Courtney McGrailRivalry and vainglory are two worms that weaken the Church; instead we must act in a spirit of humility and harmony, without seeking our own interests Pope Francis has warned.
The Pope noted that a bishop’s joy should lie in seeing love, unity and harmony in his Church. “This harmony is a grace, which the Holy Spirit creates, but we must do our part, we must do everything to help the Holy Spirit to create this harmony in the Church”. This is why St Paul calls the Philippians to do nothing “out of selfishness or out of vainglory” or “fight against each other, just to be seen, to give themselves the air of being better than others”.
“You see, this is not just something new to today, but goes way back. How often in our institutions, in the Church, in the parish, for example, in schools, do we find that? Rivalry; the need to be seen; vainglory. Rivalry and vainglory go against this harmony, this agreement.”