Riccardo Lombardi (theologian)

Riccardo Lombardi SJ (born March 28, 1908 in Naples , † December 14, 1979 in Rocca di Papa near Rome ), called "God's microphone", was an Italian, internationally popular preacher of the people's mission , founder of the movement for a better world and Adviser to several Popes .

Live and act

youth

Riccardo Lombardi was born the fifth of eight children into a patrician family in Naples . His mother Emma Vallauri was the founder and president of the Catholic Women's Association (as part of the Catholic Action ). His father, university professor Luigi Lombardi , was a senator . Riccardo Lombardi claims to have experienced a crisis of faith in 1925, when his family lived in Rome for the third year. When he and his mother visited a mission exhibition in the Vatican in 1926 , he claims to have found a new approach to faith. Above all the saying: "Ut unum sint" (so that they may be one; Joh. 17,22) touched him. After this vocation experience, he began to study philosophy and theology (before he had started to study law) and entered the Society of Jesus . At a young age he was accepted into the editorial team of the renowned magazine Civiltà Cattolica . His first of a total of three doctorates was that of philosophy at the University of Rome in 1933 . He was ordained a priest in 1936. In 1943 he was awarded a doctorate in theology at the Gregorian University in Rome , after completing a second doctorate in philosophy .

Beginning of preaching activity

In 1938 he began a series of lectures and sermons, first at the University of Padua and then at other universities, soon also in public places. It was said that, after his sermons, some university professors took a stand of faith in public and in their academic life, although this was not the case before. Since 1945 he moved the sermons to theaters because of the large crowds and called on the audience for a moral renewal. Since his intensive popular mission, which was initially limited to Italy, brought about a very marked surge in faith from the edge of the Alps to the south of Italy, especially in the years 1946 to 1948, it is assumed that the movement he initiated also had a political side effect among the Italian people: In the landmark Italian parliamentary elections on April 18, 1948, the Democrazia Cristiana emerged as the clear winner with a relative majority , which is unique in the history of Italy . From 1948 onwards his “crusade of love” (Crociata della bontà), so called by the media, began to become international and soon took him to several European countries. The first appearance was in Vienna 's St. Stephen's Cathedral . In July 1949 he went on a missionary trip from place to place in France "to preach the gospel of love". (Spiegel, July 14, 1949) Even back then, in 1949, the name “God's microphone” was common for him because, as a magazine later explained, Lombardi worked as if God was speaking through him. Another time, Der Spiegel compared the two popular preachers Lombardi and Leppich: While Father Leppich also fascinated people in the German-speaking world with his excellent oratorial talent, the people of Lombardi, who was actually not a good speaker, were primarily drawn to his kindness and honesty . Allegedly ten times as many people gathered for Lombardi's sermons as those of Father Leppich. (January 31, 1954) In the practice of preaching, he quickly learned to express himself fluently in several languages ​​(in addition to Italian, these were German, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese).

Founding the Movement for a Better World

Pope Pius XII followed the activities of the internationally popular preacher with great attention and was happy to consult with him. Pius called Lombardi a finger of God. Lombardi advised the Pope that the renewal of the Church through a council was necessary, but Pius did not consider the conditions to be met. Lombardi emphasized the task of Christianity and the Church to make for a better world through words and deeds; but the church must also renew itself to cope with this task. In this sense Pius XII said. in a famous address on February 10, 1952 on Vatican Radio : “It is about renewing the whole world from the ground up. It must be transformed ... according to the heart of God. ”The Pope handed this proclamation to Father Lombardi and instructed him to undertake a number of organizational measures with a view to this initiative for the renewal of the Church and the world. At the same time, the Pope entrusted him with the task of spreading this appeal from the Vatican “For a better world” and to ensure that this program was implemented within the Church. That was the beginning of the movement for a better world . Pius XII. Lombardi provided a new building on Lake Albano for this, the “International Center Pius XII. for a better world ”in Rocca di Papa . The building was completed in 1955 and during the first three years of its existence more than 260 bishops, 3,000 priests and 2,000 lay people took part in the courses led by Father Lombardi. (See Time Magazine US, February 2, 1962), Lombardi propagated the goal of improving the Church and the world and the number of bishops, priests and lay people who came to Father Lombardi's retreat in Rocca di Papa increased even further . In addition, his pilgrimages took him beyond Europe to North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Lombardi's controversial reform proposals to the council

Before his papal election in the year, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli - together with many other bishops - had also taken part in such a course from Father Lombardi. During the time of John XXIII. the 2nd Vatican Council hoped for by Lombardi was opened. Lombardi, who was initially intended to be the official advisor to the council, was not invited, but he continued to lead courses in Rocca di Papa, which were also attended by the council fathers. But the curia took offense at a 400-page book that he published at the end of 1961. The Italian title is: "Concilio: per una riforma nella carità", the translation into the most important languages ​​had already begun before it came to public criticism. L'Osservatore Romano published an anonymous but clearly negative review of this book on January 11, 1962. Time Magazine reported at the time that the microphone of God had been silenced by the Vatican and cited the following reform proposals as the reason:

