Pope Francis advises members of the church not to search promotion within the church

Pope Francis addressed the crowd at his March 15 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, stating that within the Church, everyone is equal in dignity.

He emphasized that a focus on hierarchical advancement is “pure paganism” and that diversity of charisms and ministries should not give rise to privileged categories within the ecclesial body.

The pope reflected on the call to apostleship as part of the larger theme of evangelization, stating that being an apostle of Christ is not just a matter for bishops or priests, but the call of every baptized person. He emphasized that everyone has the same dignity in the Church, whether they are religious sisters, the baptized, the unbaptized, a child, or a bishop.

Pope Francis drew from documents of the Second Vatican Council to illustrate what it means to be an apostle today.

He quoted the decree on the apostolate of the laity, Apostolicam actuositatem, which states that “the Christian vocation by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate.”

He also quoted Lumen gentium, the dogmatic constitution on the Church, which states that apostleship “is a calling that is common, just as ‘a common dignity [is shared] as members from their regeneration in Christ, having the same filial grace and the same vocation to perfection; possessing in common one salvation, one hope and one undivided charity.’”

The pope encouraged Catholics to consider how they relate to others, both in and outside the Church, in light of apostleship.

He stated that listening, humbling oneself, and being at the service of others is serving, being Christian, and being an apostle.

Pope Francis concluded by urging people to confirm the way in which they live their baptismal vocation and how they live their way of being apostles in a Church that is apostolic and at the service of others.

He called on everyone to pose questions to themselves and to flee from vanity and the vanity of positions.