Pope: Artists help humanity 'not to lose its way'
By Joseph Tulloch
At Mass for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, the Pope called on creatives to be “witnesses to the revolutionary vision of the Beatitudes”.
As the Pope is currently undergoing treatment in hospital for bronchitis, his homily was read aloud by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Witnessing to the Beatitudes, the Pope said, means not only creating beauty, but also “revealing the truth and goodness …hidden within the folds of history”, and “giving voice to the voiceless”.
Raising existential questions
Pope Francis then went on to stress that artists have the task of asking questions about life's deeper meaning.
Although we live in a time of “financial and social crises”, the Pope stressed, ours is “above all a spiritual crisis, a crisis of meaning”.
We need artists, he said, to help us “ask questions about time and about purpose. Are we pilgrims or wanderers? Does our journey have a destination, or are we directionless?”
Artists have the task, the Pope said, of “helping humanity not to lose its way”.
Art and discernment
Another key role of art, Pope Francis said, is to help individuals distinguish the “echoes” of good and evil.
Artists are “sensitive” to these echoes, the Pope said, and are therefore called to “explain them to us and to show us which path they lead us down: either they are seductive songs of sirens or authentic appeals to humanity.”
Quoting Psalm 1, the Pope suggested that it is the role of artists to help those who engage with their work to distinguish “chaff scattered by the wind” from what is solid “like trees planted by streams of water”.
The Beatitudes: A 'revolution of perspective'
Pope Francis brought his homily to a close by returning to the day’s Gospel, and Jesus’ proclamation of the Beatitudes.
In the Gospel passage, he said, “Jesus proclaims as blessed those who are poor, afflicted, meek and persecuted” - a “change of mentality”, and a “revolution of perspective”.
Artists are called to take part in this revolution, the Pope said, exhorting his listeners to “never cease searching, questioning and taking risks”.
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
