Pope Francis Explains the Importance of "Inculturation: taking the culture of the place where we go..."

 ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE "MARCELLO CANDIA" FOUNDATION

which has several charities in Brazil

Friday, April 8, 2022

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 Hello, welcome! And thank you for his words. She said what she had to say clearly… And then they say that women talk too much: she was really good!

I am happy to meet you and to thank the Lord with you for 40 years of activity of the Marcello Candia Foundation. He himself founded it in 1982, and the following year he left for Heaven. Now we venerate him and ask for his intercession, especially for the sick and the poorest and most marginalized in the North East of Brazil, where he worked for many years.

Thank you so much for your commitment and your initiatives. Above all for the method and style with which you carry them out, marked by the mandate that Marcello Candia received from Saint Paul VI. I would like to take these indications together with you, because they can be good for all those who manage similar works.

First of all, Paul VI said to Candia: “If you build a hospital in Brazil, make it a Brazilian…”. That is, well integrated into the local reality, involving the locals ... Even if maybe a little Milanese style will have put it! Inculturation: taking the culture of the place where we go to work.

"Be careful - he continued - to avoid any kind of paternalism, do not impose your ideas on others, even with good intentions". Candia was an entrepreneur, he was used to making decisions on his own, so he had to learn to manage things in another way.

"Do the hospital not only for the Brazilians, but with the Brazilians". Not just for , but with . This is important, it is a general rule of charity: to work with the people to whom the service is addressed.

And he added: “Make it your ultimate goal to no longer be necessary”. This is wise! Many times here, even we in the Church, we find valuable people, priests, bishops, but they believe that the history of salvation passes from them, that they are necessary. Nobody, nobody is absolutely necessary. It is necessary to do what it has to do, and then, that history, God, will say if I continue, if another comes… This is beautiful, this is beautiful: “And make it your final goal not to be necessary anymore”. Wise. When you realize that the hospital is walking by itself, then "you will have carried out a real work of human solidarity". This too is a very wise rule: don't bind people and works to yourself, don't make yourself indispensable, but on the contrary train your collaborators and ensure stability and continuity. With collaborators.

I congratulate you on trying to follow this path. In fact, the Foundation does not manage the works on its own, but supports local communities and missionaries in initiatives with the sick, lepers and people in various situations of need. And another merit you have is that the maintenance costs of the Foundation are minimal, almost everything goes to the works in Brazil. And this is very important, because there are organizations and work associations to do good, but they have a structure of people, of things that - I am not exaggerating - half or 60% go to pay wages. No, this is not good. The minimum, because most of the money goes to the people. This is important, keep it up.

And thank you, dear friends, for your visit! I encourage you to move forward, in the spirit and style of the venerable Marcello Candia. May Our Lady accompany you. The blessing that I give to you, take it to those who collaborate here in Italy and in Brazil. And also, please, don't forget to pray for me because this work is not easy, not easy at all. Now I will give you the blessing, and also with this blessing my thanks, my thanks for what you do in this way, daily and in secret: this is very beautiful! Thanks.