Pope Francis addressed the Pontifical Teutonic Institute of Santa Maria dell’Anima in Rome.
Newsroom (08/04/2022 11:06 AM, Gaudium Press) Yesterday, Tuesday, April 7, the Pope received the members of the Pontifical Teutonic Institute of Santa Maria dell’Anima for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the election of Hadrian VI, a Germanic Pope. The latter is buried at the Teutonic Institute’s Church.
Francis delineated the profile of this Pope in his mediation to reunite King Francis I of France with Emperor Charles V of Spain in his efforts to bring Protestants back into the Church.
Francis urged the members of this Institute to follow in the footsteps of Hadrian VI in their role as ministers of the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
“This is important: the confessor’s task is to forgive, not torture. Be merciful, be great forgivers, this is what the Church wants you to be,” the Pope noted.
A Confessor’s task means “dedicating time to hearing confessions, and doing it well, with love, with wisdom, with great mercy. Consequently, “this ministry also involves preaching, catechesis, and spiritual [direction] requires, above all, witness. To be a good servant of Christ’s forgiveness, the priest must know how to forgive others; he must be merciful in his relationships and be a man of peace, communion,” Francis concluded.
With information from Alpha and Omega.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
