At 11:30am this morning (5:30am EDT), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Bishops from Mission Territories who are participating in a Seminar organized by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. This Seminar is taking place at the International Pontifical Missionary College of Saint Paul the Apostle in Rome from 3 to 15 September 2018. At the Seminary, there are 74 newly-appointed Bishops from 34 nations spread over four continents participating: 17 nations from Africa, 8 from Asia, 6 from Oceania and 3 from Latin America.
Dear Brothers, good morning!
I am pleased to meet with you on the occasion of your formation seminar. With you, I greet the communities which have been entrusted to you: the priests, the religious men and women, the catechists and the lay faithful. I am grateful to Cardinal Filoni for the words which he has offered and I thank Archbishop Rugambwa and Archbishop Dal Toso very much.
Who is the bishop? Let us question ourselves about our identity as pastors in order to have more awareness of them, even if we know that there is no identical standard model in all places. The ministry of the bishop makes us shudder, so great is the mystery that it carries within itself. Thanks to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the bishop is configured to Christ the Shepherd and Priest. He is called to have the features of the Good Shepherd and to be the heart of priesthood, that is to say, the offering of a life. Therefore, the shepherd does not live for himself, but strives to give life to sheep, in particular to those who are weak and endangered. For this reason the bishop nourishes real compassion for the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd (cf Mk 6:34) and for those who are ignored in various ways. I ask you to use gestures and words of special comfort for those who experience marginality and decay; more than others, they need to perceive the Lord's preference for the poor, especially through your caring hands.
Who is the bishop? With you, I would like to point out three essential traits: he is a man of prayer, a many of proclamation and a man of communion.
A man of prayer. Bishops are the successors of the Apostles and like the Apostles, they are called by Jesus to spend time with him (cf Mk 3:14). It is there (in company with Jesus) that the Bishop finds his strength and his trust. In front of the tabernacle he learns to entrust himself to the Lord. An awareness matures within him that even at night, while he is sleeping, or during the day, between fatigue and sweat in the field, he cultivates and the seed matures (cf Mk 4: 26-29). Prayer is not for the sake of the Bishop's devotion, but a matter of necessity; not one commitment among many, but an indispensable ministry of intercession: every day, he must bring people and situations before God. Like Moses, he extends his hands to heaven in u of his people (cf Ex 17,8-13) and he is able to insist with the Lord (cf Ex 33,11-14), to negotiate with the Lord, like Abraham. The parrhesia (brave attitude) of prayer. Prayer without parrhesia is not prayer. This is the Pastor who prays! One who has the courage to discuss his flock with God. Active in prayer, he shares the passion and the cross of his Lord. Never satisfied, he constantly tries to assimilate himself to him, constantly on the way to becoming like Jesus the victim and altar for the salvation of his people. And this does not come from knowing many things, but from knowing one thing every day in prayer: Jesus Christ, and Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2) because it is easy to carry a cross on the chest, but the Lord asks us to carry a much heavier one on our shoulders and on our hearts: he asks us to share his cross. When Peter explained to the faithful what the newly created deacons had to do, he added - and this also applies to us, bishops: Prayer and the proclamation of the Word. In the first place, prayer. I like to ask the question to every bishop: How many hours a day do you pray?
A man of proclamation. As a successor of the Apostles, the Bishop perceives as precisely his own, the mandate that Jesus gave to each one of them: Go and proclaim the Gospel (Mk 16:15). Go: the Gospel does not proclaim itself while sitting, but on the way. The bishop does not live in the office, as a company administrator, but among the people, in the streets of the world, like Jesus. He carries his Lord to places where he is not known, places where he is disfigured and persecuted. And coming out of himself, he finds himself. He does not like comfort, he does not like the quiet life and does not spare his energies, he does not feel like a prince, he works for others, abandoning himself to God's faithfulness. If he were to seek worldly apprehensions and assurances, he would not be a true apostle of the Gospel.
And what is the style of proclamation? Humbly bear witness to the love of God, just as Jesus did, he who was humbled by love. The proclamation of the Gospel suffers the temptations of power, of contentment, of the return of one's image, of worldliness. Worldliness. Beware of worldliness. There is always the risk of curing the form of the substance, of turning into actors rather than witnesses, of watering down the Word of salvation by proposing a Gospel without the crucified and risen Jesus. But you are called to be the Lord's living memories, to remind the Church that to proclaim means to give life, without half measures, even being ready to accept total self-sacrifice.
