Pope Francis: The joy of the Gospel

I am pleased to offer a link to the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium ("the joy of the Gospel"): here it is in PDF form.

"... I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ... The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms."

Here is a newspaper account, for those desiring a summary.

The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.

In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticising the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare".

I have just learned of this document and have read only the first few pages. But that was enough to fill me with delight.

[Edited to add: Francis himself gives a good outline of the document at the end of the introduction (paragraph 17):

I have decided, among other themes, to discuss at length the following questions:
(a) the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach;
(b) the temptations faced by pastoral workers;
(c) the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes;
(d) the homily and its preparation;
(e) the inclusion of the poor in society;
(f) peace and dialogue within society;
(g) the spiritual motivations for mission.

I have dealt extensively with these topics, with a detail that some may find excessive...]

Some other time, I must write of the Two Popes. I love Benedict XVI. I have learned much from him, and continue to learn from his writings. And I have grown to love Francis I. Benedict was more scholarly, and I think that this was needed. Francis is more of a preacher, very plain-spoken.

Much of what he has said to date was also said by Benedict, for example in his encyclical letter Caritas in veritate, written in the aftermath of the 2008-09 economic crash. I think it would be fair to say that in some respects Francis is building on Benedict's work. And it is also fair to say that Francis is taking it to the wider public in a manner that Benedict could not have done. And he is doing it with an infectious spirit of joy, a spirit that brims from this document, a joy which comes from the Gospel and which is the essence of our witness to the world.

I fear for Francis, because the plain-spoken proclamation of the Gospel most often leads to a martyr's death, and there are powerful forces that stand against him. So far, they do not take him seriously, but they will, and I believe that eventually they will destroy him. Or try to.

But that is a path that Another has trod, and if Francis -- if we -- walk in those footsteps, we need fear no evil -- "for Thou are with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."