The testimony of Father Paolo Andreolli, an Italian Xaverian, appointed by Pope Francis as auxiliary in the large city on the Amazon River, where PIME is also present. “A rapidly growing metropolis. And the Church must do it with her”
«Burning hearts, walking feet». For the beginning of his episcopal ministry he chose a properly missionary motto, linked to the evangelical page of the disciples of Emmaus, Father Paolo Andreolli, an Italian Xaverian missionary, called a few weeks ago to become the auxiliary bishop of Belém, the city in northern Brazil which is located at the mouth of the Amazon River.
Originally from Noventa Vicentina, 50, Father Andreolli was nominated last February 1 by Pope Francis for the large archdiocese of the State of Pará, where he will work alongside Archbishop Alberto Taveira Correa, a Brazilian. A Church in an area inhabited by 3 million people, with over 100 parishes and which also sees the presence of PIME missionaries in the parish of Santa Luzia in Jurunas and in that of Santa Maria al Bairro Terra Firme.
The appointment of Father Andreolli was greeted with surprise and gratitude by the entire community of Xaverian missionaries. «It is a beautiful call, but with many responsibilities – comments the new bishop -. My heart beats very fast. However, as the apostolic nuncio told me when he brought me the Pope’s message, I know I am not alone. The Church will support me. It is the Lord who leads history, he is the Good Shepherd and we will miss nothing”.
Ordained a priest in 2000, after an experience as a youth animator at the Xaverian house in Desio, in Brianza, Father Andreolli has been a missionary in Brazil since 2007. For over nine years he was parish vicar of São Félix do Xingu and parish priest of Nossa Senhora Aparecida de Tucumã, in the South of Pará. In 2017 he was then transferred to the city of Belém, where he was involved in vocational promotion at the Xaverian seminary while he was parochial vicar at the parish of São Francisco Xavier. Now he is ready to continue in his new role the journey begun in this immense country, with great contradictions, with many differences from one State to another, marked, in recent months, by strong tensions following the election of President Lula and the assault on the institutions of President Bolsonaro’s supporters. Society is split in half and the Church is called to be present in this context.
Father Andreolli, what does this appointment mean?
“It has awakened hope in many people. It is an appointment that gladdens the hearts of those who feel they are missionaries. There is a need here in Brazil for a presence close to the people, not to solve problems, but simply to be among people. I believe that, consistent with many other choices of Pope Francis, my appointment is a sign of a Church that has a missionary sensitivity and that seeks to be present in Belém, as in all of Brazil. A non-authoritarian and bureaucratic Church, but ever closer to people”.
How do you live in Belém?
“It is a city that is growing very fast. From an urban point of view, it grows vertically. Space shrinks, so height builds. There are many “condominiums”, enclosed buildings that often have their own “guard” inside. The bet of the Church is to stay also in these realities, typical of large cities. The parish priest enters these situations and stays there. The Church must find new ways of acting. It is not enough for a priest to ring the bells to have the faithful go to Mass. The priest has to go find the people. The inhabitants of Belém have a life similar to that of the inhabitants of all large cities. They leave home early in the morning to go to work and come back late at night.’
What is the situation of the Church in Belém and in the rest of Brazil?
“Here the basic communities, or rather the missionary ecclesial communities, are very developed. These are not real parishes. People gather for Mass or for the liturgy of the Word, in homes or in small churches or in churches under construction. Communities, when they come together, become mission areas, with a deacon or a priest. Only afterwards do they become parishes. Belém is also growing rapidly from this point of view. Ten years ago there were 90 parishes in the archdiocese, now there are 108. The people are very devout. The challenge for the Church is to keep pace with this growth”.
How are religious communities doing?
“Many are doing excellent social work. New communities linked to the charismatic renewal are being born, with very committed lay people. They are defined as “communities of life and covenant”, they carry out social activities but are also closely linked to Eucharistic adoration. They do a good job. Let’s say that in Brazil there is a great variety of charisms: the Holy Spirit blows strongly and there is room for everyone».
In the rest of Pará, outside the big cities, how is the situation?
«I was for nine years in the South of Pará, in Tucumá, an agricultural reality with 60,000 inhabitants and ten or fifteen communities that make up the parish. To reach them you have to travel even 100 kilometers. People work in the fields: in those further away Mass is celebrated only 4 times a year. Large industries are developing more and more here, which on the one hand give jobs on the other destroy the environment, in a land rich in minerals».
As auxiliary bishop now what will be your role?
«I was asked to accompany the social sector and Caritas. I will have to try to make those who work in this sector dialogue, create a social network, at the diocesan level. In these weeks I will participate in the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) in São Paulo. We will share some tasks, but in Brazil there really is room for everyone, for any idea».
What relationship does it have with the other missionary congregations present in Brazil?
«An excellent relationship: we try to network and we see each other often. I also know the PIME missionaries, we meet here in Belém. There are really many congregations and religious who are Italian or of Italian origin».
And with young people?
“In Brazil there are many: children, adolescents, young people. Working with them is a great opportunity. There is also delinquency, of course, because unfortunately kids don’t have many opportunities. But young people are truly our hope and for this reason we need to pay close attention to them. There is a lot of future here. The Church must be close to the people, especially the young, trying to face the problems. For some time now, the synodal style in Brazil has been producing a common pastoral plan every three years, indicating the guidelines to which each parish can refer whenever a question or problem to be resolved arises. The current plan has as its motto “mission, evangelization, care”. These are our compasses, which must help us to act, especially in times of difficulty”.