Vatican City, Mar 27, 2010 / 11:31 am
Capuchin Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa dedicated his final Lenten meditation to the necessity of “an internal purification of the Church, starting with its clergy." He emphasized the importance of love for Christ, fidelity and repentance in bringing about change.
The call to conversion for those who are already within the Church is a different one from that of non-believers and neophytes and one that "concerns us closely," explained Fr. Cantalamessa to Pope Benedict XVI and clergy present in the Vatican's Redemptoris Mater Chapel on Friday morning.
This call, the Capuchin friar said, "resounds in each of the seven letters to the Churches" in the Book of Revelation.
Drawing from the letter to the Ephesians, the Preacher to the Papal Household pointed out that the call to conversion incites a return to “the primitive fervor and love for Christ," a return to the enthusiasm and grace of the moment they realized they were called to God's service.