Mariano Fazio, auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, presented at the University of Navarra (Madrid campus) his book number 28: "The Opus Dei Book of the Year".Freedom to love, through the classics".
This book tries to show how freedom is oriented to love. and how this affirmation has enormous importance for the Christian life. Fazio, historian and philosopher, and professor of History of Political Doctrines at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, demonstrates this in this essay by the hand of great classic authors of all times.
On the occasion of the presentation of this book, CARF spoke with him.
CARF: The main objective of CARF is to collaborate with bishops around the world who send priests and seminarians from their dioceses to study at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome).
These seminarians reside at the International Seminaries Bidasoa (Pamplona) and Sedes Sapientiae (Rome). Why is the integral formation of priests so important?
Mariano: "Formation is something essential, an indispensable condition for evangelization, because no one gives what he does not have. If we go out to evangelize without knowing what we have to transmit, we would be doing a disservice to the truth. The most important thing is to be united to the great evangelizer who is Jesus Christ.
We cannot have a full spiritual life without a broad doctrinal knowledge; they are two aspects that go hand in hand. There is no choice between pastoral care or theological formation, because pastoral care implies a theological formation and theology is at the service of pastoral care".
CARF: For this reason, CARF's work is key.
Mariano: "Exactly. The work that CARF does is key and I think that so many people are understanding it and for this reason, many people help the formation of priests through CARF and hopefully we will reach many more. It is an imposing task because it is about training evangelizers so that they in turn can help many people to be happy and have a full life.
That in this world love, understanding and dialogue may prevail. Unfortunately, we see a world crucified by war, by hatred, by the lack of forgiveness, and a profound evangelization becomes more and more necessary".
D. Mariano Fazio, auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, has presented at the University of Navarra (Madrid campus) his book number 28: "The Opus Dei Book.Freedom to love, through the classics".
This book tries to show how freedom is oriented to love and how this affirmation has an enormous importance for Christian life. Fazio, historian and philosopher, and professor of History of Political Doctrines at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, demonstrates this in this essay by the hand of great classic authors of all times.
On the formation of priests and the work of CARF, he says: "Helping in the formation of priests is essential. A priest is a multiplier effect.
CARF: In a rather secularized world and because of the recent circumstances that the Church has experienced, the reputation of priests is a bit low. What can be done to recover and raise the reputation of priests?
D. Mariano: "We have to look at the Church from a faith perspective. St. Josemaría said that the Church is fundamentally Christ, who saves the world through his words and the sacraments. Those of us who form part of the Church are sinful creatures, full of limitations, who try to be faithful to what our Lord told us, even though we often fail to do so.
Within the Church, there are priests who have not been faithful to what the Lord asks of us. And all of us, with our limitations, at certain times we are not faithful. But, on the other hand, how many priests there are who give their lives in the far corners of the world, at the service of the universal Church, in heroic circumstances, although these priests will also have their limitations".
"The Catholic must see the priest with eyes of faith, he is a man chosen by God, a human instrument with weaknesses, but the vast majority with many desires to follow the Lord. It is important to pray for his holiness. There are very serious scandals that cause them to lose their priestly status, although thanks be to God this is not the norm in the Church. Scandals should not overshadow the great work of the thousands and thousands of priests around the world".
CARF: Some people prefer to give their money to social projects and perhaps some do not also see the importance of collaborating in the formation of vocations?
D. Mariano: "A priest is a multiplier effect. It is spectacular that people collaborate with social works that are going to help the most disadvantaged people. If one helps a priestIf he is well formed, this priest will understand that there is a whole dimension of helping the most needy and, therefore, the formation he receives will imply a direct service to all these people.
There are people who criticize the Church for different reasons, but it would be dishonest to close our eyes to the reality of a Church at the service of the poor on the five continents. By training these priests, we will be strengthening this human assistance.
CARF: Mr. Mariano, a message for all the seminarians and priests who are being trained in the Universities of Rome and Pamplona that CARF helps.
I would tell them that it is a privilege to be able to study both in Rome and in Pamplona and it is thanks to the contribution and help of the collaborators and benefactors of CARF, who provide the means to make this a reality. It is a moral obligation to pray for all the collaborators who have made this privilege possible.
On the other hand, when one receives a gift, it implies a great responsibility in terms of doctrinal studies and spiritual formation.
"The work that CARF does is key and I think so many people are understanding this and for this reason, many people are helping with the formation of priests through CARF and hopefully we will reach many more."
CARF: You have come to Madrid to present your latest book, what do you want to convey with it?
D. Mariano: "Today, as we live in a highly secularized societyIn order to carry out effective evangelization, we must do what evangelizers have done throughout the history of the Church: prepare the ground for the proclamation of the Gospel.
The great classics convey a series of human values, such as that we are made for good, for truth, for beauty and that we are people with a transcendent destiny. If we could get many people to read these classics, they would be open to receive the fullness of truth which, in my personal position, I believe is in the Christian revelation".
CARF: You defend freedom and pluralism in the book. Is it possible to defend freedom and pluralism within the Church, while respecting doctrine?
D. Mariano: "Of course. Within the Church there must be pluralism and this is achieved through a good doctrinal formation. A well-formed Catholic knows how to distinguish what is essential to the Gospel message and revealed truth from other circumstantial questions that change with time and history".
CARF: Those who know him say that Mr. Mariano gets along very well with Pope Francis. They are friends. And you urge us to pray for the Pontiff.
D. Mariano: "Union with the Pope is an essential element of the Catholic faith because we see in the Pope not a concrete person, but the Vicar of Christ. Every Pope has a human dimension, a consequence of his cultural formation, of the country he comes from, of his pastoral experience.
We have perceived it in these last years. We have experienced all the richness brought to us by the Slavic experience of John Paul II, the experience of a great central European theologian like Benedict XVI, and all the pastoral practice of the Latin American continent, called by John Paul II the continent of hope.
The human styles of the last three pontiffs are very different and in this there is a great plurality. This variety should be seen as a great richness that the Church has today. But leaving aside preferences, unity with the Pope is essential. The Church and Catholics, without the Pope, we are nothing".
Luis Alberto Rosales and Marta Santín talk with Mr. Mariano Fazio.
Marta Santín, Journalist specializing in religious information
