Fr. Pasolini: Pope Francis accompanies us even during his absence

By Salvatore Cernuzio

Fr. Roberto Pasolini, 53 years old, a Capuchin friar, biblical scholar, and since November 2024, the new Preacher of the Papal Household, is preaching the Lenten Spiritual Exercises for the Roman Curia from Sunday, 9 March, until Friday, 14 March, in the Paul VI Hall.

The Spiritual Exercises will take place without Pope Francis, who is hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. 

In the following interview, Fr. Pasolini says, "The absence of the Pope will not be a complete absence, first of all because we will gather in prayer for him with greater intensity. And then, because his absence itself will offer a word for us."

He says the Pope's "suffering is profoundly evocative," as it recalls the suffering of so many people today who are victims of suffering or violence. "With the Holy Father, we will live a spiritual communion."

Q: "The hope of eternal life:" Tell us about the meaning of the theme chosen for the spiritual exercises for this Lent. What is the heart?

The heart of it all is certainly eternal life, which is also one of the articles of the Nicene Creed, a central statement of faith for us Christians, and this year marks the 1700th anniversary of its formulation.

The expression 'The hope of eternal life' I have taken from the New Testament, and it is itself a bit the heart of Christian hope, that is, the fact that the life God has already given us in this world is a good, something that only makes sense within the framework of earthly life but points to an eternity of which we already have signs and hints that allow us to grasp it fully.

Q: Thinking about eternal life makes one think about death. So, how does hope relate to the theme of eternal life, which is also defined as "a promise"?

We live in this world and know that we have a great obstacle before us, which is death, linked to our sins, as our spiritual tradition tells us. The promise that God made to us by giving us life is that death will not have the final word. There would be no happiness or hope for us if we were unable to face this obstacle, so definitive and so serious, which is the interruption of life.

Naturally, eternal life, in order to be authentic, must already manifest its features and quality before death. Otherwise, it risks becoming just a vague hope to avoid the fear of death. This was also the focus of Jesus' preaching: insisting that eternal life begins already now, and He is the one for us, Christ.

Q: And how can this message be transmitted to today’s world, in which secularization seems to be surpassed, but there is more of a sense of indifference, especially among young people?

It is true that today we are very focused on the "things of this world," to use a Pauline expression, so it is difficult for us to "go out and see the stars" that orient us elsewhere. Yet, in such a time focused on materialism, on so many things that shine before our eyes, I believe that there is actually a great longing for eternity returning, at least as a quality of life, beauty, and humanity that must shine before our eyes in this world.

So, yes, this world may have lost sight of the ultimate realities, the so-called eschatological horizon, but it is extremely sensitive to everything that is human and profoundly human. And it is there that we Christians are strongly called to make the quality of eternal life shine.

Q: What theme will your preaching follow during the Spiritual Exercises?

We will start with some theological concepts from the Catechism about eternal life to enter into the tradition. Then we will try to lead the participants of the exercises through a more biblical path, listening to what the Scriptures say about eternal life, precisely to recover the sense of this life already in the horizon of human life, and thus already "taste" the aspects of eternal life that it is possible for us to live and embrace even now.

Q: The Lenten exercises take place "in spiritual communion" with the Pope. What does this mean?

It means that the Holy Father will obviously not be able to participate as he would have liked due to his illness.

However, his absence will not be a complete absence, first of all because we will think of him and gather around the Word of God in prayer, in a special way, with greater intensity. And then because his absence itself offers a word for us.

Q: So, his absence is also a form of witness?

Absolutely yes. His witness accompanies all the testimonies of people who, in silence, in hiding, in all parts of the world, are living the same mystery of suffering, but also of evil because of wars, violence, and death.

Therefore, his suffering is profoundly evocative also because all these people are always in the words, in the heart, and in the prayers of the Holy Father.

Q: Speaking of the Pope, is there a greeting that you personally wish to address to Pope Francis?

The wish I personally make to the Holy Father is to continue, in these hours, to do what he has always done, that is, to remain before us as the universal shepherd of the Church with all his faith in the Lord Jesus, in His Paschal Mystery, and especially in His Gospel.