CHAPTER 19
POPE JOHN XXIV’S ADDRESS AT ATHENS OLYMPIC STATIUM IN ATHENS, GREECE ON OCTOBER 19, 2014 ON VATICAN TREASURES & LIBRARY
Matthew 25:14-30
“The Parable of the Talents. It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ ”5
The “treasures” in the Vatican Library and other storage facilities for amassing the gifts of God to humanity is very much like the servant who buried his master’s property that had been entrusted to him. Are we not as guilty? These treasures need to be preserved and protected for posterity by others, but whose function is it to preserve these past treasures, for they must be shared with the world. Entities in the world have the resources and capacities needed to maintain, catalogue, and archive through internet resources, so all can enjoy and benefit, including providing resulting resources to benefit the poor, and afflicted. It is not just for the Pope, or a few scholars or researchers to peruse. We must use all our talents and resources for doing God’s work throughout the world. This is one of Jesus’ most important teachings that we have been entrusted to pass on to the world. How can we ask of them what we ourselves are failing to do?
We should not be in the business of being archivist or maintaining museums, our mission by Christ has been to proclaim the word of God, to shepherd My flock, and to feed My sheep. I am directing that we put up all the contents of our museums and libraries for auction starting immediately. How can we justify holding these treasures when the world poor have no food or shelters for their families? We will utilize that money to spearhead worldwide programs, in cooperation with others, whose programs are to eradicate hunger by helping countries to grow their own food, and create the means to irrigate barren lands to be productive for sustainability. It is not productive just to feed people, but we must empower them to be self-supporting so that hunger can be eliminated. Education must also be a part of economic sustainability of their lives and for their families, and eliminate the endless cycle of welfare from which they have no ability alone to escape. No society should seek to cast its members in accordance to rank or class, the haves and the have not’s. Those are not just societies, whose sole purpose is greed and self-aggrandizement.
We will lead by example, not by supporting coercive governments who do not provide for their people. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is our responsibility to share with others our bountiful harvest, our blessings, and riches. Our Lord is not seeking us to glorify Him and Our Father in creating magnificent luxurious edifices, but to do His mission on earth. No longer will the episcopacy of our church live lives more affluent than of that of their congregations. The sins of the episcopacy of the church has for too long in history held itself to be on a pedestal, above common man in stature and deserving to be treated like nobility. Christ himself has taught us that the last shall be first and first shall be last, and that the teacher is to be the servant of others. It is time that the episcopacy of the church leads by example as Christ has asked of us. How can we truly lead the church into the final era of Christ’s mission in the world, if we in the episcopacy don’t practice what we preach to His followers?
The First American Pope Page 19