(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 20.04.2024).- Pope Francis received in private audience the seminarians and teams of formators of the Metropolitan Seminary of Seville and the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of the same city, accompanied by the Archbishop, Monsignor José Ángel Saiz Meneses. The meeting, which was held in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on Saturday, April 20, began at 10 o’clock in the morning and lasted some fifty minutes.
“You Have Received a Call from the Lord”
The Holy Father thanked the Seville delegation, whose members he encouraged “to live these days with wonder and gratitude for the gift of faith transmitted to us by the Apostles.” The Pontiff framed the meeting on the eve “of a very significant day: Good Shepherd Sunday, which we celebrate tomorrow,” and, addressing the seminarians, he reminded them that they had “received a call from the Lord and, with the help of your formators, you are preparing yourselves to be shepherds after the Heart of Christ.”
In his address, Pope Francis highlighted four aspects of seminarians’ formative stage: ”the spiritual life, study, community life and apostolic activity,” and he underscored the urgency of their integration “to become complete priests and respond to the vocation received, in total dedication to God and to brothers and sisters, especially those that suffer most.” In the Holy Father’s words, “this integration is necessary, I would say it is urgent, to become complete priests and respond to the vocation received, in total dedication to God and to brothers and sisters, especially those that suffer most.”
The Pope Highlighted the Teaching of Blessed Marcelo Spinola
On this point, the Pope recalled the figure of the Blessed Cardinal Marcelo Spinola, “one of the many holy shepherds that this Andalusian land has had throughout history.” “This Blessed, teacher of priests, said: “Virtue and knowledge are the two things that must be taught preferably to aspirants to the priesthood, as knowledge without virtue swells and does not edify, and virtue without knowledge edifies but does not instruct.” This means, as we were saying, that everything in the priest — prayer, study, brotherhood, mission — is united.” The Holy Father ended his address to the seminarians of Seville with this advice: “Make good use of this intense time of formation, with your heart in God, with open hands and a big smile to spread the joy of the Gospel to all those you meet.”
At the end of his intervention, the Holy Father dedicated time for dialogue with the future priests of the Andalusian Archdiocese, responding with naturalness to questions regarding the formation and mission of a presbyter today.
“Avoid the Danger of Spiritual Worldliness”
After the audience, the Archbishop of Seville shared with the media the emotion felt by the Sevillian delegation “for having listened to the word of the Successor of Peter, who confirmed us in the faith, in the vocation and in the mission.” Archbishop Saiz Meneses said the Pope “gave us a beautiful address on the human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral, and communitarian formation, on the wonder we must always have in our life, and in our day to day for the Lord’s irruption in our existence, calling us to be His collaborators in the establishment of His Kingdom, with some beautiful underscoring on the joy and good humour that must reign in our priestly life.”
The Archbishop also wished to highlight how the Holy Father “has called us to avoid the danger of spiritual worldliness that can go introducing itself [even] under very correct forms but that deep down is sterile. Hence, he added, the Pope “stressed union with Jesus Christ, dedication to Him and dedication to the People He has entrusted to us.”
For his part, the Rector of the Metropolitan Seminary, Andres Ibarra, pointed out that they had met with “a person very much of God, who transmitted to us the God he has in his heart and who puts us on the path of the priesthood, of the mission and of surrender to the Lord with very much joy.” The Rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, Ramon Gonzalez, emphasized that “Francis carries on his shoulders the weight of the Church with the strength of Jesus Christ and is at the foot of the canyon to encourage them, so that they give themselves one hundred percent. “When we return [home], we will have to reflect further on all the suggestions he’s given us and bring them to life,” he added.
“His Closeness Is a Gift for Us”
Javier Llorente, one of the seminarians who attended the papal audience, said the day was “a unique experience that reinforces our sense of community.” He was emotional as he left the papal dependencies and added that “seminarians are Pope Francis’ weakness and he gives a father’s advice. His closeness is a gift for us.”
Pablo Franco, another seminarian who assessed the meeting with the Holy Father, said: “I’m going to remember this moment always because I’ve had the opportunity to ask him about an anxiety I have in my heart and he helped me a lot. He encouraged me to continue going forward in my vocation with joy, not losing my smile and trusting in the Lord. For me, Francis is a genuine witness.”
Following is the full text of the Pontiff’s greeting to the seminarians.
* * *
Dear Brothers,
I am happy to welcome the communities of the Metropolitan Seminary and the “Redemptoris Mater” Seminary of Seville who, together with Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses, have come on pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. I thank them for this visit and encourage them to live these days with wonder and gratitude for the gift of faith that the Apostles passed on to us.
Our meeting is on the eve of a very significant day: Good Shepherd Sunday, which we celebrate tomorrow. You seminarians have received a calling from the Lord, and with the help of your formators you are preparing yourselves to be shepherds after the Heart of Christ.
On other occasions, I have told seminarians that this journey of configuration to Jesus the Good Shepherd must be done by taking care of four aspects: spiritual life, study, community life and apostolic activity.
This integration is necessary, I would say urgent, in order to become complete priests and to respond to the vocation received, in total dedication to God and to our brothers and sisters, especially those who suffer most. In this regard, I would like to highlight the figure of one of the many holy shepherds that this Andalusian land has had throughout history, that of Blessed Cardinal Marcelo Spínola y Maestre, with whom you are well acquainted. This Blessed, teacher of priests, said: “Virtue and knowledge are the two things that should be taught in preference to those aspiring to the priesthood, for knowledge without virtue swells and does not edify, and virtue without knowledge edifies but does not instruct.” This means, as we said, that everything in the priest — prayer, study, fraternity, mission — must go together.
Dear seminarians, make good use of this intense time of formation, with your heart in God, with open hands and a big smile to spread the joy of the Gospel to all those you meet. May Jesus bless you and the Virgin of the Kings accompany you. Thank you very much.
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