Commentary of Francis in the general audience to the words of the Creed on the third person of the Trinity. New call to continue “praying and fighting for peace.” The memory of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko murdered by the communist regime 40 years ago in Poland: “He taught to overcome evil with good.”
Vatican City () – It is faith in the Holy Spirit that frees the believer from the emptiness of death and injustice without redemption. Pope Francis said this today, addressing the faithful during the Wednesday general audience held in St. Peter’s Square.
Continuing with the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Holy Spirit, today the pontiff stopped at the verse of the Creed in which faith in the third person of the Trinity is proclaimed. “We move from what has been revealed to us about the Holy Spirit in Holy Scripture to how he is present and acts in the life of the Church,” he said.
Francis recalled how in the first three centuries the Church did not feel the need to give an explicit formulation of its faith in the Holy Spirit. So much so that in the Apostolic Symbol, whose 1700th anniversary falls next year, it says: “I believe in the Holy Spirit”, without any specification. «It was heresy – the Pope explained – that then pushed the Church to specify this faith of hers. And this happened at the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381, which defined the divinity of the Holy Spirit with the words that we still repeat today in the Creed.
«The strongest statement is that the same glory and adoration is due to Him as to the Father and the Son. “It is the argument of equality in honor, wanted by Saint Basil the Great, who was the main creator of that formula,” the pontiff recalled, also evoking the discussions between East and West over the Latin translation of the word “Filioque.” “It has been the reason (or the pretext) for so many disputes and divisions that it is not appropriate to deal with here,” also because “this issue, in the climate of dialogue established between the two Churches, has lost the harshness of the past and allows us to hope “full reciprocal acceptance, as one of the main reconciled differences.”
But beyond this obstacle, the most important idea that this article of the Creed proclaims is that “the Holy Spirit gives life.” «In the beginning, in creation, the breath of God gives Adam natural life; “From a clay statue, it turns it into a living being,” commented Francisco. Now, in the new creation, the Holy Spirit is the one who gives believers new life, the life of Christ, the supernatural life, as children of God. And “the great and consoling news for us” is that it is “eternal life.” “Faith frees us from the horror of having to admit that everything ends here, that there is no redemption for the suffering and injustice that reign on earth.”
«Let us cultivate this faith – Francis concluded – also for those who, often through no fault of their own, are deprived of it and cannot find meaning in life. And let us not forget to give thanks to Him who, with His death, obtained this inestimable gift for us.”
In his greeting to the faithful, the Pope remembered Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a great figure of the Christian East, whose liturgical feast is celebrated tomorrow: “may his example – he said – help everyone to rediscover the joy of being Christians.” And let’s not forget – he added – the countries at war: the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar. Let us not forget that war is always a defeat and let us pray and fight for peace.
In his greetings in Polish, Francis also recalled the testimony of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, a priest murdered 40 years ago by the communist regime in Poland and who is remembered these days in Rome in a conference. “May this blessed man, who taught to overcome evil with good,” he said, “support you in the construction of unity in the spirit of truth and respect for the dignity of the human person.”
Finally, he also addressed a greeting to the participants in the Radio Maria world convention, urging them to “spread the values of fraternity and solidarity echoing the life of the Church.”
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