February 22-23 2020 | 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Parish Marian Year
What Francis thinks of John Paul II: New book-interview on “John Paul the Great” (Part 1)
Pope Francis also speaks out about gender ideology as one of the evils of the day.
Out now in Italian bookstores (and translations already underway) is the most recent book by Pope Francis, dedicated to his Polish predecessor, titled “Saint John Paul the Great” (“San Giovanni Paolo Magno”). To be precise, it’s a book-interview collaboration with a young Italian priest (also a professor and author), Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco.
We spoke with the author:
SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Aleteia: When and how did the idea of the book come about?
Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco: The idea was born during a conversation with the pope in June of last year: I told him about my project of a short spiritual biography for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope Wojtyła. At that point, the pope told me some personal anecdotes related to his predecessor, and from there came the idea of collecting his testimony and including it in this book. From then until Christmas we met periodically to organize and put together this shared project.
Aleteia: Between John Paul II and Francis … is there room for Benedict XVI?
Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco: One could not think of the first two without the third: Benedict remains the true bridge between the end of an important pontificate like that of John Paul II and another important pontificate, which would never have existed without the choices and intuitions of Pope Benedict.
Several times, moreover, in the course of conversations, Pope Francis reiterated that, in his opinion, in 2005 the only person who could take up the legacy of John Paul II was Cardinal Ratzinger.
Aleteia: Which section of this book is dearest to you?
Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco: In the chapter “The Priest” I asked the Holy Father for a word about spiritual direction, given that in Christus Vivit he also invited young people to be accompanied in their growth and that John Paul II himself had several exceptional companions, among them the lay saint Jan Tyranowski. The pope has repeatedly stressed that the ministry of spiritual direction should not be thought of primarily as something that the Church can or should codify, in the manner of established ministries:
“… basically spiritual direction is a charisma. It is not so much a function, but a paternity, a brotherhood that finds its ultimate root not in our organization but in the life of the Spirit. Certainly it’s inherent in the priest’s duty to offer direction, but I reiterate the basic idea that spiritual direction is a charism, which in some cases is strongly manifested and in others is more difficult to recognize, and that it is not only something given to priests but also to lay people and consecrated women, because it is a charism of the baptized.”
Pope Francis (with Luigi Maria Epicoco), St. John Paul the Great, 76-77 (to be continued).
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Some 2020 anniversaries:
January 1880: 140th anniversary of OLR Primary School
May 3 1820: 200th anniversary of arrival of Fr John Therry, Fr Philip Conolly.
May 18 1920: Centenary of birth of Pope Saint John Paul II.
200th Anniversary of Catholic education in Australia.
May 8/Sept 2 1945: 75th anniversary of end of World War II.
December 8 1870: 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.
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