On being asked about Pope Francis, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, Archbishop of Madrid, stressed that he is “the Successor of Peter,” as Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI were before him, and that “if any Christians are seen not to be united to the Successor of Peter, what sort of Catholics are we?”
In an interview with El Objetivo de la Sexta, a Spanish television network, Cardinal Osoro pointed out yesterday, October 27, 2021, that, when some believers attack the current Pope, “they are damaging their own identity because a Catholic doesn’t understand himself without the Successor of Peter.”
According to a note of the Archdiocese of Madrid, the Cardinal also emphasized that Pope Francis has very clear the “mandate” that all of us Christians have “to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel” and he is aware that we are in a new era, in which we have to understand that we have to go out on mission,” without believing that “everything is already evangelized.”
“How Can the Pope Not Speak About These Things?
The Prelate also valued the contribution of the Holy Father’s Encyclicals: in Lumen Fidei, written with Benedict XVI, he talks about the faith and the need we have to express God’s presence on this Earth.” On the other hand, in Laudato SI’ he has asked us to look after the greatest temple we have in this world,” whereas in Fratelli Tutti he calls for building fraternity, reminding that “when a Christian prays the ‘Our Father,’ which came from the lips of Jesus, he is recognizing a title, a child of God, and another title, that he is a brother of all men.”
“God has given us this world to look after it,” he said. “We have discovered something very important with the pandemic: we were engaged in the culture of having, of development at all costs, and we have realized that the paradigm must be changed and we must pass to the culture of care. To care for one another implies taking care of this world so that everyone can have what is necessary, or we will be a disaster. One cannot fail to see that there are 11 million people in a situation of exclusion in Spain. How can the Pope not talk about these things?
Pardon for Abuses
On being asked about the sexual abuses in the Church, the Archbishop of Madrid said: “I also ask publicly for forgiveness; its grave, it’s tragic.” In this connection, he stressed that it is “key” to be concerned for the victims and to listen to them, as the diocese’s Reparation Project is doing, which is “not in the Bishopric so that the people can go more freely “ and which is headed by “a layman and professionals.”
“The victims are sacred. [. . .] My worry is not the number but the person, one who has been the victim of abuse by someone who has responsibility in the Church,” he pointed out, sharing live the Web of the Reparation Project (repara.archimadrid.es), where details of contact, protocols and annual reports are collected.
Political Situation in Spain
During the interview, journalist Ana Pastor also asked him: “If I say to you PSOE and Podemos [We Can], how does it sound to you? Does it arouse rejection? Do you think it’s part of the democratic game?” The Cardinal answered: “It is part of the democratic system we have in which two parties can unite to form a Government as they have done now. Some might like it more and others less, but it’s within the rules that we Spanish have established for ourselves, and the Cardinal called for dialogue and encounter. The same journalist also asked him about the situation of migrants and the position of some opposed to their acceptance, to which Cardinal Osorio responded that there is a “right” to migrate. Although “it will have to be regulated.” “It’s our obligation to welcome them,” if not, “what are we doing? “We are creating wars among one another. Are we undoing people or building people for this world?” “We are all God’s children,” he stressed.
Homosexuality and Abortion
Also homosexuals?” asked Pastor. ”When I pray the ‘Our Father’ I feel I must reach all. I must not make any exception, because they are sons of God and my brothers [. . . ] which does not mean that there are things with which I don’t agree. They are my brothers. What I cannot say is: “I throw you out of here.” Jesus didn’t do that either. “
“Is homosexuality an illness?” continued the journalist. “Of course not,” answered the Cardinal, putting the focus on the Delegation of the Laity, Family, and Life, which is working with families with homosexual sons, because “the mission that Jesus has given us in the Church is to meet with men in the situation in which they are.”
In regard to women that abort, Cardinal Osoro said: “in principle, I say that life cannot be eliminated from this world; therefore, I’m against abortion [ . . . ] and I approach situations that someone is living at the cost of it. What cannot be admitted is that no one cry out in Spain when there were 90,000 abortions last year. I defend and work so that all can live.
At the end of the meeting, Pastor told the camera that the Cardinal had given her a copy of his book “My Teacher Was A Prisoner” (Sal Terrae), in which he exchanges letters with inmates of Soto del Real, concludes the note of the Archdiocese of Madrid.
Translation by Virginia M. Forrester
