Serving the Church as she wishes to be served

Angela Solferino, lawyer of the Apostolic Tribunal of the Romana Rota, Italy

October 6, 2002

Tags: Church, Pope Angela Solferino: I started to get more involved with Opus Dei in 1988 when I enrolled in the Faculty of Canonical Law in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. I realized while attending the classes there that everything in reference to the doctrine and the Magisterium of the Church was treated coherently and respectfully.

Interviewer: You noticed Josemaria Escriva’s influence on the University?
AS: A clear influence. The founder of Opus Dei used to dream of a university in Rome, the Pope’s city, that would allow both lay people and priests to completely absorb the teachings of the Church like a sponge. Escriva used to always say that “the more you know the Church, the more you love her”, and the more consistent and conscious we can be of our role as Christians in the world.

Int: Can you give us an example of the founder’s love for the Church?
AS: There are a lot of examples because Josemaria Escriva’s whole life was an example of this love. However, I do remember a story told by Alvaro del Portillo, the first successor of Josemaria Escriva. On June 23, 1946, Escriva arrived at Genoa, Italy, after a difficult journey by ship from Spain. Alvaro del Portillo went to Genoa to bring him to Rome by car. The moment that Escriva saw the dome of St. Peter’s, he asked Alvaro to pray a Creed with him, as a sign of his complete fidelity to the Catholic Church. After that he went to stay at an apartment close to the Vatican. Josemaria Escriva spent that whole night praying on the balcony of the apartment, looking at St. Peter’s. These simple signs of devotion show his profound union with the Church and with the Holy Father.

Int: How did Escriva react to the obstacles he encountered?
AS: With great humility. He used to say to our Lord: “If the Work is no use to your Church, then destroy it.” These words, filled with filial love for God, show the desire he had to live in full harmony with the Church. He didn’t want to create a revolution or to ask the Roman Curia to accept something that was not useful for the People of God. His will was always to work in an authentic spirit of service. Escriva used to say, “in order to be useful, serve.” It is necessary to serve the Church in the way that She wants to be served.

Int: What was his relationship with the Pope like?
AS: Josemaria Escriva also used to repeat a very beautiful phrase: “Everyone with Peter to Jesus through Mary.” In this way he summed up the three great loves he had in his life. In addition to the idea of divine filiation, he used to emphasize the need to always keep close to the Holy Father, because he is the Vicar of Christ on earth. For this reason, he always encouraged everyone to pray for the Holy Father.

Int: As a lay person, what is the message that you have received from Josemaria Escriva?
AS: The complete awareness that I am part of the mystical body of Christ. A living body, that has a beating heart and blood that circulates through it. In Escriva’s most famous book, The Way, he invites us to “leave a mark” and to set fire to the paths of the earth with the fire of Christ that we have in our hearts. This is the meaning of our Church.