And thirdly, a man of communion. The bishop can not have every gift, every charism - some believe they do, poor things! - but the bishop is called to have the charism of the whole, that is, to hold together, to cement communion. The Church needs union, not soloists apart from the choir or leaders of personal battles. The Pastor gathers: for the sake of his faithful, a bishop is a Christian with his faithful. He does not make news in the newspapers, he does not seek the consent of the world, he is not interested in protecting his good name, but he loves to weave communion by involving himself in the first person and acting with dismissal. He does not suffer from a lack of being perceived as a hero, but lives rooted in his territory, rejecting the temptation to move away frequently from the Diocese - the temptation to be an airport bishop - and fleeing the search for his own glory.
He never lets himself grow tired of listening. His ministry is not based on projects conceived of around the table, but he lets himself be questioned by the voice of the Spirit, who loves to speak through the faith of simple people. He becomes one with his people and above all with his presbyters, he is always available to receive and encourage his priests. He promotes by example, rather than by words, a genuine priestly fraternity, showing priests that they are Pastors for the flock, not for reasons of prestige or career, which is so bad. Do not be climbers, please, nor ambitious: feed the flock of God not as masters of the people entrusted to you, but making yourselves models for the flock (1 Pet 5,3).
And then, dear brothers, run away from clericalism, an anomalous way of understanding authority in the Church, very common in many communities in which behaviors of abuse of power, conscience and sexuality have occurred. Clericalism corrodes communion, inasmuch as it generates a division in the ecclesial body that foments and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we today denounce. Saying no to abuse - either of power, of conscience, any abuse - means strongly saying no to any form of clericalism (Letter to the People of God, 20 August 2018). Therefore you should not feel yourselves to be lords of the flock - you are not the owners of the flock - even if others did it or if certain local customs favoured it. The people of God, for whom and to whom you are ordained, should always see you as fathers, not masters; thoughtful fathers: no one should show attitudes of subjection to you. At this historical juncture certain tendencies of elitism seem to be accentuated in various parts. To show oneself to be strong men, who keep their distance and command over others, could appear comfortable and captivating, but it is not evangelical. It often inflicts irreparable damage on the flock, for which Christ lovingly gave his life, lowering himself and abasing himself. Therefore, be men who are poor in possessions and rich in relationships, never harsh and grumpy, but affable, patient, simple and open.
I also want to ask you to have at heart, especially, a few things:
Families. Although we are being penalized by a culture that teaches the logic of the provisional and favours individual rights, families remain the first cells of every society and the first Churches, because they are domestic churches. Promote courses of preparation for marriage and accompaniment for families: we are called to sow seeds that will bear fruit at the right time. Defend the life of the conceived and that of the elderly, support parents and grandparents in their mission.
Seminarians. They are tomorrow's incubators. There you are at home. Carefully check that they are guided by men of God, capable and mature educators, who with the help of the best human sciences guarantee the formation of healthy, open, authentic, sincere human profiles. Give priority to vocational discernment to help young people recognize the voice of God among the many that reverberate in the ears and in the heart.
Therefore, it is to young people that the upcoming Synod will be dedicated. Let us listen, allow ourselves to be provoked by them, welcome their desires, doubts, criticisms and crises. They are the future of the Church, they are the future of society: a better world depends on them. Even when they seem to be infected with the viruses of consumerism and hedonism, we never put them in quarantine; let's give them a try, we feel their hearts begging for life and begging for freedom. We offer them the Gospel with courage.
The poor. To love them means to fight against all poverty, spiritual and material. Dedicate time and energy to the end without fear of getting your hands dirty. As apostles of charity, you must go to the human and existential peripheries of your Dioceses.
Finally, dear brothers, be wary, I beg you, of the lukewarmness that leads to mediocrity and sloth, that démon de midi. Be wary of that. Beware of the tranquility that dodges the sacrifice; of pastoral haste that leads to intolerance; of the abundance of goods that disfigures the Gospel. Do not forget that the devil enters from his pockets! I wish you instead the holy restlessness for the Gospel, the only restlessness that gives peace. I thank you for listening and blessing you, in the joy of having you as dearest among the brothers. And I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to newly-appointed Bishops
from Mission Territories
Dear Brothers, good morning!
