Pope to Roman Curia: 'Never speak ill of one another'

By Lisa Zengarini

“An ecclesial community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk in the way of humility, refusing to think and speak ill of one another.” In his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia in the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis again cautioned against the destructive effects of negative rumours and gossip that, he said “poisons hearts and leads nowhere”.

Focusing on Saint Paul's exhortation to "bless and not to curse" (Rm 12,14), the theme of his address, the Pope encouraged the members of the Curia to refrain from malicious speaking and to instead foster an harmonious and joyful working community.

More children killed in Gaza: "It's cruelty"

Before starting his reflection Pope Francis again turned his thoughts to the ongoing deadly war in Gaza, where on Friday Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians including seven children from the same family in Jabalia al-Nazl, as Israel continues to bombard the already devastated territory. “This is not war. This is cruelty”, the Pope lamented in unscripted remarks. “I want to say this because it touches my heart.”

Pope Francis then went on to reflect  on the virtue of humility and its profound relevance to Christian life and community, connecting it to the mystery of the Incarnation.   "Speaking well and not speaking ill is an expression of humility, and humility is the hallmark of the Incarnation and particularly the mystery of the Lord’s Birth which we are about to celebrate”, he said, referring to Saint Paul's words in his Letter to the Romans. 

The path to humility: self-accusation

As a way to cultivate humility, Pope Francis suggested the practice of self-accusation, drawing on the teachings of early Christian spiritual masters like Dorotheus of Gaza. Dorotheus’ wisdom advocated for introspection and the transformation of negative thoughts about others into positive ones. S

Self-accusation, Pope Francis remarked "is the basis for our being able to say ‘no’ to individualism and ‘yes’ to the ecclesial spirit of community" in which “ all are guardians of one another and walk together in humility and charity,” and “are gradually liberated from suspicion and distrust”.

The practice of self-accusation, the Pope explained,  mirrors the "condescension" (synkatabasis) of God in the Incarnation, an act of divine humility where "the Most High chooses to become little, like a mustard seed, like a man’s seed in a woman’s womb”  taking “upon Himself the unbearable burden of the world’s sin.”

This reality,  Pope Francis continued, is exemplified by the Virgin Mary, who willingly participated in God's plan with humility, making her an archetype this  theological virtue : “She had no cause for self-accusation, yet she freely chose to cooperate fully in God’s condescension, in the abasement of the Son and in the descent of the Holy Spirit”, he said.

Blessed ourselves, let us bless others in turn

Recalling that the Incarnation of the Word shows us that God has not condemned us but blessed us, the Pope underscored that  “precisely because we ourselves have been blessed, we can bless others in turn.”  This blessing flows from immersion in God's grace, through “moments of encounter, friendships, in a spirit of openness and generosity” that can help us renew and give new life to office work which can otherwise become arid.

Artisans of blessing

The Pope went on to highlight that as members of the Church  “sign and instrument of God’s blessing for humanity”, all of us are called to become “artisans of blessing”, envisioning the Church as a vast river branching into numerous streams to bring God's blessing to the world. He described the Roman Curia as a "workshop" where diverse roles contribute to this mission: “I like to think of the Roman Curia as a great workshop in which there are any number of different jobs, but where everyone works for the same purpose: to bless others, and to spread the blessing of God and Mother Church in the world.”

Hidden and humble work

The Pope particularly praised the “hidden” work carried out by office staff who prepare letters and convey blessings to individuals in need. Their humble work , he said, is a “means of spreading blessings”, it is” the way of God Himself, who in Jesus condescends to share in our human condition, and thus gives us his blessing.”

Concluding Pope Francis encouraged the members of the Roman Curia to embrace humility and to live as true “artisans of blessing” in the world, by  not speaking ill of others: “We cannot write blessings and then speak ill of our brother or sister”, he said.