PAPAL VISIT SOUTH SUDAN: Pope Francis Continue to Pray for Generosity Amidst Consecrated Persons To Become Means of God’s Salvation
Ginaba Lino
The Holy Father Pope Francis on 04 February 2023 has assures South Sudanese Bishops’, Priests, deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians for his commitment to continue praying for them to always be generous pastors and witnesses.
In his speech during a meeting with Religious members at the Cathedral of Saint Theresa, he says, prophets of closeness who accompany the people, intercessors with uplifted arms.
“I pray that you will always be generous pastors and witnesses, armed only with prayer and love; that you allow yourselves, in meekness, to be constantly surprised by God’s grace; and that you may become a means of salvation for others, prophets of closeness who accompany the people, intercessors with uplifted arms.”
His Holiness urged the religious leaders to make effort and banish the temptation to individualism, to one-sided interests.
“Let us make every effort to banish the temptation to individualism, to partisan interests. How sad it is when the Church’s pastors are incapable of communion, when they fail to cooperate, and even ignore one another.”
Let us cultivate mutual respect, closeness and practical cooperation. If we fail to do this ourselves, how can we preach it to others? “Pope Francis stated.”
He calls on South Sudanese Bishops’, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians to reflect on Moses’s Scripture offers three images of staff in hand, outstretched hands, and his hands raised to heaven.
“Let us now go back to Moses, and reflect on the art of intercession, let us look at his hands. Scripture offers us three images in this regard: Moses with staff in hand, Moses with outstretched hands, Moses with his hands raised to heaven.”
Holy Father encouraged Bishops’, Priests, deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians not exercise their ministry by chasing after religious or social prestige, but rather by walking in the midst of and alongside people.
“We must never exercise our ministry by chasing after religious or social prestige, but rather by walking in the midst of and alongside our people, learning to listen and to dialogue, cooperating as ministers with one another and with the laity.”
“Let me repeat this important word: together. Bishops and priests, priests and deacons, pastors and seminarians, ordained ministers and religious – always showing respect for the marvellous specificity of religious life.”
He told the religious members that, their first duty is not be a Church that is perfectly organized, but a Church which is in the name of Christ and a Church that is willing to dirty its hands for people.
“Our first duty is not to be a Church that is perfectly organized, but a Church that, in the name of Christ, stands in the midst of people’s troubled lives, a Church that is willing to dirty its hands for people.”
It is precisely this art of “stepping into the middle” of our brothers and sisters that the Church’s pastors need to cultivate: the ability to step into the middle of their sufferings and tears, into the middle of their hunger for God and their thirst for love, the Holy Father said.”
Pope explained how important of friendship is to their brothers and sisters saying, it’s is a marvellous testimony that they bequeath for, a legacy that invites them to carry forward their mission.
“Their closeness to their brothers and sisters is a marvellous testimony that they bequeath to us, a legacy that invites us to carry forward their mission. Let us think of Saint Daniel Comboni, who with his missionary brothers carried out a great work of evangelization in this land.”
His Holiness Pope Francis who for the first time stepped the land of South Sudanese met with Bishops and priests, priests and deacons, pastors and seminarians, ordained ministers and religious as part of his ecumenical Pilgrimage to South Sudan Capital Juba.
