Kevin Farrell

"The theme of the Apostles’ unbelief recurs several times: they do not believe the testimony of Mary Magdalene who tells them that she saw Jesus alive; they also do not believe the testimony of two other disciples who met Jesus "as they were on their way into the country." Finally, Jesus himself, appearing to them "while they were at table," rebukes them "for their incredulity and obstinacy." The Apostles’ persistent and almost stubborn unbelief is an important aspect that the New Testament revelation has transmitted to us, without eliminating or 'softening' it. So many times in history attempts have been made to attack the Christian belief by saying that the resurrection of Jesus is a myth constructed by the community of his first disciples, the result of collective exaltation or posthumous glorification of the master, as happened in many other religious beliefs of the past. In fact, the very striking testimony of the Gospel accounts contradicts all these assumptions. Jesus’ group of disciples was not in a state of 'collective exaltation' at all. On the contrary, the Gospels tell us that they were fearful, distressed and dejected. Nor do we find an attitude of easy belief in them, or an inclination toward religious mysticism. Indeed, it is clear, as we have heard from today’s Gospel, that the very idea that Jesus was still alive seemed incredible to the Apostles. It was extremely difficult for them to convince themselves that Jesus had conquered death! Thus, the Apostles’ very unbelief is a strong sign of the credibility of the Gospel. At the heart of our faith is not a myth, not a collective illusion, not a legend created by the community for the purpose of consolation. No! The foundation of our faith is a fact: Christ is risen! Christ has truly conquered death!"

"While the Catholic Church cannot bless unions that are not sacramental marriages, the church will always welcome and accompany everyone, no matter their situation in life. [...] It is essential and very important that we always open our arms to receive and to accompany all people in their different stages of life and in their different life situations. [...] We accompany all people. There are situations where there are people who are divorced and remarried. The church will accompany them with the hope that one day they will live totally in accordance with the church’s teaching. But I do want to insist that nobody, nobody must ever be excluded from the pastoral care and love and concern of the church."

"It is essential and very important that we always open our arms to receive and to accompany all people in their different stages of life and in their different life situations. When the Church speaks about marriage, it speaks about sacramental marriage. It doesn’t speak about civil unions. Blessing is something that is a sacramental, that is related to the sacrament of marriage. That does not mean that those who are only married in the Church receive the benefits of the pastoral care of the Church. It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex."

"I believe that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has made tremendous progress in the Church, and has changed in many ways the mentality of so many, both clerics and non-clerics. I think the laity feel much more comfortable within the structures of the Church nowadays than they did ten years ago when Pope Francis came into office. I believe that Pope Francis saw as his mission to continue the Second Vatican Council, the Council that called the laity to be an active, not only 'participant,' but 'member,' with all the rights due to baptism, that every person in the Church has. That was not so well known. [...] Certainly in this Dicastery [Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life], and in several other Dicasteries, the laity are very prominent. In this Dicastery, the ordained ministers are the least noticeable. [...] There are three priests in this dicastery out of 35. I happen to be Prefect, and, I don't know, but can imagine I may have the distinct honor of being the last cleric to be the Prefect of this Dicastery."

"Fr. Giussani placed great emphasis on God’s free and surprising initiative in coming to us, made "encounterable" and "experienceable" in the concreteness of the human life of His Son, in the historical Jesus of Nazareth, who remains forever "a historical fact." This prompted his strong emphasis on Christianity not as a sentiment, a philosophical intuition of sublime truths, or a rigid set of ethical demands, but as an "event" perennially present in history. [...] Thus Fr. Giussani was able to unite “the questions of the human person” and “God’s answer,” showing the reasonableness of the Christian announcement inasmuch as it is the complete fulfillment of the human. His charism as an educator meant he was able to elicit the great questions of the heart, bring to the light the aspirations of the human person, and show how Christ is the definitive answer to those questions. This fascinated thousands of people in the course of his lifetime."