The Archbishop of Cordoba, Argentina, shares his excitement with the media two days after he was named a cardinal and his expectation to continue cooperating with Pope Francis in church government.
Sebastian Samson Ferrari – Vatican City
A reason for astonishment and some consternation: this is how Monsignor Angel Sixto Rossi, Archbishop of Cordoba (Argentina), witnessed the announcement of his appointment as a cardinal on Saturday, September 30, in an ordinary general council chaired by Pope Francis. During a meeting with journalists at the Holy See Press Office, Rossi revealed that he feels the excitement of living this mission with attitudes of listening, dialogue and discernment.
The bishop will receive the hat and title of cardinal along with two other citizens: Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernandez, Dean of the Department for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Father Luis Pascual Dre, Confessor at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii in Buenos Aires. . Fernandez is “a man of great spiritual and intellectual abilities,” a character who will do a lot of good, according to Rossi. For his part, Dre will be appointed cardinal as a “symbolic figure,” says the archbishop. The monk has been confessor to the Pope and many others. He has been passionate about the sacrament of reconciliation throughout the history of his service to the Church, as he confided in an interview with Vatican News.
Six days before the start of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, in which the Argentine Bishop will also participate, he consciously experiences this moment of offering a new service, and does not consider it an “exercise of power.” In fact, the motto of his episcopal ordination is “to love and serve in all things,” honoring the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Rossi explains that this willingness to serve is evident in actions more than words. Therefore, the challenge lies in achieving coherence between what is said and what is done. “It’s not easy,” he admits.
Angel Sixto Rossi, Archbishop of Cordoba, Argentina.
The Church in Argentina has prepared “with much consultation, with much prayer, and in a good spirit” for the October Synod Assembly. Rossi hopes that it will be a strong and fruitful church experience, and sends his blessing to all Vatican Radio listeners, so that the Lord will give great strength to everyone, “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
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