Fr. Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, presents his second Advent meditation to Pope Leo XIV and members of the Roman Curia.
By Isabella Piro
What type of unity should we embody? How can we provide a meaningful form of communion that transcends mere fraternity?
These inquiries were central to Fr. Pasolini’s second of three Advent sermons delivered on Friday morning to Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia.
The theme for these three reflections is: “Anticipating and accelerating the arrival of the day of God.”
The Tower of Babel
Fr. Pasolini’s reflection is framed by three key images: the Tower of Babel, Pentecost, and the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem.
The Tower of Babel represents humanity’s effort, post-flood, to dispel “the fear of dispersal.” However, this ambition conceals “a deadly rationale,” as it seeks unity “not through reconciling differences, but via uniformity.”
20th-Century Totalitarianism
This reflects the “fantasy of a world where everyone is alike, devoid of risks, predictable in every way,” Fr. Pasolini noted, emphasizing that the tower’s builders chose uniform bricks over irregular stones.
The outcome is an illusion of unity, he explained, achieved at the cost of silencing individual voices. He also examined recent history, citing 20th-century totalitarian regimes that enforced “a singular ideology,” stifling dissent.
He warned, “Any unity formed at the expense of differences does not lead to communion but to death.”
Social Media and AI
In contemporary times, Fr. Pasolini stated, “the emergence of social media and artificial intelligence” has not eliminated the dangers of homogenization but has introduced new challenges: algorithms that foster “information bubbles,” patterns that reduce human complexity to mere standards, and platforms that prioritize immediate consensus while punishing “thoughtful dissent.”
The Church is also susceptible to this temptation, he noted, as the unity of faith has often been misinterpreted as uniformity, undermining “the gradual essence of communion that embraces dialogue and acknowledges nuances.”
Difference: The Grammar of Existence
A society built on the illusion of identical replicas, Fr. Pasolini asserted, opposes creation since “God’s act of creation involves separation and distinction”: separating light from darkness, waters from dry land, and day from night.
Consequently, “difference is the very essence of existence,” and rejecting it signifies a denial of “the creative drive” for false security that essentially equates to “a refusal of freedom.”
The confusion of languages, which God introduces in response to Babel, is not a punishment but rather “a remedy,” he affirmed. God “restores value to distinctiveness,” granting humanity its “most precious gift”: the opportunity to embrace diversity.
Pentecost
Fr. Pasolini’s second image, Pentecost, serves as a symbol of unity through diversity. The apostles communicate in their distinct languages, and listeners comprehend in theirs, signifying that “diversity persists but does not create division.”
Here, differences transform “into the essence of a wider communion.”
Renewal of the Church
Shifting to the third imagery, Fr. Pasolini reflected on the Temple of Jerusalem, which has faced multiple destructions and reconstructions.
Each rebuilding effort “is never linear,” he stated, influenced by “enthusiasm and sorrow, renewed vigor and profound regrets.”
This serves as a “valuable compilation” for appreciating “the continuous need for the Church’s renewal,” epitomized by St. Francis of Assisi.
The Church is called to be reconstructive time and again, allowing “the beauty of the Gospel” to shine through while remaining “faithful to itself” and continuously “serving the world.”
