Dear brothers,

We have gathered around the altar of the Lord, at the tomb of Saint Peter, to begin this Consistory. From every corner of the world, we have come to celebrate this Eucharist. Let us offer to God our lives and the communities and peoples we hold dear, as well as our pastoral projects and experiences with all their joys and sorrows.

This diversity of emotions and thoughts now comes together and finds its luminous center in Christ, who himself addresses us, saying: “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1). Through Jesus, grace and truth flow into our lives (cf. Jn 1:17), renewing us from within. These divine gifts are also the life-giving nourishment of the Consistory that we inaugurate today. The Gospel itself prepares the ground for it to bear fruit: “Remain in me, and I in you” (Jn 15:4). On the one hand, then, the Master warns us that “apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5), and on the other, he wants his disciples to bear “much fruit” (v. 8). Much fruit indeed, for God’s grace does not produce stunted growth in those who receive it, but rather a flourishing progress. Indeed, the eternal Word became man so that all might “have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Having begun in faith, this life is strengthened even through the trial of pruning, because it is cultivated by the Father’s attentive care.

As we ask God to grant us strength and wisdom, it is significant that our Consistory takes place on the eve of the Solemnity of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Let us pause, then, to commemorate these two pillars of the Roman Catholic Church, the two missionary martyrs whose preaching became one with their lives, to the point of becoming part of Sacred Scripture.

As we listen today to Saint Paul’s words to the Corinthians, we can see how beautifully they harmonize with those of the Gospel. Indeed, the various charisms, ministries and ecclesial activities are like branches of the one vine — that is, of the same Lord (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-6), who pours out the Holy Spirit upon his Church. Corresponding to this organic unity is the standard that makes all forms of service in the Church good and fruitful, namely the standard of the common good (cf. v. 7).

Dear friends, to guide our discernment during these days, I would like to draw some insights from the word of God we have just heard.

First, the example of Saints Peter and Paul encourages us to share in the true freedom of faith. In fact, it is precisely our relationship with the Lord Jesus that frees us from sin and fear. As he calls us to follow him, he himself sends us out into the world as successors of the Apostles. Therefore, proclaiming the Gospel, celebrating the sacraments, and dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s flock are realized and bear fruit to the extent that we believe in him, the Good Shepherd. Faith is that virtue — never to be taken for granted — that gives life to the Church, for it is the grace that nourishes the branches of the one vine. The living Church is the Church that believes through the gift of the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts. And this Church bears much fruit. Thus, just as divine grace precedes human freedom, the Church’s faith precedes our own and calls for a fervent witness. This mission has Christ as its beginning and end. In the words of the psalmist, “Tell of his salvation from day to day; declare his glory among the nations” (Ps 96:2–3).

Second, we ask for the gift of peace in unity. Even as we invite all peoples to the faith in which we are truly free, international tensions and conflicts seriously wound the human family. At the same time, the Church and the world are not lacking initiatives and experiences that call for respect for human dignity, justice, the rule of law and simply for what is human. Indeed, there are many such examples. This is a source of hope, for it attests to the beauty of the work of God, who created us in his image and likeness as a sign of his glory in the world. Whenever this sign is wounded, we are all wounded. Whenever it is corrupted, we all suffer. Whenever it is destroyed, we all feel torn apart. Therefore, war is never worthy of humanity, and it is never blessed by God, because, even if we are equipped with high-tech weapons, the Creator has endowed us with intelligence and free will to resolve conflicts as human beings and not as beasts. That the unity of the human family takes precedence over individual peoples and states is not merely a biological fact; it is an ethical principle. Peace is a duty of justice because we are one human family, a magnifica humanitas that finds its head and redeemer in Christ.

As we reflect on the Encyclical that I promulgated on 15 May last, we must persevere along the path outlined by Saint Paul VI, for when he “coined the phrase ‘the civilization of love,’ the world was in the midst of the Cold War, an arms race and severe economic instability. In that context, the Church proposed an alternative path to that of ideological opposition between systems, and envisioned a social order in which justice and charity are intertwined” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 186. Cf. Saint Paul VI, Regina Caeli, 17 May 1970). Indeed, this is how Christian witness becomes prophecy, evangelization and service for a new world, as well as a cultural and social project that promotes integral human development. As she proclaims the Gospel, amid both joys and persecutions, the Church is never partial, since she is for everyone, and to each she addresses the same message of conversion and salvation.

Third, today and always, let us savor harmony through obedience — that is, a listening that recognizes the gift of the Word made flesh for us. Through such listening, the Holy Spirit guides us, pointing out pastoral challenges and opportunities, purifying our intentions and correcting whatever strays from our shared path. The implementation of the Synod, to which we are committed, invites everyone to move forward in unity of faith, in promoting peace, and in obedience to Jesus, the living Word. In this light, “today’s vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings out their abiding newness” (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 41). The one Word made flesh is in fact expressed in all languages: Christ who died and rose again is the true vine, which bears fruit through all the cultures that Christians transform from within. Thus, as the ideologies of the world wither away, the Holy Spirit makes fraternal harmony, charity and missionary zeal flourish in the Church.

Our working together in a collegial way embodies the synodality in which all the baptized participate in the unity of the People of God. Synodality and collegiality are, in fact, forms of Christian fraternity, which binds us together as the baptized and as bishops. Therefore, in helping me in the exercise of the Petrine ministry, you will find in me one who asks, not commands. Moreover, the authority of primacy belongs to the one who listens and only then leads, to the one who learns and only then teaches, always following the one and only Teacher. May the intercession of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul accompany us on this enthralling journey.