• A lay body should be established to advise the church on worldly matters;
• Clerics should not serve exclusively in the Roman Curia. Church careerism is "a kind of betrayal of our common cause and the cause of God".
• Bishops and clerics should dress more modestly . "All earthly hierarchies show their different rank little openly"

The criticism in the Osservatore Romano referred to the fact that Lombardi was just a simple priest and, as a well-known preacher, had great responsibility. He shouldn't cover such big topics in such journalistic reach because it could confuse people. A priest then wrote, alluding to Lombardi's popular honorary title, that only the Pope was a “microphone of God”. Lombardi himself then withdrew the book. As a result of this affair, however, the Council Fathers paid even more attention, and on weekends one in three of them made a pilgrimage to the center in Rocca di Papa to hear Lombardi's courses and to get to know his thinking.

The dialogue and the 2nd Vatican Council

Immediately after Montini named Paul VI on June 30, 1963 . when the Pope was enthroned, he took off the tiara - undoubtedly in Lombardi's sense . The Holy Father successfully continued the council. Since he also knew and valued Lombardi from his activities, he invited him to his home at the beginning of his activity and asked him to tell him within an hour what he believed were the most important aspects that he should not least consider with regard to the council. Lombardi stressed that the essence of the council should be dialogue . This conversation stimulated Paul VI. on his first encyclical Ecclesiam suam (On the path of the church in the present day), which was published on August 6, 1964 and mainly deals with dialogue. Lombardi said that dialogue is the sum of all virtues and is like communion . The whole church - that is, the believers - must conduct a dialogue with all people, he demanded, and this dialogue should not hold back the truth in a false understanding, because every truth is a ray of light from God; But in the end, only love counts. Referring to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity , he said that God is fellowship - and God wants fellowship. Lombardi differentiated three important circles of dialogue on the part of the Catholic Church, namely:

• dialogue within the Church, especially between clergy and lay people,
• then the dialogue with the other Christian denominations
• and finally the dialogue with the whole world, i.e. with science, the other religions and also with atheism.

Since Lombardi supervised 1000 of the 3000 Council Fathers in his courses in the Alban Mountains during the Council, his thinking had a great influence even without official status as a council advisor. This influence did not only extend to the council itself. The post-council, i.e. the necessary implementation of the council in the following years, also played a major role. At that time Lombardi published the books Council Fathers what now? - Lectures for Council Fathers (Italian title: Per un postconcilio efficace ) 1966 in German and: Church has a future. Live the council. Exercise course for the Christian community (Italian. Original title: Per vivere il Concilio ) German edition 1971. In it he wrote: “Mature laypeople must be trained, who through their testimony, their speeches and actions inspire others to conversion and sanctification. (Cf. Mt. 5, 14-16) “In the spirit of the Council, the laity were valued and their increasing participation in Lombardi's courses; but also many other renewal movements arose and expanded into the 1980s, which according to the words of the charismatic P. Lombardis should bring a new Pentecost.

Age, Death, and Aftermath

In 1976, Lombardi went on another great trip, especially in Asia, to exchange ideas and promote a dialogue with leading representatives of the world's religions . But Lombardi was increasingly weakened in body and soul and a stroke made a wheelchair necessary. His mind was still awake, but his activities were restricted. Nevertheless, until shortly before his death, especially in the last month of his life, he received many prominent visits, including a. from Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa . As Father Riccardo Lombardi about a year after the beginning of the pontificate of John Paul II in the International Center Pio XII. died in Rocca di Papa on December 14, 1979, his death - in contrast to his activities during life - received relatively little public attention. As a Jesuit, he expressly requested a very modest burial.

Pope John Paul II chose the sentence Ut unum sint , which is central to Lombardi's life, as the title of the encyclical with which he promoted ecumenical dialogue. Lombardi had highlighted one aspect of the Council to John Paul II that could still be expanded: the dialogue with the other world religions. Lombardi said u. a. that all people (regardless of religion) are called to love; he added: whoever has love is baptized. It is said that the prayer meeting in Assisi on October 27, 1986 was a late realization of this suggestion by Riccardo Lombardi. These were largely organized by Andrea Riccardi , the founder of the successful peace organization Sant'Egidio , who received many suggestions from Father Lombardi.

Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the memory of the great Jesuit Father Riccardo Lombardi on the occasion of the commemoration of Lombardi's 100th birthday or 30th anniversary of his death in Rome in 2009, who, as the Pope benevolently emphasized, was often honored as "the microphone of God". Raffaele Iaria , one of the preacher's biographers, sums it up: "Today's historians tend to consider him to be one of the most important personalities, be they Italians or others, of the Catholic world in the 20th century."

His nephew is the former Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi .

bibliography

German-language books by P. Lombardi

• The Marxist Doctrine, Regensburg 1961; ital .: La dottrina marxista, Rome 1947.
• Lombardi speaks (speeches), 2 booklets, Vienna 1949.
• The first message from the crusade of love, Frankfurt / Main 1950; Italian: Crociata della bontà, Rome 1949.
• The age of Jesus is coming. Lombardi speaks to us, Graz-Vienna 1950.
• The reconciliation of hearts, Frankfurt am Main 1950.
• Man in the Drama of History, Frankfurt / Main 1951.
• For a new world, Heidelberg 1955; Italian: Per un mondo nuovo, Rome 1952.
• The way is shown three times. Orientation in the Universe - Orientation in History - Orientation in our hour, Regensburg 1960; Italian: "Orientamenti fondamentali", Rome, 11th edition. 1957.
• For a better world, Meitingen near Augsburg 1964; Italian: Movimento mondo migliore, 4 vols., 1954–1958.
• Outline of a better world, Feldkirch 1956 (= Handbooks of the Apostolate 1); ital .: Appunti per un mondo migliore, Rome 1955.
• Council Fathers what now? - Lectures for Council Fathers. Practice course for the Christian community; Italian: "Per un postconcilio efficace" 1966.
• Church has a future. Live the council. German edition 1971; Italian: Per vivere il Concilio.
• Renewing the world, Nuremberg-Eichstätt 1961; Italian: Rifare il mondo.
• Church has a future. Live the council. Exercise course for the Christian Community, Rottweil 1973; Italian: Per vivere il concilio, Milano 1968.
• Promise in contradiction of the church, Aschaffenburg 1971; Italian: Terremoto nella chiesa ?, Torino 1969.
• Great Hope, New Exercises, Rottweil 1975; ital .: Esercizi spirituali communitari, Bari 1972.
• Church and Kingdom of God, Rottweil 1978; Italian: Chiesa e regno di Dio, Brescia 1976.

Italian books by P. Lombardi

• Squilli di mobilitazioni, Rome 1948.
• Per una mobilitazione generale dei cattolici, Rome 1948.
• La salvezza di chi non ha fede, 2 vols., Rome 1943, Vicenza 1959.
• Una mano tesa minacciosa, Rome 1945.
• Radio Orientamenti, Rome 1947.
• La voce di colui che grida, Rome 1952.
• Pio XII. per un mondo migliore, Rome 1954.
• La società dell'amore, Rome 1954.
• Esercitazioni per un mondo migliore, 1958.
• Concilio: per una riforma nella carità, Rome 1961.

Books on P. Lombardi

• Movement for a Better World (Ed.): Arrupe, Pedro, SJ Pater, PV Rotondino SJ, JA Vega, JB Cappelaro: Pater Lombardi - Dreamer or Prophet? Thaur near Innsbruck 1982; Ital .: Movimento per un Mondo Migliore: Padre Lombardi, sognatore o profeta? Roma 1980.
• Giancarlo Zizola: Il microfono di Dio. Pio XII, padre Lombardi ei cattolici italiani. Milan 1990.
• E. Boffa: Padre Lombardi, microfono di Dio. 2nd Edition. Bergamo 1948.
• Movimento mondo migliore e Gruppo promotore: Manuals fondamentale. Rome 1977.
• Raffaele Iaria: Per un Mondo Nuovo. Vita di padre Riccardo Lombardi. Ancona, Milan 2009.
• Erwin Bader: Riccardo Lombardi and the Council. Can love change the world? Münster 2016.

Web links

• Movement for a better world
• Movimento Mondo Migliore
• Movement for a better world = international side of the movement for a better world; in spanish, english, french, italian, polish etc.
• International group of promoters for Movement for a Better World

Individual evidence

1. ^ Riccardo Lombardi . In: Der Spiegel . No. 29 , 1949 ( online - 14 July 1949 ).
2. ↑ Europeo, July 21, 1956; R. Iaria: Per un mondo nuovo, Milano 2009, p. 10.
3. ↑ CHURCH / PATER LEPPICH: God's reception on VHF . In: Der Spiegel . No. 3 , 1954 ( online - Jan. 13, 1954 ).
4. ↑ http://www.mondomigliore.it/deu/mondo-migliore/storia.asp
5. ↑ https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829003-2,00.html
6. ^ Time Magazine, Feb. 2, 1962
7. ↑ https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829003-1,00.html
8. ↑ R. Iaria: Per un mondo nuovo, Milano 2009, p 120th