Pope Francis receives a group of consecrated women serving as Apostolic Collaborators in various dioceses in Northern Italy. In prepared remarks of his address, he encourages the presence of women in the Church.
It was Saint Paul VI, when still Archbishop of Milan, who had the intuition of involving consecrated women to assist him with his pastoral ministry. His decision shows an affiliation with the saint whose name he chose as Pope: the Apostle Paul who, in his letters, speaks of both men and women collaborators who played significant roles in the early evangelization.
In prepared remarks, handed to a group of Collaborators and Auxiliaries from Milan and other dioceses in Northern Italy, in the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis acknowledged their history and identity, saying it was “significant as a form of women’s presence in the Church”.
The Pope highlighted the importance of their history as Collaborators and Auxiliaries, born “from life… from collaboration with priests in parish and diocesan pastoral work”. He cited the example of Mary Magdalene, “Apostle of the Apostles”, and her “particular charism of the faith and love for the Lord”. But the other women Jesus welcomed among His disciples also had “a decisive presence in the stories of the Resurrection”, said Pope Francis.
Those present at the Audience in the Vatican on Saturday collaborate with their Bishops in a variety of pastoral activities: from education and counseling to providing health care, serving the poor, the sick and the elderly, accompanying prisoners, migrants, and refugees.
Pope Francis said he appreciated that, in presenting their charism, they referred to a passage from Evangelii Gaudium: “Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for His people. He takes us from the midst of His people and He sends us to His people; without this sense of belonging, we cannot understand our deepest identity”.
“For you”, concluded Pope Francis, “these people have the concrete face of your diocese”. Vatican News Department
