{"id":664,"date":"2014-11-07T15:01:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/2014\/11\/07\/vatican-apostolate-of-family-will-bring\/"},"modified":"2016-05-03T09:40:54","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T09:40:54","slug":"vatican-apostolate-of-family-will-bring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/2014\/11\/07\/vatican-apostolate-of-family-will-bring\/","title":{"rendered":"VATICAN: The Apostolate of the Family will bring Inestimable Benefits to the Church and Society as a whole; Pope Francis tells the Catholic Bishops of Malawi"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nThe Holy
\nFather, Pope Francis on 6th November, 2014 received in audience seven
\nprelates of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, on their \u201cad Limina\u201d<\/i> visit. The seven included Archbishop Tarcisius Gervazio
\nZiyaye of Lilongwe; Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa, S.M.M., of Blantyre; Bishop
\nPeter Martin Musikuwa of Chikwawa; Bishop Montfort Stima of Mangochi; Bishop
\nEmanuel Kanyama of Dedza; Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu; and Bishop Martin
\nAnwel Mtumbuka of Karonga.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cI offer a
\njoyful welcome to you who have come from the ‘warm heart of Africa’, as you
\nmake your pilgrimage to Rome, ‘the warm heart of the Church’\u201d; thus Pope
\nFrancis greets the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi in the written
\ndiscourse he handed to them on Thursday morning as he received them in audience
\nat the end of their five-yearly \u201cad
\nLimina\u201d<\/i> visit. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nHe also
\nnoted that the effectiveness of their pastoral and administrative efforts is
\nthe fruit of their faith as well as of the unity and fraternal spirit that characterize
\ntheir episcopal conference.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Holy
\nFather also expressed his appreciation for \u201cThe admirable spirit of the
\nMalawian people, who, though faced with many serious obstacles in terms of
\ndevelopment, economic progress and standards of living, remain strong in their
\ncommitment to family life\u201d, as it is in this institution, which teaches \u201clove,
\nsacrifice, commitment and fidelity\u201d, that the Church and society in Malawi will
\nfind the resources necessary to renew and build up a culture of solidarity.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cYou
\nyourselves know well the challenges and the value of family life, and, as
\nfathers and shepherds, you are called to nurture, protect and strengthen it in
\nthe context of the \u201cfamily of faith\u201d, which is the Church. There is scarcely a
\ngreater commitment that the Church can make to the future of Malawi \u2013 and
\nindeed, to her own development \u2013 than that of a thorough and joyful apostolate
\nto families. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThus, by
\ndoing everything you can to support, educate and evangelize families, especially
\nthose in situations of material hardship, breakdown, violence or infidelity,
\nyou will bring inestimable benefit to the Church and all of Malawian society\u201d.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAmong the
\nresults of this apostolate, it is hoped that there will be \u201can increase in
\nyoung men and women who are willing and able to dedicate themselves to the
\nservice of others in the Priesthood and Religious life\u201d, based on \u201cthe strong
\nfoundations laid by generations of faithful missionaries\u201d and fortified by the evangelizing
\nwork of local men and women.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Bishop
\nof Rome exhorted the local prelates to be close to their Priests and Seminarians,
\nloving them \u201cas a Father should\u201d and furthering their efforts to guarantee a
\ncomplete spiritual as well as intellectual and pastoral formation.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe \u201ctragedy\u201d
\nof the limited life expectancy and extreme poverty experienced by the majority
\nof the people of Malawi is another of the Pope’s concerns. \u201cMy thoughts go to
\nthose suffering from HIV\/AIDS, and particularly to the orphaned children and
\nparents left without love and support as a result of this illness\u201d, he writes,
\nencouraging the Bishops to be close to those in distress, to the sick, and
\nespecially to the children.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cI ask you,
\nparticularly, to offer my gratitude to the many men and women who present Christ\u2019s
\ntenderness and love in Catholic healthcare institutions. The service which the
\nChurch offers to the sick, through pastoral care, prayer, clinics and hospices,
\nmust always find its source and model in Christ, who loved us and gave himself
\nup for us. Indeed, how else could we be followers of the Lord if we did not
\npersonally engage in ministry to the sick, the poor, the dying and the
\ndestitute? Our faith in Christ, born of having recognized our own need for Him,
\nHe Who has come to heal our wounds, to enrich us, to give us life, to nourish
\nus, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society\u2019s most
\nneglected members,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSource: Vatican Information
\nServices (VIS)<\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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