Concesio (Brescia). On 29 November 2024, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, invited to Concesio, Brescia, by the Paul VI Institute on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the Saint, inaugurated the “Virtual visit to the birthplace of John Baptist Montini-Paul VI” and held a conference on “Christian holiness today: the witness of Paul VI”.
Elected to the papal throne on 21 June 1963, with the name of Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini was proclaimed Blessed by Pope Francis on 19 October 2014, and canonized on 14 October 2018.
In addition to the Bishop of Brescia, Msgr. Pierantonio Tremolada, to the President of the dell’Paul VI Institute, Fr. Angelo Maffeis; to Pierpaolo Camadini, President of the Society for Christian Education, and to other civil authorities, ecclesial authorities, and those from the world of culture, the event was attended by the Superior of Mary Mother of the Church Preprovince (RMC) Sister Jessica Salvaña, and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Community of St. Paul VI, who curate the birthplace, welcoming pilgrims and visitors.
Fr. Angelo Maffeis, recently appointed Dean of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy, led both moments. During the presentation of the App Casa Natale Paolo VI, Mons. Maffeis thanked the FMA for their presence in the daily accompaniment of pilgrims following on the footsteps of Paul VI.
The FMA collaborated in the drafting of the texts of the app, enriched with a multilingual path that will allow pilgrims from different nationalities to deepen the greatness of one of the most extraordinary figures of the 20th century, starting from the places where he was born and raised, who formed him humanly and Christianly.
After visiting the birthplace, the event continued in the “Vittorio Montini” Auditorium of the Paul VI Institute with the conference of the Cardinal who, taking up the words of Montini for the feast of All Saints of 1957, spoke of holiness as “a call to all”.
Continuing on the theme of holiness, he quoted Pope Francis’ Angelus of 1 November 2017: “The saints are our brothers and sisters who have received the light of God into their hearts and transmitted it to the world, (…) they have struggled to remove the stains and the darkness of sin, so as to let pass through the gentle light of God.”
A holiness only imitating Christ, like that of Montini: “They are all men and women who in their time have conformed themselves to Christ. Which face of Christ emerges from this holiness?”
To finally arrive at the actuality of the holiness of Paul VI, “a holiness made of deep humanity. Montini was the Pope who gave more answers to human questions and translated into reality his strategic vision of the Church. The key to modernity of Paul VI was the theme of the confrontation of the Catholic Church with the modern world; he pushed for the pastoral renewal that put the Church, in fidelity to the Gospel, in the heart of the modern person who wanted to reach a true and not superficial encounter.”
Source: La Voce del popolo
