Bartholomeos I, Archbishop of Costantinopoli and Ecumenical Patriarch, visits Bose

At Bose on May 18 and 19, 1997, during the extraordinary and unhoped-for visit of his Holiness Bartholomeos I, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, Enzo Bianchi, founder and prior of Bose, often repeated to his brothers and sisters the words of the Lord, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Why did he repeat these words, in their original context unquestionably words of consolation, in a moment of great joy?

In fact, an awareness of the deeper meaning of these words spoken by Jesus to his disciples is the best way to understand the identity of the monastic community of Bose, the identity it has had from the beginning and has kept even though it has grown in numbers and in visibility. If Jesus promises the kingdom to those whom he calls a “little flock,” he also defines with these words the status of every Christian community that wishes to receive from the Lord the fullness of life of his kingdom.