Wake Up the World ~ Pope Francis

�Religious life ought to promote growth in the Church by way of attraction. The Church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world,� Pope Francis said in conversation with the Union of Superiors General of Men 29 November 2014 in the Vatican. Italian Jesuit journal, La Civilt� Cattolica is publishing an article on the dialogue between the Catholic Church�s first Jesuit Pope and the Union of Superiors General of Men. 

�It is possible to live differently in this world. We are speaking of an eschatological outlook, of the values of the Kingdom incarnated here, on this earth. It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord. No, I do not want to say �radical�. Evangelical radicality is not only for religious: it is demanded of all. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up,� Pope Francis said. �Life is complicated,� Pope Francis recalled. �It consists of grace and sin.� �He who does not sin is not human. We all make mistakes and we need to recognise our weakness. A religious who recognises himself as weak and a sinner does not negate the witness that he is called to give, rather he reinforces it and this is good for everyone. What I expect of you therefore is to give witness. I want this special witness from religious.�

The 15-page article (available in English at the La Civilt� Cattolica website) documents the views of Pope Francis on religious life.