Complete catechesis of Pope Francis on Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius

2023-10-25 02:00:00

Today I will talk to you about two very famous brothers in the East, to the point of being called “the apostles of the Slavs”: the saints Cyril and Methodius. Born in Greece in the 9th century into an aristocratic family, they renounced their political career to dedicate themselves to monastic life. But his dream of a retired existence is short-lived. They are sent as missionaries to Great Moravia, which at that time included various towns, already partly evangelized, but among whom many pagan customs and traditions survived. His prince asks for a teacher to explain the Christian faith in his language.

The first task of Cyril and Methodius is, therefore, to thoroughly study the culture of these people. Always that “chorus”, faith is inculturated, and culture is evangelized. Inculturation of faith and evangelization of culture, always. Cirilo asks if they have an alphabet; They tell him no. He replies, “Who can write a speech about water?” In fact, to proclaim the Gospel and pray, one needed one’s own, adequate, specific instrument. So he invented the Glagolitic alphabet. He translated the Bible and liturgical texts. People feel that the Christian faith is no longer “foreign”, it has become inculturated, but rather it becomes their faith, spoken in their mother tongue. Think about it: two Greek monks giving an alphabet to the Slavs. It is this openness of heart that took root in them. These two were not afraid, they were brave.

Soon, however, opposition began from some Latins, who saw themselves stripped of the monopoly of preaching among the Slavs. That is the fight within the Church, always like this. Their objection is religious, but only in appearance: God can only be praised – they say – in the three languages ​​written on the cross, Hebrew, Greek and Latin. These had a closed mind to defend their own autonomy. But Cyril responds forcefully: God wants each people to praise him in their own language.

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