On June 7 of this year, the Bernhard Häring Hall was inaugurated, in homage and grateful memory of our great moral theologian.
Although it was a rainy afternoon, the Hall was almost full to celebrate this event, at the proposal of the Community of Perpetual Help of Madrid.
Fr. José Luís Bartolomé, superior of the house, made the presentation and explained the reasons for dedicating this room to Fr. Häring. He has been to Spain on several occasions. Among these, he participated in the first moral congress, organized by the Spanish Redemptorists, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their arrival in Spain. With this congress began the renewal of moral theology in Spain.
The key moment of the event was the wonderful conference by Fr. Marciano Vidal, professor emeritus in various universities, and at our Higher Institute of Moral Sciences. He spoke to us, masterfully as always, about the last ten years of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
As central ideas, he highlighted:
Pope Francis has placed the Church in a missionary perspective: an “outgoing” Church towards the “peripheries” of society.
The Pope, “who came from afar”, highlighted mercy as the decisive value of the Christian message.
He has taken an ecological interest, through an encyclical (Laudato Si) and dedicating a Synod to the Amazon.
He increased the Social Doctrine of the Church with the magnificent encyclical “Fratelli tutti”.
Everyone’s Pope has cultivated dialogue with the Great Religions, more precisely with Islam.
Acknowledgments were addressed to those who made the event possible, to Fr. Manuel Redondo who designed the plaque, to those who collaborated, and to all those present.
After both interventions, Fr. José Luís uncovered the plaque, placed for this purpose, at the entrance to the inaugurated hall. After the grateful applause of the many present, we shared a Spanish wine, offered by the Community and which was an occasion for sharing among all the parishioners present and with those who came from other places.
Fr. Manuel Round Brown, CSsR
Madrid, June 8,
