VATICAN - Pontifical Urban University celebrates 500 years since the birth of Saint Francis Xavier, patron saint of missions: “Missionary spirit is born and grows only if it is deeply rooted in Christ, who died and rose from the dead for us”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - This morning Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, opened a solemn academic act with which the Pontifical Urban University paid homage to Saint Francis Xavier on the 500th anniversary of the saint’s birth. In his address Cardinal Ivan Dias said “I welcome you warmly as Grand Chancellor of this University and Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, and also personally because I am deeply moved to be here as we commemorate Saint Francis Xavier, I am in fact a spiritual son of St Francis since it was he who baptised my forefathers in Goa. We are here to capture some of the missionary zeal of this great missionary who spent ten years tirelessly diffusing the sweet perfume of Jesus Christ in India, passing then to the Moluccas and then to Japan. He then went towards China but died at its gates. I believe the evangelisation of China is Saint Francis Xavier’s incomplete symphony, the part he was unable to complete was continued by illustrious missionaries, first of all Matteo Ricci. We hope and pray this unfinished symphony may be completed as soon as possible”.
The Rector of the University Mgr. Ambrogio Spreafico, underlined that a “missionary university like Urban college could not let this recurrence pass without due reflection”. Mgr Spreafico highlighted the apostolic zeal of Saint Francis Xavier: “He travelled in the east from India to Japan, to the gates of China. He sought to encounter all people and with St Paul we might say ‘he became all to all in order to win someone …This is the missionary zeal that we must rediscover at a time when it seems to wane”. Reflecting on mission in Asia, “where most of the world’s population lives and where the Gospel is known only to a small minority ”, Mgr Spreafico said Saint Francis Xavier “calls us to revive the heroic spirit of the disciple of Christ, called to announce the Word of Salvation to all nations”. Pope Benedict XVI with his recent journey to Turkey, was an example of how “Christian faith does not hesitate in front of others or difficulties, indeed the Christian is animated by St Paul’s desire to meet everyone … The Holy Father’s desire to meet and talk surprised the world and encouraged us not to give in to reasons for fear and conflict which seem to animate so many debates”.
Mgr Spreafico spoke of the strong bond between Urban College and the Chair of Peter and said: “Missionary spirit is born and grows only if it is deeply rooted in Christ, who died and rose from the dead for us. He alone gives the impulse to go to the nations and to bear witness to the love of Christ even in the most difficult situations”. In this regard he quoted part of a letter written by the Italian priest Rev Andrea Santoro, killed last February in Turkey: “To stem ferocity what is needed is the intelligence of charity and the mobilisation of profound resources”.
Also present at the academic act was Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Holy See Secretary of State, who spoke on the theme “Communicating the Faith: the Church’s mission in the time of Saint Francis Xavier and in our Day”. “The most remarkable feat accomplished by the Society of Jesus in its centuries old history is its missionary endeavour” and Saint Francis Xavier was the one who started this extraordinary missionary. With regard to analogies between the times of the Saint and our own day the Cardinal mentioned what Redemptoris Missio says about missionary spirituality and added: “for the Christian and for the Church spirituality cannot be only a residual of prayer and good intentions to cultivate personally, on the contrary, since it keeps us united with Christ, it is the source from which mission is born and on which it continually grows”.
Tomorrow Fides will give an ample summary of the address given by Cardinal Bertone and the conference presented by Prof. Colzani on “The birth of a new ecclesial figure and his service: Francis Xavier the missionary”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 5/12/2006 - Righe 50; Parole 739)