At 10:30 this morning, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Prelates belonging to the Episcopal Conference of Mali who are in Rome for their visit ad limina Apostolorum.
Dear brothers in the episcopacy,
It is a great joy for me to receive you and to affectionately greet each of you on the occasion of your visit ad limina Apostolorum. This pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul allows you to strengthen the bonds of communion with the Apostolic See, between you and with the bishops of the entire world. You have also come to renew your energy and to renew your commitment, inspired by the model of the apostles, in service to the people of God who are confided to your care. The words which were spoken on your behalf by His Excellency, Jean-Baptiste Tiama, President of your Episcopal Conference, not only express your sentiments of faithful communion with the Successor of Peter, but they also represent an expressive portrait of the reality facing the Church in Mali. I thank Your Excellency most sincerely as well as each one of you. Through your persons, my thoughts also reach out to all the Malian people, as well as your diocesan communities. I wish to express to them and to you my cordial encouragement.
I want to focus your attention on the person of Christ, especially in view of the delicate situation that for some years now, you have experienced in your country, faced with difficulties in matters pertaining to security. This situation has at times undermined the cohabitation between various components of society, including the harmony between men and women of various religious present on the territory of Mali, so enriched by its glorious past, a synonym of admirable traditions including tolerance and cohesion. I thank your Episcopal Conference for having in such a difficult circumstances, preserved the spirit of inter-religious dialogue: a common commitment on the part of Christians and Muslims alike for the sake of the cultural treasures of Mali, especially the great libraries of Tombouctou, which is an eloquent illustration of the heritage for all humanity. As you return, I would like you to take to your faithful, but also to your other fellow citizens from all levels of society and from all religions: men and women of good will, committed in their struggle against intolerance and exclusion, the assurance of my closeness to them. For, in difficult moments, each of us is called to go beyond ourselves, raising our eyes beyond the horizon of egoism and of partisan interests in order to seek the common good (cf Evangelii gaudium, 221ff).
In this situation, Christian communities and their pastors are called to an even more profound witness of faith, based on their unreserved faithfulness to the values of the gospel. You are already committed to this path by the translation of the Bible into local languages, for in order to live according to the Word of God and to faithfully bear witness to it, one must first know it, assiduously read it and incorporate it into one's life. In this sense, efforts made in your dioceses to expand new catechetical manuals should be noted: through solid formation, the faithful can better root their lives in faith and therefore they will be stronger and better able to resist all outside threats. I should like to warmly greet the catechists and thank them for the important role they have so generously undertaken in the work of evangelization.
Thus, despite the serious problems she encounters, the Church in Mali demonstrates a beautiful dynamic in her work of evangelization, while maintaining a profound respect for consciences. The disciples of Christ grow in number and in fervour. But Christian witness in the family still needs more consistency: in your socio-cultural context, also marked by divorce and polygamy, Catholics are called to concretely proclaim the Gospel of Life and of family through the witness of their lives. I also encourage you to pursue your pastoral initiatives by paying particular attention to the condition of women: promote the place of women in society and fight against all abuse and violence committed against them; this too is a form of proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who desired to be born of a women, the Virgin Mary.
Giving thanks to God for all that he gives you to do, you will not fail to continue your efforts aimed at the discernment of priestly vocations: the harvest is plenty, but the labourers are few. My prayers are continually raised to God, along with yours, that he may send labours into the harvest. Patient and paternal accompaniment by priests is another issue toward which your attention should be focused. Be for them, especially for the weakest among them, fathers, brothers and friends who are able to support and encourage them. The episcopal ministry, far from being a responsibility that can be assumed in a solitary spirit, is a mission of communion at the service of the unity that you live in a particular way with your priests.
This spirit of communion calls you also, as pastors, to reserve a choice place in your hearts and in your pastoral action for men and women Religious: they are also in need of feeling your paternal solicitude, which will enable each Institute or Congregation to express its charism at the service of the whole community to the utmost.
