On January 15th, on the occasion of one hundred years of the foundation, a delegation of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, was received in Audience by Pope Francis, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.
In his address, the pontiff recalled the origins of the Studium, inaugurated in Jerusalem on January 7th, 1924; since then, Pope Francis highlighted, its history has always been linked to the presence of the Friars Minor in the Holy Land, who over the years has combined “the study of Sacred Scripture, the stay in the Holy Places and archeological research; and this has permitted you to significantly broaden and deepen programs and methodologies”, he said to those present.
The Holy Father also recalled how St. Francis approached Sacred Scripture: “For Francis, knowledge of the Word of God, and also its study, are not questions of simple learning, but experiences of a wisdom nature, which have as their aim, in faith, of helping human persons to live better the Gospel and to make them good. […] I urge you not to lose sight of this type of approach to Scripture. Rigorous and scientific study of the biblical sources, enriched by the most up-to-date methods and related disciplines, may always be for you combined with contact with the life of the holy people of God and aimed at your pastoral service, in harmony with and for the benefit of your specific charism in the Church”, the pontiff urged.
Present at the meeting were, among others, the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and some members of the Order’s general definitorium.
Read the complete text of the Holy Father’s intervention.
