Unity with Pope key to facing divisions in the Church, says Cardinal Rivera

Mexico City, Mexico, Jun 23, 2009 / 17:56 pm

The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, said in his homily on Sunday that the internal divisions in the Church need to be overcome through unity with Peter's Successor, “to whom the Lord has entrusted the helm of the Church.”

The cardinal explained that the internal difficulties that the Catholic Church is suffering, such as “schisms, heresies, desertions and distortions, which are never lacking,” harm the Body of Christ, but this should not discourage the faithful, as the Lord is always present to comfort and encourage.

Cardinal Rivera also pointed out that if the Church continues navigating through the sea of history, “it is not because of our own merits or the fruit of our capacities and strategies. We would have sunk her long ago with our negligence and evil, but the ship has someone at the helm whom the sea, the winds and the storms obey. The sails of the ship are blown by the wind of the Spirit,” he said.

Referring to the storms that are “in our hearts, not in the Church,” Cardinal Rivera stressed that “temptations, mistrust, rebellion, seem to bury us. It is time to awaken the faith that is in us, it is time to turn to Jesus who seems to be asleep, but who is close to us and hears us,” he added, in a reference to Sunday's Gospel reading.

“He is awaiting our cry. He is awaiting our trusting prayer, in order to calm our storms, to give us peace, so that we might continue this crossing until we reach the other side,” the cardinal said.