CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In a recent interview, Pope Francis shared a mystical experience he had shortly before accepting the role as Bishop of Rome and also touched on several issues surrounding Church reform.<\/p>\n\tThe Pope recounted his experience during a Sept. 24 interview with Eugenio Scalfari of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica which was published on Oct.1.<\/p>\n
\tWhen asked if he considered himself a mystic, the Pope replied \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\tScalfari replied that no, he did not believe Pope Francis was the type. When he asked the Holy Father if he had ever had a mystical experience, the pontiff replied that he \u201crarely\u201d has, but that one such experience did take place during the conclave shortly before he accepted his election as Pope.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cBefore the acceptance, I asked to be able to retire for some minutes in the room next to that with the balcony on the square. My head was completely empty and a great anxiety invaded me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cTo make it pass and to relax, I close my eyes and every thought disappeared, also that of refusing to accept the charge, as after all the liturgical procedure consents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tPope Francis shared that once he closed his eyes, he did not feel anymore \u201canxiety or emotion,\u201d but that at \u201ca certain point a great light invaded me, it lasted for a second but it seemed really long.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThen the light dissipated and I stood straight up and headed to the room where the cardinals were waiting for me and the table on which rested the act of acceptance. I signed it\u2026and then on the balcony came the 'Habemus Papam.'\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAlso brought up in the interview was the topic of Church leaders, who, according to the Holy Father, \u201chave often been narcissistic.\u201d Although the curia's main job is to manage \u201cthe services that serve the Holy See,\u201d said the Pope, \u201cits has a defect: it is Vatican-centric.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThis Vatican-centric vision neglects the world that surrounds it. I do not share this vision and I will do everything (I can) to change it,\u201d he said, emphasizing the need for a more communal dynamic in which the leaders of the Church \u201care at the service of the people of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tReferencing St. Francis of Assisi\u2019s vision of the Church, Pope Francis urged that \u201cthe ideal of a missionary and poor Church remains more than valid\u2026this is still the Church that Jesus and his disciples preached.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhen pressed by comments stating that a love for power strongly exists in the Vatican, and that the institution predominates the poor, missionary Church he envisions, the Pontiff stated that \u201cThings are in fact like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cOn this subject no miracles are made,\u201d he said, recalling how during his life, St. Francis also had to \u201cnegotiate at length with the Roman hierarchy\u201d for the recognition of the rules of his order, which he eventually obtained, \u201cbut with profound changes and compromises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhen asked if he would follow the same path as his patron, the Pope said that although he does not have the \u201cstrength and holiness\u201d of the saint, he has appointed the council of eight Cardinals to assist him in building a Church that is \u201cnot only vertical, but horizontal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAlthough the road will be \u201clong and difficult,\u201d he said, such a Church is possible with \u201cprudence, but firmness and tenacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBeing asked about the fact that Christians are a minority in the world, the Successor of Peter stated that \u201cwe always have been,\u201d but that he personally thinks that \u201cbeing a minority is actually a strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tElaborating this point, the Pope explained that \u201cwe have to be a yeast of life and love and the yeast is a quantity infinitely less than the mass of fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe also spoke of the need to return to the Second Vatican Council\u2019s call to open to modern culture through dialogue with non-believers, saying that although little has been done in this direction, \u201cI have the humility and ambition to want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn speaking to the Church\u2019s role in politics, Pope Francis said that \u201cthe Church won\u2019t occupy herself with politics,\u201d explaining that when he urges Catholics to commit themselves politically, he is referring not just to them, but to \u201call men of good will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cPolitics is the first of the civil activities and it has its own field of action that is not that of religion,\u201d he said, emphasizing that political institutions are lay institutions by definition, and that they operate independently.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI believe that Catholics working in politics have within them the values of religion,\u201d he said, \u201cbut a mature conscience and competency to act on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe Church will never go beyond the task of expressing and spreading her values, at least as long as I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
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Vatican City, Oct 1, 2013 \/ 05:39 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a recent interview, Pope Francis shared a mystical experience he had shortly before accepting the role as Bishop of Rome and also touched on several issues surrounding Church reform.<\/p>\n
\tThe Pope…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\n
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