If in any particular church the synergy inspired by charity is needed to ensure its credibility, then your context of the charity and unity lived in the Church are among the most important signs of fruitful dialogue with other religions, an expression of authentic Christian witness (cf Nostra aetate, 5). On this subject, Tertullian has left us the gripping witness of pagans of his time about Christians, which should always inspire us: See how they love one another, they truly love each other (Apologetique, 39, 7). It is to be hoped that even nowadays these witnesses of members of other religions toward our Christian communities multiply! Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I entrust this aspiration to your pastoral solicitude.
Likewise, the Gospel lived in its authentic dimension of charity should inspire social ministry. The Church is present in Mali in the areas of education for peace and your Christian communities actively contribute to promoting genuine national reconciliation. In congratulating you for your pastoral sensitivity in the field of promoting the human person without consideration limited to ethnic or religious affiliation, I would like to pay tribute to the many Christians who spread the culture of solidarity and hospitality, especially in facing the violence of the last years.
Dear brothers in the Episcopate, strengthened by the Lord's promise to be with his family until the end of time, (cf Matthew 28:20) I am convinced that despite the difficulties on their path, the Church in Mali will continue to be a testament to hope and peace. Therefore, I exhort you to persevere in the way of the Gospel, in maintaining the priority accorded to youth in your pastoral action: young people should be genuine builders of peace and of reconciliation. May they always feel increasingly supported by their pastors, to remain united to Christ, recognizing his living presence in our world, especially through the weak and the poor.
To conclude this meeting, I would like to direct my thought once again to the Christian communities of which you have pastoral charge: my prayers and encouragement go to them; please communicate to them my affectionate closeness to the priests, the men and women Religious, the seminarians, the novices, the catechists and the lay faithful, in particular to the suffering and to persons who are experiencing trial. Asking you to continue to pray for me and to have prayers offered for my ministry, I invoke upon you the comfort of the Risen Lord, conqueror of evil and death and I accord to you my heartfelt Apostolic Blessing, which I gladly extend to all your diocesan communities.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with the Bishops from Mali
Dear brothers in the episcopacy,
It is a great joy for me to receive you and to affectionately greet each of you on the occasion of your visit ad limina Apostolorum. This pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul allows you to strengthen the bonds of communion with the Apostolic See, between you and with the bishops of the entire world. You have also come to renew your energy and to renew your commitment, inspired by the model of the apostles, in service to the people of God who are confided to your care. The words which were spoken on your behalf by His Excellency, Jean-Baptiste Tiama, President of your Episcopal Conference, not only express your sentiments of faithful communion with the Successor of Peter, but they also represent an expressive portrait of the reality facing the Church in Mali. I thank Your Excellency most sincerely as well as each one of you. Through your persons, my thoughts also reach out to all the Malian people, as well as your diocesan communities. I wish to express to them and to you my cordial encouragement.
I want to focus your attention on the person of Christ, especially in view of the delicate situation that for some years now, you have experienced in your country, faced with difficulties in matters pertaining to security. This situation has at times undermined the cohabitation between various components of society, including the harmony between men and women of various religious present on the territory of Mali, so enriched by its glorious past, a synonym of admirable traditions including tolerance and cohesion. I thank your Episcopal Conference for having in such a difficult circumstances, preserved the spirit of inter-religious dialogue: a common commitment on the part of Christians and Muslims alike for the sake of the cultural treasures of Mali, especially the great libraries of Tombouctou, which is an eloquent illustration of the heritage for all humanity. As you return, I would like you to take to your faithful, but also to your other fellow citizens from all levels of society and from all religions: men and women of good will, committed in their struggle against intolerance and exclusion, the assurance of my closeness to them. For, in difficult moments, each of us is called to go beyond ourselves, raising our eyes beyond the horizon of egoism and of partisan interests in order to seek the common good (cf Evangelii gaudium, 221ff).
