Pope Francis’ Address to Little Sisters of Jesus after General Chapter

Yesterday Pope Francis met with the Little Sisters of Jesus after they had finished a part of their General Chapter in Rome. The Vatican website published the text of the pope’s address in Italian only, so I thought I would put an unofficial translation into English here, for ease of reference for myself or others.

The pope opens and closes his address with two jokes. The first is about the government of the Little Sisters: “I don’t really like talking about ‘Responsible,’ because if one is responsible, it seems that the others are irresponsible – and this is not right!” The second is about the government of the Church: “[C]ontinue to pray for me, truly, because this job is not easy; in fact, it is a bit ‘bothersome’ [fastidioso]!” In both cases his respect for the vocation of a Little Sister is, I think, apparent. Both light-hearted remarks betray a knowledge of how responsible, fruitful, and desirable a hidden life of friendship and contemplation is – or could be.

In the address, Pope Francis shows remarkable familiarity with the Little Sisters and Saint Charles de Foucauld. He mentions not only Little Sister Magdeleine, but also her first companion, Anne Cadoret, whom Little Sister Magdeleine continued to regard as one of the family even after her departure following the change in direction of the Fraternities away from a presence exclusively to the people of North Africa. As regards Brother Charles, he quotes his writings no less than six times and offers a general interpretation of the meaning of his life and trajectory.

The Holy Father organizes his comments around “a strong experience of searching for God, of bearing witness to the Gospel, and of love for the hidden life” – features of Charles de Foucauld, as well as the Little Sisters’ foundation. If I could take just three short quotes to summarize these points myself, it would be these:

The Master awaits you at the well of his Word, living water that quenches the thirst of our desires.

Proximity, proximity.

The more hidden, the more divine.

There is a lot around these short quotes. And what is there is no mere packing. But these quotes bring out a lot of the message for me.

I have seen some mild criticism or querying of Pope Francis’ remarks, actually, from those in the spiritual family of Charles de Foucauld. One person questioned the idea that the Holy Father attributed not being “militant” to Brother Charles, on the grounds that Charles was forthright in petitioning the colonial government to stop abusive practices like slavery, and he said we have no right to be sleeping watchdogs and must always sound the alarm. That is true. But in the first place, that was at Beni-Abbès, before he arrived at Tamanrasset; ignoring Charles’ evolution is always dangerous. In the second place, our saint seems to have learned a lesson that his shouting wasn’t so effective. In the third place, in the examples we have, he always addressed actions of bodies and overall effects, not being militant with a particular person – which is an important nuance. But finally, if the person who criticized, albeit in a veiled way, the Holy Father’s familiarity with Brother Charles, had bothered to read the actual address, rather than a news headline or partial report, they would have discovered that the pope was not here interpreting, but actually quoting the exact words of Charles himself: “to be charitable, meek, humble with all men: this is what we have learned from Jesus. Do not be militant with anyone” (Letter to Joseph Hours, 3 May 1912). The twitterization of discourse on someone as complex as Charles de Foucauld is something greatly to be avoided.

So, in that light, I invite you to read these remarks of the Holy Father in full. They are an excellent new page in the continuing story of Pope Francis’ relationship with Charles de Foucauld, which I have been trying to highlight, almost like an insistent one-note obsessive, since relaunching Contemplative in the Mud.

This is also a great way to learn more about Pope Francis’ relationship to the Little Sisters of Jesus in particular. In that regard, I would note the following. If you pay careful attention, towards the end, you’ll note that the pope, speaking both as universal pastor and as the particular Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, even mentions Sister Geneviève Jeanningros, whom he knows from his time in Argentina and who brings the transgender people to him at the Wednesday Audiences, as made the news in the past year or so (but the full story of which is only told on this blog, as far as I know). The reference may not be obvious if you haven’t read the full story. But it comes out when the Holy Father says that Sister Geneviève “always brings someone to bring them closer to the Pope – and this is good! Presence with the most marginalized. Thank you!” In other words, Pope Francis’ own commentary on the trans people who visit him is that this is “good,” it “brings them closer to the Pope,” and these people are “the most marginalized” and met here with a ministry of “presence.” He thanks the Sisters who make this possible. To prevent things from descending into some militant spirit about a hot-topic issue, the Holy Father calls Sister Geneviève an enfant terrible (in French) – the short, light-hearted address of short, light-hearted addresses, among friends who share a vision, a family spirit, and a spirituality, not to mention something of a common language and a sense of humour!

Text in unofficial translation

Dear sisters, good morning!

I welcome you all and send a special wish to Sister Eugeniya-Kubwimana of Jesus, newly elected General Responsible, and to her Assistants, who begin their service at the helm of the Fraternity. And a warm thank you to Sister Dolors Francesca of Jesus, outgoing General Responsible, and to her Assistants, for the work carried out in the mandate that has ended. I don’t really like talking about “Responsible,” because if one is responsible, it seems that the others are irresponsible – and this is not right!

