Pope
to Ugandan religious, seminarians: 'Memory, fidelity, prayer'
(Vatican
Radio) The final event on Pope Francis’ agenda on Saturday was a meeting with
priest, religious, and seminarians in Kampala cathedral. Putting aside his
prepared text, Pope Francis spoke off the cuff in his native Spanish,
highlighting three essential points for the clergy - memory, fidelity, prayer -
and seeking to strengthen the Christian faith in their country.
Firstly,
he told them to keep alive the testimony of the Ugandan martyrs, not allowing
themselves to become too comfortable with superficial memories of the past, but
continuing to be authentic witnesses to the faith today.
Secondly,
the Pope urged the priests and religious to remain faithful, following the way
of holiness of the martyrs and being good missionaries. Noting that there are
dioceses in the country that have many clergy and others that have very few,
the Pope said fidelity means having a diocesan bishop who is generous in
offering priests to a neighbouring diocese that is in need.
Thirdly,
Pope Francis stressed that fidelity is only possible through prayer. If a
priest or religious stops praying because he or she has too much work, he said,
then they begin to lose their memory and their fidelity. Prayer means
constantly confessing our sins, the Pope concluded, not leading a double life
but asking for forgiveness and for the strength to keep the missionary spirit
alive.
Below,
please find Pope Francis’ prepared remarks for the encounter:
Meeting
with Priests, Religious and Seminarians
Kampala,
St Mary’s Cathedral
Saturday,
28 November 2015
Dear
Brother Priests, Religious and Seminarians,
I
am happy to be with you, and I thank you for your cordial welcome. I
especially thank the speakers for bearing witness to your hopes and concerns,
and, above all, the joy which inspires you in your service to God’s people in
Uganda.
I
am pleased, too, that our meeting takes place on the eve of the First Sunday of
Advent, a season which invites us to look to new beginnings. This Advent
we are also preparing to cross the threshold of the extraordinary Jubilee Year
of Mercy which I have called for the whole Church.
As
we approach the Jubilee of Mercy, I would ask you two questions. First:
who are you, as priests or future priests, and as consecrated persons? In
one sense, the answer is an easy one: surely you are men and women whose lives
have been shaped by a “personal encounter with Jesus Christ” (Evangelii Gaudium,
3). Jesus has touched your hearts, called you by name, and asked you to
follow him with an undivided heart in the service of his holy people.
The
Church in Uganda has been blessed, in its short yet venerable history, with a
great cloud of witnesses – lay faithful, catechists, priests and religious –
who forsook everything for the love of Jesus: homes, families, and, in the case
of the martyrs, their own lives. In your own lives, whether in the
priestly ministry or in your religious consecration, you are called to carry on
this great legacy, above all with quiet acts of humble service. Jesus
wants to use you to touch the hearts of yet other people: he wants to use your
mouths to proclaim his saving word, your arms to embrace the poor whom he loves,
your hands to build up communities of authentic missionary disciples. May
we never forget that our “yes” to Jesus is a “yes” to his people. Our
doors, the doors of our churches, but above all the doors of our hearts, must
constantly be open to God’s people, our people. For that is who we are.
A
second question I would ask you tonight is: What more are you called to do in
living your specific vocation? Because there is always more that we can
do, another mile to be walked on our journey.
God’s
people, indeed all people, yearn for new life, forgiveness and peace.
Sadly, there are many troubling situations in our world for which we must pray,
beginning with realities closest to us. I pray especially for the beloved
people of Burundi, that the Lord may awaken in their leaders and in society as
a whole a commitment to dialogue and cooperation, reconciliation and
peace. If we are to accompany those who suffer, then like the light
passing through the stained glass windows of this Cathedral, we must let God’s
power and healing pass through us. We must first let the waves of his
mercy flow over us, purify us, and refresh us, so that we can bring that mercy
to others, especially those on the peripheries.
All
of us know well how difficult this can be. There is so much work to be
done. At the same time, modern life also offers so many distractions
which can dull our consciences, dissipate our zeal, and even lure us into that
“spiritual worldliness” which eats away at the foundations of the Christian
life. The work of conversion – that conversion which is the heart of the
Gospel of Jesus (cf. Mk 1:15) – must be carried out each day, in the battle to
recognize and overcome those habits and ways of thinking which can fuel
spiritual complacency. We need to examine our consciences, as individuals
and as communities.
As
I mentioned, we are entering the season of Advent, which is a time of new
beginnings. In the Church we like to say that Africa is the continent of
hope, and with good reason. The Church in these lands is blessed with an
abundant harvest of religious vocations. This evening I would offer a
special word of encouragement to the young seminarians and religious
present. The Lord’s call is a source of joy and a summons to serve.
Jesus tells us that “it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth
speaks” (Lk 6:45). May the fire of the Holy Spirit purify your hearts, so
that you can be joyful and convincing witnesses to the hope of the
Gospel. You have a beautiful word to speak! May you always speak
it, above all, by the integrity and conviction of your lives.
Dear
brothers and sisters, my visit to Uganda is brief, and today was a very long
day! But I consider our meeting tonight to be the crowning of this
beautiful day when I was able to go as a pilgrim to the Shrine of the Uganda
Martyrs at Namugongo, and to meet with the many young people who are the future
of the nation and our Church. Truly I leave Africa with great hope in the
harvest of grace which God is preparing in your midst! I ask all of you
to pray for an outpouring of apostolic zeal, for joyful perseverance in the
calling you have received, and, above all, for the gift of a pure heart ever
open to the needs of all our brothers and sisters. In this way the Church
in Uganda will truly prove worthy of its glorious heritage and face the
challenges of the future with sure hope in Christ’s promises. I will
remember all of you in my prayers, and I ask you, please, to pray for me!
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