In this situation, Christian communities and their pastors are called to an even more profound witness of faith, based on their unreserved faithfulness to the values of the gospel. You are already committed to this path by the translation of the Bible into local languages, for in order to live according to the Word of God and to faithfully bear witness to it, one must first know it, assiduously read it and incorporate it into one's life. In this sense, efforts made in your dioceses to expand new catechetical manuals should be noted: through solid formation, the faithful can better root their lives in faith and therefore they will be stronger and better able to resist all outside threats. I should like to warmly greet the catechists and thank them for the important role they have so generously undertaken in the work of evangelization.
Thus, despite the serious problems she encounters, the Church in Mali demonstrates a beautiful dynamic in her work of evangelization, while maintaining a profound respect for consciences. The disciples of Christ grow in number and in fervour. But Christian witness in the family still needs more consistency: in your socio-cultural context, also marked by divorce and polygamy, Catholics are called to concretely proclaim the Gospel of Life and of family through the witness of their lives. I also encourage you to pursue your pastoral initiatives by paying particular attention to the condition of women: promote the place of women in society and fight against all abuse and violence committed against them; this too is a form of proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who desired to be born of a women, the Virgin Mary.
Giving thanks to God for all that he gives you to do, you will not fail to continue your efforts aimed at the discernment of priestly vocations: the harvest is plenty, but the labourers are few. My prayers are continually raised to God, along with yours, that he may send labours into the harvest. Patient and paternal accompaniment by priests is another issue toward which your attention should be focused. Be for them, especially for the weakest among them, fathers, brothers and friends who are able to support and encourage them. The episcopal ministry, far from being a responsibility that can be assumed in a solitary spirit, is a mission of communion at the service of the unity that you live in a particular way with your priests.
This spirit of communion calls you also, as pastors, to reserve a choice place in your hearts and in your pastoral action for men and women Religious: they are also in need of feeling your paternal solicitude, which will enable each Institute or Congregation to express its charism at the service of the whole community to the utmost.
If in any particular church the synergy inspired by charity is needed to ensure its credibility, then your context of the charity and unity lived in the Church are among the most important signs of fruitful dialogue with other religions, an expression of authentic Christian witness (cf Nostra aetate, 5). On this subject, Tertullian has left us the gripping witness of pagans of his time about Christians, which should always inspire us: See how they love one another, they truly love each other (Apologetique, 39, 7). It is to be hoped that even nowadays these witnesses of members of other religions toward our Christian communities multiply! Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I entrust this aspiration to your pastoral solicitude.
Likewise, the Gospel lived in its authentic dimension of charity should inspire social ministry. The Church is present in Mali in the areas of education for peace and your Christian communities actively contribute to promoting genuine national reconciliation. In congratulating you for your pastoral sensitivity in the field of promoting the human person without consideration limited to ethnic or religious affiliation, I would like to pay tribute to the many Christians who spread the culture of solidarity and hospitality, especially in facing the violence of the last years.
Dear brothers in the Episcopate, strengthened by the Lord's promise to be with his family until the end of time, (cf Matthew 28:20) I am convinced that despite the difficulties on their path, the Church in Mali will continue to be a testament to hope and peace. Therefore, I exhort you to persevere in the way of the Gospel, in maintaining the priority accorded to youth in your pastoral action: young people should be genuine builders of peace and of reconciliation. May they always feel increasingly supported by their pastors, to remain united to Christ, recognizing his living presence in our world, especially through the weak and the poor.
To conclude this meeting, I would like to direct my thought once again to the Christian communities of which you have pastoral charge: my prayers and encouragement go to them; please communicate to them my affectionate closeness to the priests, the men and women Religious, the seminarians, the novices, the catechists and the lay faithful, in particular to the suffering and to persons who are experiencing trial. Asking you to continue to pray for me and to have prayers offered for my ministry, I invoke upon you the comfort of the Risen Lord, conqueror of evil and death and I accord to you my heartfelt Apostolic Blessing, which I gladly extend to all your diocesan communities.
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