(ANS - Vatican City) - "Dear Cardinal Tarcisio, I think I understand the thought of my beloved Predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI when he offered you his most heartfelt gratitude for the work you have done over the years. I see in you, first of all, a son of Don Bosco." With these words of affection, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, SDB, during the farewell ceremony for the Salesian Cardinal from the office of Vatican Secretary of State, which took place yesterday, 15 October.

"When I think about your long service to the Church,” he continued, “as teacher,  in your ministry as a diocesan bishop and your work in the Curia, and finally in the office of Secretary of State, I think that the secret lies precisely in the Salesian priestly vocation that has marked you since childhood. It was what led you to carry out all the tasks entrusted to you, without exception, very generously, with a deep love for the Church, and with the typical Salesian mixture that combines a sincere spirit of obedience and a great freedom of initiative and personal creativity."

The Pope pointed out that "an attitude of unconditional fidelity and absolute loyalty to Peter was the hallmark of your tenure as Secretary of State."  He thanked Cardinal Bertone for "the courage and the patience with which he faced the opposition he met, and there were many examples."

He commented on the significance of Don Bosco’s dream of the roses: from outside the pergola you see only the flowers, the further you go in, the more you feel "the piercing thorns that hurt and cause great pain, even though it turns out to be a beautiful garden."  “Dear Cardinal Bertone,” said the Pope, “at this time I would like to think that, even if there were thorns, Our Lady Help of Christians did not leave you without her help, and she will not fail you in future.  Be sure of that, eh?"

On his part, Cardinal Bertone thanked the Pope for his words "that really come from a heart permeated, I would say, with the Salesian spirit." He recalled his seven years of service alongside Benedict XVI. "What we did was motivated by the desire to see the Church understand itself deep down as communion, and at the same time able to speak to the world, to the heart and intelligence of everyone, with clarity of doctrine and with a loftiness of thought." His pontificate "was marked by significant pastoral projects: the Pauline Year, the Year for Priests and the Year of the Faith which is now coming to an end."

Finally, going back over the "short but intense period of seven months, next to Pope Francis," he highlighted the elements of continuity between the two Pontiffs, especially in the gifts of inspired counsel and Marian devotion, and he entrusted the service of Pope Francis and Mons. Peter Parolin, his successor as head of the Secretariat of State, to Mary "who resolves all problems.”

Published 16/10/2013