Dear Brother,
On this the day on which your
designation to take part in the College of Cardinals is made public, I would
like to send you my warm greeting as well as the assurance of my closeness and
of my prayer. I hope that, as a member of the Church of Rome, “clothed in the
virtue and sentiments of the Lord Jesus (cf. Rom 13:14), you may help me with
fraternal efficacy in my service to the Universal Church.
The Cardinalate does not signify
a promotion, an honour nor a decoration: it is simply a service that demands a
broader vision and a bigger heart. And, although it seems a paradox, this
ability to look further and love more universally with greater intensity can be
acquired only by following the way of the Lord: the way of lowliness and of
humility, taking the form of a servant (cf. Phil 2:5-8). Therefore, I ask you,
please, to receive this appointment with a simple and humble heart. And, while
you ought to do this with gladness and joy, do so in a way that this sentiment
is far from any kind of expression of worldliness, from any celebration alien
to the evangelical spirit of austerity, moderation and poverty.
We will see each other, then, on
20 February, when we will begin two days of reflection on the family. I am at
your service and, please I ask you to pray, and ask for your prayers for me.
May Jesus bless you and may the
Holy Virgin protect you.
Fraternally,
From the Vatican, 12
January 2014
FRANCIS
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