Last September 29, on the feast of the holy archangels, the sixteenth anniversary of his death, Msgr. Cataldo Naro, archbishop of Monrealeoriginally from San Cataldo (CL), whose body rests in the Mother Church of his city, was commemorated with a solemn Eucharistic Concelebration presided by Msgr. Antonio Staglianòbishop emeritus and apostolic administrator of Noto, recently appointed President of the Pontifical Academy of Theology in the Vatican.
Mons. Naro was appointed archbishop of Monreale by Pope Saint John Paul II on October 18, 2002 and on December 14 of the same year he was consecrated bishop. He remained in Monreale until 29 September 2006, when he suddenly died.
Archbishop Staglianò, during his homily underlined how Bishop Cataldo Naro, a wise teacher and prophetic pastor, was inspired by the Second Vatican Council in the exercise of his episcopal and pastoral ministry, in his cultural action and intellectual effort, as well as in his spiritual teaching carried out in multiple ways and in different contexts, both locally and nationally, ecclesial and civil. The President of the Pontifical Academy of Theology recalled that “One of the lines of work that Cataldo Naro followed was that of spirituality, of popular Catholicism and also that of popular devotion” which must be converted into spirituality, that is, in the life of the spirit, in every believer and ecclesial community, understood as the people of God which is the subject and not only the object of ecclesial reflection and through listening to the Word incarnate in one’s life, participation in the life of the Church and the imitation of saints “.
“The travail of the cultural project of the Italian Church, of which Msgr. Cataldo Naro, was a theologian consultant – as stated by Msgr. Staglianò – consisted in the attempt to understand and how to explain and with what language to be able to renew the communication of faith and the Gospel and the great theme of the so-called inculturation of the Gospel with respect to which he was a teacher, not only with his words, with the documents that he has written for the Italian Episcopal Conference but above all also with his writings, with his publications of the Centro Studi Cammarata. It was and still is a paradigmatic point of reference for many intellectuals, both historians and theologians, especially spiritual theologians ”.
Honoring and commemorating Msgr. Cataldo Naro, means entering into that educational process for which he gave his life, so that Catholicism becomes more and more Christian and is stripped of conventionality and habit.
Mons. Staglianò recalled how Mons. Naro “Realized in his life as pastor, theologian, historian and bishop a high and perfect measure of humanity, his sweet, lovable, tender, paternal trait that reveals how beautiful is the holy face of God who is alone and always love that reveals his one and true fully human face in Jesus ”.
In conclusion, Msgr. Staglianò expressed the hope that while we are committed to remembering Msgr. Naro, father, brother and friend, let us follow Christ to ensure that our communities return to being holy places of education to the beautiful and good humanity of Jesus Christ, he also expressed the desire to return to re-read many of his writings and rethink the mission of inculturation of the faith and evangelization matured in the cultural project of the Italian Church.
(source Diocese of Noto – Daniele Maria)