“Without liturgical reform there is no reform of the Church,” the pope said.
“A church that does not feel the passion for spiritual growth, that does not try to speak in an understandable way to the men and women of his time, that does not feel pain for the division between Christians, who does not tremble with the anxiety of announcing Christ to the people, is a sick Church, and these are the symptoms,” the Holy Father emphasized in his address.
The pope qualified these remarks by saying “we can only make such a statement by understanding what the liturgy is in its theological sense.”
Speaking specifically on the theme of the assembly’s 2024 meeting, the pope noted that their work must focus on making formation more accessible so it is not a “specialization for a few experts, but of an interior disposition of all the people of God.”
“This naturally does not exclude that there is a priority in the training of those who, by virtue of the sacrament of orders, are called to be mystagogues, that is, to take each other by the hand and accompany the faithful in the knowledge of the holy mysteries,” Francis continued.
The Holy Father also noted that liturgical formation is predicated upon a love for Christ by highlighting the theological representation of the Church as Christ’s bride, saying: “Every instance of reform of the Church is always a question of spousal fidelity.”