I am pleased to meet with you on the occasion of your formation seminar. With you, I greet the communities which have been entrusted to you: the priests, the religious men and women, the catechists and the lay faithful. I am grateful to Cardinal Filoni for the words which he has offered and I thank Archbishop Rugambwa and Archbishop Dal Toso very much.
Who is the bishop? Let us question ourselves about our identity as pastors in order to have more awareness of them, even if we know that there is no identical standard model in all places. The ministry of the bishop makes us shudder, so great is the mystery that it carries within itself. Thanks to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the bishop is configured to Christ the Shepherd and Priest. He is called to have the features of the Good Shepherd and to be the heart of priesthood, that is to say, the offering of a life. Therefore, the shepherd does not live for himself, but strives to give life to sheep, in particular to those who are weak and endangered. For this reason the bishop nourishes real compassion for the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd (cf Mk 6:34) and for those who are ignored in various ways. I ask you to use gestures and words of special comfort for those who experience marginality and decay; more than others, they need to perceive the Lord's preference for the poor, especially through your caring hands.
Who is the bishop? With you, I would like to point out three essential traits: he is a man of prayer, a many of proclamation and a man of communion.
A man of prayer. Bishops are the successors of the Apostles and like the Apostles, they are called by Jesus to spend time with him (cf Mk 3:14). It is there (in company with Jesus) that the Bishop finds his strength and his trust. In front of the tabernacle he learns to entrust himself to the Lord. An awareness matures within him that even at night, while he is sleeping, or during the day, between fatigue and sweat in the field, he cultivates and the seed matures (cf Mk 4: 26-29). Prayer is not for the sake of the Bishop's devotion, but a matter of necessity; not one commitment among many, but an indispensable ministry of intercession: every day, he must bring people and situations before God. Like Moses, he extends his hands to heaven in u of his people (cf Ex 17,8-13) and he is able to insist with the Lord (cf Ex 33,11-14), to negotiate with the Lord, like Abraham. The parrhesia (brave attitude) of prayer. Prayer without parrhesia is not prayer. This is the Pastor who prays! One who has the courage to discuss his flock with God. Active in prayer, he shares the passion and the cross of his Lord. Never satisfied, he constantly tries to assimilate himself to him, constantly on the way to becoming like Jesus the victim and altar for the salvation of his people. And this does not come from knowing many things, but from knowing one thing every day in prayer: Jesus Christ, and Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2) because it is easy to carry a cross on the chest, but the Lord asks us to carry a much heavier one on our shoulders and on our hearts: he asks us to share his cross. When Peter explained to the faithful what the newly created deacons had to do, he added - and this also applies to us, bishops: Prayer and the proclamation of the Word. In the first place, prayer. I like to ask the question to every bishop: How many hours a day do you pray?
A man of proclamation. As a successor of the Apostles, the Bishop perceives as precisely his own, the mandate that Jesus gave to each one of them: Go and proclaim the Gospel (Mk 16:15). Go: the Gospel does not proclaim itself while sitting, but on the way. The bishop does not live in the office, as a company administrator, but among the people, in the streets of the world, like Jesus. He carries his Lord to places where he is not known, places where he is disfigured and persecuted. And coming out of himself, he finds himself. He does not like comfort, he does not like the quiet life and does not spare his energies, he does not feel like a prince, he works for others, abandoning himself to God's faithfulness. If he were to seek worldly apprehensions and assurances, he would not be a true apostle of the Gospel.
And what is the style of proclamation? Humbly bear witness to the love of God, just as Jesus did, he who was humbled by love. The proclamation of the Gospel suffers the temptations of power, of contentment, of the return of one's image, of worldliness. Worldliness. Beware of worldliness. There is always the risk of curing the form of the substance, of turning into actors rather than witnesses, of watering down the Word of salvation by proposing a Gospel without the crucified and risen Jesus. But you are called to be the Lord's living memories, to remind the Church that to proclaim means to give life, without half measures, even being ready to accept total self-sacrifice.
