[attach id=232488 size="large"]Pope Benedict XVI with Cardinal Carlo Maria
Martini.[/attach]
In October 1987 Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who had been Archbishop of Milan since 1980, set up the Chair of Non-Believers, a series of meetings on “questions of faith”.
Many Italians and foreigners took part in these meetings – intellectuals, philosophers, writers, psychoanalysts, artists, scientists, former inmates of the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, and public administrators. There was Umberto Eco, the famous author of the book The Name of the Rose, and Eugenio Scalfari, founder of the daily newspaper La Repubblica.
Martini lived in the thick of political corruption, known in Milan as Tangentopoli (city of bribes). He not only denounced corruption but taught the social doctrine of the Church and started the formation of Catholics in the field of public administration and social and political solidarity.
If I can be the Pope in Rome, you can be Archbishop of Milan- Pope John Paul II
He started writing books about this – Educare al Servizio (Educating for Service), Educare alla Solidarietà Sociale e Politica, Un Viaggio nel Dizionario dell’Etica (A voyage in the Dictionary of Ethics). I have produced a Maltese version of this last book, published by Klabb Qari Nisrani.
In 1987, he instituted schools of formation for social and political responsibilities.
Milan was becoming a place of different races and religions. And Martini played his part in approaching and meeting these people. He devised a pastoral plan called Farsi Prossimo (Becoming neighbours).
He organised a week of conventions and issued a pastoral letter on the subject with the same name. And on St Ambrose Day 1990, he spoke on “We and Islam – from welcome to dialogue”.
This positive attitude to foreigners did not please certain elements in the city and the region. The Lega Nord (Northern League) took a position against Martini. Irene Pivetti, a Catholic representative of Lega Nord, who later became Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, started gathering signatures to ask for his removal.
At the time, the political situation in Italy was in total disarray. The long-established parties were in ruins and new formations were appearing – Lega Nord and the Freedom Party of Silvio Berlusconi.
Martini’s pastoral plan for 1992-1994 emphasised vigilance and reminded society that the Church cannot renounce its mission of being the critical conscience of society. He did not see eye to eye with the movement known as Comunione e Liberazione (CL) regarding its views on the part the role Catholics should play in the social field.
He tried to mend the breach. He accepted their invitation to go and speak to CL at its annual convention at Rimini. But what he said there was not appreciated.
In spring 1995, Martini had a meeting with Pope John Paul II. In a private audience, he told the Pope that in order to be renewed the Church needed a sign and in his case the sign should be going into exile or resigning. After 15 years as Archbishop of Milan, Martini wanted to go back to his Biblical studies, but the Pope did not accede to his wish. Three times he offered his resignation and three times it was refused by the Pope. John Paul II told him: “If I can be the Pope in Rome, you can be Archbishop of Milan”.
Martini was in the news in 1999 at the Synod of Bishops in October on co-responsibility and collegiality.
He rose to speak and stated that he had three dreams. The first was that Europeans would be more familiar with Holy Scripture in order to revive the experience of the Emmaus disciples, having fire in their hearts.
The second consisted of the parish and the local church becoming a sign of hope and a credible proposal as an alternative to social and ethical collapse, lamented by many in that Synod.
The third consisted of a more universal and authoritative collegial organ where the points mentioned in the preparatory document could be tackled freely, in full respect of episcopal collegiality while listening to the Spirit and considering the common good of the Church and of the whole of humanity. But the media misunderstood Martini.
While he appealed for further reflection on certain subjects which had been swept under the carpet, they announced that Martini had proposed a Vatican Council III.
In 2007, the case of Piergiorgio Welby, who sought to interrupt his treatment which resulted in his death, caused a sensation in Italy.
Martini at that time was already suffering from Parkinson’s disease and understood Welby in a different way from Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who refused to give Welby a Christian burial.
In May 2007, Martini agreed to go to Paris to present Pope Benedict’s book, Jesus of Nazareth. He made it clear that the book was not a papal document but a publication of a theologian.
He was very free in his comments on the book and even said the title should have been “Jesus of Nazareth yesterday and today”.
When Martini gave up his episcopal mission in Milan because of his age, he decided to go to Jerusalem and continue his studies and reflections there.
But his physical condition worsened and had to re-enter Italy and go to live in Gallarate in one of the Jesuit houses.
Early in 2011, Martini wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI because he wanted to say some important things to the Church.
The Pope answered by inviting him to a private audience which took place on April 9. Martini later said he told the Pope “some very hard things. I told him what his collaborators do not tell him”.
While in Italy Martini was invited to preach a course of spiritual exercises to young priests. What he told them is worth recording.
He spoke about clerical jealousy and careerism. He said that the clerical vice par excellence was jealousy, that makes one say “why did that one get what was my due? What evil have I committed so that another has become bishop and I have not?”.
About careerism he stated: “There are priests who decide to become bishops and they succeed. There are bishops who do not speak because otherwise they won’t be promoted to a bigger diocese. There are some who don’t speak out in order not to spoil their chances of becoming cardinal. We must ask God to give us the gift of freedom. We are called to be transparent, to tell the truth. We need a great grace. But he who succeeds is a free man.”
That’s what Martini was, a free man and a great Father of the Church.
Concluded.