«I have not punished or invaded Opus Dei»

The decision resounded far and loud.

Some from one camp were saying, «At last the Pope got to them at Opus Dei...!» I didn't get to them! And in the other camp there were those who cried out, «Ah, the Pope is invading us!» Nothing of the sort. The measure is a relocation that had to be solved. It is not right to make such a fuss, neither to portray them as victims or as prisoners who received punishment. Now please... I am a good friend of Opus Dei, I love them and they do a good job in the Church. The good they do is huge.

You ordered an investigation of seminaries in Spain. What is it that brought this about?

It is not an investigation. It is a normal visit by the Congregation of the Clergy to see how they are doing things, always seeking to help, not to inspect and bother anyone. It's not the only country where this has been done. It's probably done to heed a request made by bishops, I'm not sure. It's done by two Uruguayans who are really valid men, among the best we have in Latin America.

What are they going to examine?

The matter is what the structure of the seminary should be. For instance, if there are just three seminarians, that does not make for a seminary. A seminary needs to have a minimum and a maximum number of seminarians... There must be a certain discipline, and so on.

It's an investment in the future.

That's what I think.

What document from these 10 years would you like to leave behind as your legacy?

The first one I wrote, Evangelii gaudium, for it came from the heart. It is not very original, I plagiarised Evangelii nuntiandi by Paul VI, which is still valid, and the Documento de Aparecida, from the Latin American Episcopate.

Is it being applied?

One of the things that haunts me is how homilies are given at parishes, because many times they become long-winded, theoretical classes of Philosophy and Theology. We are falling well behind in terms of fulfilling what the Lord wants in our homilies. It is something that we still owe our faithful.

How must they be?

A homily must include the aspect of announcement in the Gospel. A homily must be short, with a thought, a feeling and a symbol, an image. People must take something away, they must be filled by the message. We have fallen behind there.

Have you changed Catholic culture, the way one is a Catholic?

I never thought of that. I think a good Catholic, especially one belonging to a movement or group, is always changing the culture, because they bring hope and show the way. That is what makes culture grow.

Your bet for this stage of your pontificate is the «Synod on synodality,» which is not easy to explain.

Will you allow me to make a marketing proposal? Why don't you call it the synod «of listening,» of dialogue,« or the synod »of the responsibility of all in the Church«?

Here what we are highlighting is the synodality.

What is it about?

When the Second Vatican Council ended, Paul VI was impressed by the amount of dialogue and he realised that the Latin church had lost its synodeal dimension. The Catholics of the East and the Orthodox have their synods, yet we had lost it. Then he created the «General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops» and slowly we recovered synodality. The synod we are arranging now is meant to complete that path.

What is the idea?

The idea is to show: «This is a synod.» A synod is not an opinion poll, you don't go out interviewing people, it is not a Parliament. The main actor is the Holy Spirit. If He is not present, then there is no synod.

Recent synods have been surrounded by controversy.

In the last two there was an atmosphere brought about by the media. They said the first one, on family, was to allow holy communion to be administered to divorcees. Actually, it was something much larger that included the possibility of a pastoral with divorcees in the widest sense. And with the synod of Amazonia, the media said it was about whether they would ordain married men. The Holy Spirit took things along a different path.

In what way?

The Holy Spirit acts in two stages. First, He stirs things up, moves them around, and then He brings harmony. Someone bringing harmony without opening up to charisma does not have the Holy Spirit behind him. Someone who only seeks difference without harmony is not of the Holy Spirit. Harmony is not the majority or the minority of votes. We must not forget this: if the Holy Spirit is not the main actor, it is not a synod. And we're still learning.

Are you at ease with the Catholic Church in Germany?

It does not take away my peace. I wrote them a clear letter. I wrote it on my own. It took me a month. In the letter, what I told them was «reflect, brethren.»