And thirdly, a man of communion. The bishop can not have every gift, every charism - some believe they do, poor things! - but the bishop is called to have the charism of the whole, that is, to hold together, to cement communion. The Church needs union, not soloists apart from the choir or leaders of personal battles. The Pastor gathers: for the sake of his faithful, a bishop is a Christian with his faithful. He does not make news in the newspapers, he does not seek the consent of the world, he is not interested in protecting his good name, but he loves to weave communion by involving himself in the first person and acting with dismissal. He does not suffer from a lack of being perceived as a hero, but lives rooted in his territory, rejecting the temptation to move away frequently from the Diocese - the temptation to be an airport bishop - and fleeing the search for his own glory.
He never lets himself grow tired of listening. His ministry is not based on projects conceived of around the table, but he lets himself be questioned by the voice of the Spirit, who loves to speak through the faith of simple people. He becomes one with his people and above all with his presbyters, he is always available to receive and encourage his priests. He promotes by example, rather than by words, a genuine priestly fraternity, showing priests that they are Pastors for the flock, not for reasons of prestige or career, which is so bad. Do not be climbers, please, nor ambitious: feed the flock of God not as masters of the people entrusted to you, but making yourselves models for the flock (1 Pet 5,3).
And then, dear brothers, run away from clericalism, an anomalous way of understanding authority in the Church, very common in many communities in which behaviors of abuse of power, conscience and sexuality have occurred. Clericalism corrodes communion, inasmuch as it generates a division in the ecclesial body that foments and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we today denounce. Saying no to abuse - either of power, of conscience, any abuse - means strongly saying no to any form of clericalism (Letter to the People of God, 20 August 2018). Therefore you should not feel yourselves to be lords of the flock - you are not the owners of the flock - even if others did it or if certain local customs favoured it. The people of God, for whom and to whom you are ordained, should always see you as fathers, not masters; thoughtful fathers: no one should show attitudes of subjection to you. At this historical juncture certain tendencies of elitism seem to be accentuated in various parts. To show oneself to be strong men, who keep their distance and command over others, could appear comfortable and captivating, but it is not evangelical. It often inflicts irreparable damage on the flock, for which Christ lovingly gave his life, lowering himself and abasing himself. Therefore, be men who are poor in possessions and rich in relationships, never harsh and grumpy, but affable, patient, simple and open.
I also want to ask you to have at heart, especially, a few things:
Families. Although we are being penalized by a culture that teaches the logic of the provisional and favours individual rights, families remain the first cells of every society and the first Churches, because they are domestic churches. Promote courses of preparation for marriage and accompaniment for families: we are called to sow seeds that will bear fruit at the right time. Defend the life of the conceived and that of the elderly, support parents and grandparents in their mission.
Seminarians. They are tomorrow's incubators. There you are at home. Carefully check that they are guided by men of God, capable and mature educators, who with the help of the best human sciences guarantee the formation of healthy, open, authentic, sincere human profiles. Give priority to vocational discernment to help young people recognize the voice of God among the many that reverberate in the ears and in the heart.
Therefore, it is to young people that the upcoming Synod will be dedicated. Let us listen, allow ourselves to be provoked by them, welcome their desires, doubts, criticisms and crises. They are the future of the Church, they are the future of society: a better world depends on them. Even when they seem to be infected with the viruses of consumerism and hedonism, we never put them in quarantine; let's give them a try, we feel their hearts begging for life and begging for freedom. We offer them the Gospel with courage.
The poor. To love them means to fight against all poverty, spiritual and material. Dedicate time and energy to the end without fear of getting your hands dirty. As apostles of charity, you must go to the human and existential peripheries of your Dioceses.
Finally, dear brothers, be wary, I beg you, of the lukewarmness that leads to mediocrity and sloth, that démon de midi. Be wary of that. Beware of the tranquility that dodges the sacrifice; of pastoral haste that leads to intolerance; of the abundance of goods that disfigures the Gospel. Do not forget that the devil enters from his pockets! I wish you instead the holy restlessness for the Gospel, the only restlessness that gives peace. I thank you for listening and blessing you, in the joy of having you as dearest among the brothers. And I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
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