You are celebrating the twelfth General Chapter which, in addition to being elective, is an important opportunity to reflect together and make significant choices. At your origins is the charismatic experience of Saint Charles de Foucauld, taken up again, about twenty years after his death, by Magdeleine Hutin and Anne Cadoret: a strong experience of searching for God, of bearing witness to the Gospel, and of love for the hidden life. These seem to me to be three useful guidelines on which to reflect briefly, also in light of the Gospel story that you have chosen to guide the Chapter journey: the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman (see John 4.5-42).

The first guideline is the search for God. It is the most important. The Master awaits you at the well of his Word, living water that quenches the thirst of our desires. It is beautiful to cultivate listening to it while standing at its feet in adoration, as Brother Charles did, who knew nothing sweeter than the hours spent in front of the Tabernacle, saying that “the more you drink of this sweetness, the more you thirst for it” (Thoughts and Maxims). Thus hearts open to the ways of God, who does not do violence to people, but inspires creative thoughts and feelings of adhesion, availability, and service. As with the Samaritan woman, Jesus offers you his love, and it is up to you to accept the challenge, by putting aside the cumbersome amphorae of self-referentiality and habit, of obvious solutions, and also of a certain pessimism that the enemy of God and of man always tries to insinuate, especially in those who have made their life a gift. But in the light of his Word you will be able to discern the desires of Jesus, and then set off again, towards the villages and cities to which you will be sent, freer and lighter, empty of yourself, and full of Him, as in the artistic logo that one of you created for the recent Chapter.

And so we come to the second guideline, which has characterized your community since its origins: the testimony of the Gospel, the gift of it to others with words, with works of charity, and with the fraternal, prayerful and adoring presence of your small international communities. Saint Charles de Foucauld said: “Our whole being must shout the Gospel from the rooftops. Our whole person must exude Jesus… our whole life must shout that we belong to Jesus, it must present the image of evangelical life” (Meditations on the Holy Gospels). Even in this, the image of the woman of Samaria is precious, who went to share the joy of having met Christ with her fellow citizens, telling them: “Come and see” (Jn 4:29). Saint Charles wrote: “Think a lot about others, pray a lot for others. Dedicating yourself to the salvation of your neighbor with the means in your power, prayer, goodness, example, is the best way to demonstrate to the divine Spouse that you love him.” And he added: “It is not enough to give to those who ask: we must give to those in need” (Spiritual Writings). Caring for others, giving to those in need without waiting for them to ask: these are the signs of love for the Spouse, characteristic traits of your caring closeness to the least, in whom He is present. Such a precious closeness in a society like ours where, despite the abundance of means, instead of multiplying good works, hearts seem to harden and close. Closeness is spontaneous, that’s what counts, it arises from the spontaneity of the heart. Proximity, proximity. May your delicate proximity be a mild challenge to indifference – today we are in a culture of indifference – a testimony of brotherhood, a sweet cry that reminds the world, as the “Universal Brother” wrote, that “all… the poorest, most loathsome, a newborn, a decrepit old man, the least intelligent human being, the most abject, an idiot, a madman, a sinner, the greatest sinner… he is a child of God, a child of the Most High” (Spiritual Works). Here is therefore the heart of the testimony: “to be charitable, meek, humble with all men: this is what we have learned from Jesus. Do not be militant with anyone” (Letter to Joseph Hours, 3 May 1912).

In this way we arrive at the third guideline: love for the hidden life. It is the way of the Incarnation, the way of Nazareth, the one indicated by God with his undressing and making himself small to share the life of the little ones. “I want,” said Father de Foucauld, “to pass unknown on earth like a traveler in the night, poorly, laboriously, humbly, sweetly… imitating Jesus in everything in his life in Nazareth and, when the time has come, in his Via Crucis and in his death” (Spiritual Works). The way being hidden is the way of God. This is beautiful, it is important. You are not nuns to advertise. The more hidden, the more divine. Continue to cultivate this path, it is a powerful prophecy for our time, polluted by appearances. It seems that due to this concern for appearances and appearances we live in a culture of “make-up”: everyone wears make-up, it is normal for women to do so, but everyone, everyone wears make-up, to appear better than we are, and this is not of the Lord.

Dear sisters, it is true, there are difficult moments and serious problems to face – such as the lack of vocations, the closure of some houses, and the growing average age of religious women – but it is equally true that, faithful to the inspiration of Brother Charles, you you are precious instruments for God to sow small pearls of evangelical tenderness in the world – which is your specialty, evangelical tenderness. And the Lord will continue to do so, to the extent that you remain simple and generous, in love with Christ and the poor. This will bear fruit in his time, do not doubt it.

I would also like to thank you for the silent work you do in the Diocese of Rome, thank you! And then at every General Audience there is your presence, in the person of that enfant terrible, Sister Geneviève, who always brings someone to bring them closer to the Pope – and this is good! Presence with the most marginalized. Thank you!

I thank you and bless you; and you, please, continue to pray for me, truly, because this job is not easy; in fact, it is a bit “bothersome” [fastidioso]!