience", that of one who "knows how to wait for the tree to grow" and "welcome novelty without judging it hastily; the patience of discernment, which knows how to grasp the signs of God's work everywhere; the patience to "study" other cultures and traditions". As an authentic disciple in love with Christ, Barnabas "lets grow by accompanying. He does not crush the fragile faith of newcomers with rigorous, inflexible attitudes, or with overly demanding demands regarding the observance of precepts. He lets them grow, accompanies them, takes them by the hand'. He is not scandalised, just as fathers and mothers do, "who are not scandalised by their children and so help them to grow. If there is something to reproach, one reproaches. But he lets himself grow'. The Church of Cyprus,' the Pope remarked, 'bears inscribed in its history the readiness to welcome, integrate and accompany brothers and sisters who come "from other shores of the world". And this attitude of his can also be "an important message for the Church throughout Europe, marked by the crisis of faith: there is no need to be impulsive and aggressive, nostalgic or complaining, but it is good to move forward by reading the signs of the times and also the signs of the crisis. We need to start proclaiming the Gospel again with patience, taking the Beatitudes by the hand, especially to the new generations'. This is why bishops are called to be 'patient pastors in their closeness', and priests are called to be 'untiring ministers of God's forgiveness and mercy,' the Pontiff insisted, recalling in an aside made 'offhand' a musical rendition of the Parable of the Prodigal Son prepared for him last year by a company of young artists. Never rigorous judges, always loving fathers", avoiding above all being "rigorists in confession", which does not mean being "broad-minded," but having "a father's heart". The work that the Lord carries out in the life of each person," the Pope continued, "is a sacred history: let us allow ourselves to be moved by it. In the multiform variety of your people, patience also means having ears and a heart for different spiritual sensitivities, different ways of expressing faith, different cultures. The Church does not want to standardise, but to integrate all cultures and psychologies with maternal patience, because the Church is a mother'. In the second part of his speech, the intense bond that bound Barnabas and St Paul offered Pope Francis the cue to outline the source of authentic Christian brotherhood, and also to point out what distinguishes it from the false unanimity that often lurks even in ecclesiastical circles. Barnabas and Paul of Tarsus,' the Pope recalled, 'share a fraternal friendship, which will lead them to live the mission together. The Acts of the Apostles recount that after the conversion of Paul, previously a fierce persecutor of Christians, 'everyone was afraid of him, not yet believing that he was a disciple'. At that juncture it was Barnabas himself who took Paul with him, introducing him to the community, in imitation of Jesus, 'who took the disciples with him on the roads of Galilee, who took upon himself our humanity wounded by sin'. "Taking charge of the history of the other, giving oneself time to get to know him without labelling him, carrying him on one's shoulders when he is tired or wounded, as the Good Samaritan does. This is called fraternity,' said the Pope, stigmatising 'the sin of labelling people. Both attracted by Christ, 'Barnabas and Paul, like brothers, travelled together to proclaim the Gospel, even in the midst of persecution'. Then, 'as happens in life', the two had a strong disagreement and their paths parted. What divides them - the Pope remarked - are not personal reasons, but disagreements "over their ministry, over how to carry out the mission". This,' continued the Bishop of Rome, 'is fraternity in the Church: one can discuss, and argue, and one must not water everything down into a fake peace. Pope Francis added in his own words to be wary of "those who never argue", because the surrogate of a simulated concord is often the badge of those who "have hidden agendas". While in the fraternity of the Church 'they argue, but remain brothers'. Even in the Church of Cyprus,' the Pontiff continued, 'there are many spiritual and ecclesial sensitivities, various histories of origin, different rites and traditions; but we must not feel diversity as a threat to identity, nor must we get jealous and worry about our respective spaces. If we fall into this temptation, fear grows, fear generates mistrust, mistrust results in suspicion and sooner or later leads to war'. In the concluding part of his speech, the Bishop of Rome returned to extol precisely the plural and variegated trait that characterises the Cypriot ecclesial community: 'You are immersed in the Mediterranean: a sea of different histories, a sea that has cradled so many civilisations, a sea from which people, peoples and cultures from all over the world still disembark. With your fraternity you can remind everyone, the whole of Europe, that to build a future worthy of mankind we need to work together, overcome divisions, break down walls and cultivate the dream of unity. We need to welcome and integrate each other, to walk together, to be sisters and brothers all". (GV)

[Agenzia Fides 2/12/2021]