“She is my Mother”

BRAZIL, Karen Bueno/mda – Pope Francis granted an interview with the author, Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, the National Director for the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement in Brazil and the Holy Father’s secretary during the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, in which he describes his encounters with Our Lady, from his childhood to his current mission as the Bishop of Rome.  He talks about his favourite Marian prayers and devotions and emphasizes the importance of Mary in the life of the Church and Christians, the value of Marian shrines and popular piety, the place of women in the Church and many other current day topics.  Going beyond the interview, the author is able to explore the path that guides the Marian mind and heart of Pope Francis and invites the reader to follow in his footsteps, always seeking recourse in Mary’s maternal care.

Fr. Alexandre interviewed the Holy Father who shared his Marian experiences since he was a child, resulting in the book “She is my Mother: Pope Francis’ Encounters with Mary.”

Fr. Alexandre explains a little more about this work:

What is the aim of the book?

It aims to know the Pope’s Marian heart, his mariological thinking.  The Holy Father has a great tenderness for Our Lady and I, personally, wanted to understand its theological side.  The book wants to show Francis’ childlike relationship with Our Lady, in order to help people to know the Pope better so that they can also have a greater lover for Mary, as he does, the Pope is an example to be followed.

How did the idea for this book emerge?

Maristela Ciarrochi, a young woman who worked at the WYD and has a contact at the Loyola publishers, went to Mass at the Vila Mariana shrine in São Paulo.  We started chatting, and she asked whether I could write a book about the Pope’s Marian side, without even knowing that I am a teacher of Mariology.  I told her that I accepted, but only if the Pope agreed.  I then wrote to him and he agreed.  As I would be in Schoenstatt in December 2013, I was given the date of 26 December and that was the day we spoke.

How did the Pope react to this proposal?

He was very cordial, he was friendly, he was happy that we could meet again.  I asked how much time we had to chat and we spoke for an hour.  He said that his next appointment was the Angelus and he invited me to accompany him.  After the Angelus, he called me to visit the Apostolic Palace and showed me his quarters, the papal chapel, his office, all very friendly, agreeable, very pleasant.  This was when I gave him the Mattertone and the mission candle.

How did the conversation about Mary go?

He has a great love for Our Lady, just as the people do, very simple, warm, without lots of theology, without asking why all the time.  Of course, he has a whole theological reflection but what struck me is how he is guided by this simplicity.  His answers were all personal, without worrying about theological formulations, humble, simple, authentic, a Mariology that is applied practically, just like that of the people, a piety and a love for Mary that is very practical and applicable to life.

Does this work have a Schoenstatt character?

It has a Schoenstatt perspective because I am from Schoenstatt, but this is not explicit, even if it sometimes appears to be.  The book is dedicated to the Blessed Mother for 100 years of the Covenant of Love, it is a gift for the centenary.  It is not primarily Schoenstatt, but what brings out the similarity is love.

To purchase the book (in Portuguese) online click on:

http://www.loyola.com.br/produtos_descricao.asp?lang=&codigo_produto=30914

Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello belongs to the Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers.  In addition to being the national director for the Movement, he is also the director of the Schoenstatt Boys Youth (Jumas).  As a theologian, he is a doctor of Mariology.  He was the secretary for the Pope, then Cardinal Bergoglio, at the Fifth Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops Council (CELAM) in Aparecida/São Paulo (2007), and the World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio de Janeiro (2013).  He lectured theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) and currently teaches in São Paulo at the Salesian University Centre (Unisal) and the São Bento Faculty.

Source: www.maepregrina.org.br

Translated from the Portuguese by Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa