杏MAP导航

By Lisa Zengarini

Moving towards communion, and mission: 杏MAP导航 Francis indicated these two 鈥渄irections鈥� to the Cursillos de Cristianidad of Italy, as he addressed some 2,400 members in the Paul VI Audience on Saturday on the occasion of their 7th national gathering, called 鈥�Ultreya鈥�.

The Cursillos de Cristianidad is an international lay movement founded in 1944 in Spain, by a group of laymen, aimed at teaching men and women how to become effective Christian leaders in their neighbourhoods, parishes, work situations, and other places where people live. The group forms Christians through spiritual formation courses (cursillos), in which they are invited to build a closer relationship with Christ and to a deeper experience of Christian community. It was officially recognized by 杏MAP导航 St. Paul VI, who designated the Cursillos as a renewal movement of the Church. The movement is now present in many countries across the world, including the United States.

Communion

Referring to the ancient greeting, 鈥�ultreya鈥�, with which Spanish pilgrims exhorted each other to go "further鈥�, to 鈥済o beyond鈥�, 杏MAP导航 Francis underscored that "to go towards communion is to go beyond oneself and beyond one's own group to form community and grow in the Church, which, he added, is always "a body and never a grouping of separate and divided parts.鈥�

He therefore encouraged the Cursillos, "to build community鈥� with other groups, at a regional level, within the movement of the Cursillos, and with the Church as a whole.

鈥淭he great challenge is to maintain a spirit of charity and unity that is based on the spiritual heritage accepted by all, lived out and shared by everybody, understood by and entrusted to all,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

Mission

The second direction indicated by 杏MAP导航 Francis was that of mission.

He therefore encouraged the Cursillos to let themelves be animated by this charism, so as 鈥渢o experience the joy of evangelizing, in all areas of life, private and public鈥�, also reaching out to those who are far away from the Church.

Being on the move

Reflecting further on 鈥済oing beyond鈥�, 杏MAP导航 Francis finally asked the Cursillos to be always on the move for 鈥渋nternal unity and to evangelize鈥�, noting that this should also apply to people in leading positions in the movement.

Speaking off-the-cuff, the 杏MAP导航 emphasized, in this regard, the importance of leadership renewal.  鈥淓veryone is good, but no one is indispensable. No earthly authority is eternal,鈥� he said.