Cardinal DiNardo Welcomes Pope Francis’s New Apostolic Exhortation on Holiness
WASHINGTON (April 9, 2018) – Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has welcomed the release of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation, “Gaudete et Exsultate” (Rejoice and Be Glad).
The document, subtitled “On the Call to Holiness in the Contemporary World,” calls on each Christian to “acknowledge and be open to what God wants them to be.”
About the Apostolic Exhortation
In the introduction, Pope Francis states that his goal is to “repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities.”
An apostolic exhortation is considered the second-highest form of papal teaching, after an encyclical letter. Since his election, Pope Francis has issued two other exhortations:
- “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel) in 2013
- “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) in 2016
Highlights from Cardinal DiNardo’s Statement
Cardinal DiNardo expressed his deep gratitude to the Holy Father for the powerful and straightforward words in “Gaudete et Exsultate.” Key themes from his statement include:
- A Universal Call to Be Saints: “Pope Francis is very clear – he is doing his duty as the Vicar of Christ, by strongly urging each and every Christian to freely… acknowledge and be open to what God wants them to be – that is ‘to be holy, as He is holy’ (1 Pet 1:15).”
- Overcoming the Fear of Holiness: “‘Do not be afraid of holiness (no. 32).’ These words of the Holy Father jumped out at me… In a way, each one of us has a fear of striving for holiness – a fear that we would be mocked, ignored, or even hated by others because we would stand out. Yet that is what the Lord has called each and every person to!”
- Finding Holiness in Daily Struggles: “The Holy Father describes how holiness comes through the daily struggles each of us face. In the ordinary course of each day, the Pope reminds us, ‘We need to recognize and combat our aggressive and selfish inclinations, and not let them take root’ (no. 114). Yet, he says, this ‘battle is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives’ (no. 158).”
- A Call for Civility, Especially Online: “One paragraph in particular points out the continuing need we have for civility in all our interactions… ‘Christians too,’ the Holy Father writes, ‘can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication.’ This can be true even in Catholic media (no. 115).”
- A Tool for Renewal: “In the light of Easter joy… I encourage every Christian to rekindle their baptismal call to be holy by reading this wonderful exhortation by Pope Francis, especially the beautiful section on the Beatitudes.”
Read the Exhortation
The document is available to the public through the following links:
- Order from the USCCB: http://store.usccb.org/rejoice-and-be-glad-p/7-599.htm
- Read Online at the Vatican Website: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html