Dialogue, modernity and integration: Carlo Maria Martini’s lesson one year after his death — Lombardi nel Mondo
Dialogue, modernity and integration: Carlo Maria Martini’s lesson one year after his death
One year ago, on 2012, August 31, Former Archbishop of Milan died. Cardinal Martini opened the Ambrosian Church to a deep integration with society, and encouraged Catholics’ commitment in politics. This is the official speech released by Matteo Cazzulani, Filitalia International Cremona Chapter President
He was a Pastor of Christianity who taught us the way to dialogue, integration and modernity. One year ago, the 2012, August 31, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Former Archbishop of Milan, left us after giving the Christianity an example of modernity.
Cardinal Martini, who guided the biggest Diocese in the world from 1979 to 2002, made the Ambrosian Church the most developed in Europe in what concerns understanding the society and openness to the modernity.
Cardinal Martini invited the Christianity to find the Truth by posing questions, and not by giving the people a version of the Truth that was already prepared.
Cardinal Martini stimulated the inter religious dialogue between Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and men of other religions. He opened the doors of the Ambrosian Diocese to immigrants and to the people who really need an help, even in they lost their Faith in the Holy Bible.
Cardinal Martini also encouraged a reform of the Church, in order to adapt the catholic doctrine to the modern society. He admitted the use of contraception and supported the admission of divorcees to the Eucharist.
Cardinal Martini is also and example for those Catholics who are directly engaged in politics and society. He taught us that political and social commitment is not a personal career, but a service to others, in order to reach social justice and support those who need a concrete help.
Cardinal Martini is a model both for his successor as the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi -who guided the Ambrosian Church from 2002 to 2011- and for Pope Francis -Cardinal Bergoglio.
According to journalistic sources, during 2005 Conclave Cardinal Martini invited the reformist faction of the Church to support Cardinal Bergoglio. It is thus an emotion to imagine how happy Cardinal Martini could be while watching the election of Pope Francis in 2012 Conclave.
Cardinal Martini is a big lack for those who believe in a Church opened to the society and modernity, as the Ambrosian Diocese is right now thanks to Cardinal Martini’s activity.
Pope Francis is now the personality who could -and already started to- evolve the Church towards modernity, showing that every man, even who doesn’t have the gift of Faith, is welcome in the Catholic Church, following Cardinal Martini’s extraordinary example.
Matteo Cazzulani
ABOUT CARDINAL MARTINI
Carlo Maria Martini was born the 15 February 1927. He was an Italian Jesuit and cardinal of the Catholic Church.
He was the first Jesuit to be appointed the Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983. He died the 31 August 2012 due to a form of Parkinson at the Jesuit Aloisianum College in Gallarate near Milan.
Martini was known to be ‘progressive’ on matters concerning human relationships, the possible ordination of women to the diaconate, the admission of divorcees to the Church, and some bioethical questions, notably contraceptive use in certain more complex situations.
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