Pope to Madagascar Bishops: Be
pastors with the heart of Jesus
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| Pope Francis addressing the bishops of Madagascar in Andihalo Cathedral, in Antananarivo.(Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis addresses the Bishops of Madagascar in Andohalo
Cathedral, in Antananarivo, and describes what it means to be a pastor
according to the heart of God.
By Vatican News
There are 21 dioceses in Madagascar and 5 archdioceses. All
of their bishops and archbishops were present in Antananarivo’s Cathedral on
Saturday to listen to Pope Francis on the first full day of his visit to the
country.
A land of contradictions
The Pope began by describing Madagascar as a land of
contradictions: “a rich land with widespread poverty; an ancestral culture and
wisdom that respect the life and dignity of the human person, but also the
presence of inequality and corruption”.
Sowing in hope
“The task of a shepherd in such circumstances is not easy”,
said the Pope. But bishops are sowers, called “to spread seeds of faith” on
this earth”, and to “do so in hope”. The sower “never stops loving the field
entrusted to his care”, continued Pope Francis. “Even if he is tempted, he does
not abandon it or leave it to another”.
Promoting the human person
“The task of evangelization implies and demands the integral
promotion of each human being”, said the Pope. Religion can no longer be
“restricted to the private sphere”, it does not exist “only to prepare souls
for heaven”, he said. “Can a pastor worthy of that name remain indifferent
before the challenges facing his fellow citizens of all social categories,
regardless of their religious affiliation?” asked Pope Francis. “Can a pastor
with the heart of Jesus be indifferent to lives entrusted to his care?”.
Defending the human person
“To be pastors according to God’s heart, we must be the
first to choose to preach the Gospel to the poor”, continued the Pope. The
Church, he said, has a particular duty “to protect and remain close to the
poor, the marginalized and the little ones, to children and those most
vulnerable, to the victims of exploitation and abuse”.
Spiritual fatherhood
Returning to the image of the sower, Pope Francis clarified
that a pastor who is a sower will not try to control every detail, but rather,
“will leave plenty of room for new initiatives, let things mature in their own
good time… He will not demand more than what is reasonable”.
This kind of fidelity to the Gospel “makes us pastors close
to God’s people, starting with our brother priests”, said the Pope. “Our
priests should see in their bishop an elder brother and a father who encourages
them and supports them on their journey”. That, he said, is what “spiritual
fatherhood” is.
Discerning vocations
Caring for the earth also means waiting for harvest time and
assessing the quality of the workers, said the Pope. “As pastors, you have an
urgent task of…ensuring the authenticity” of vocations to the consecrated life
and the priesthood, he said. Pope Francis praised the efforts of Madagascar’s
bishops “to ensure the formation of authentic and holy workers for the abundant
harvest that awaits us in the field of the Lord”.
Training lay people
He also expressed his appreciation for all the initiatives
undertaken “to provide training for lay men and women, and not to leave them
alone in their mission to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world”.
In this way, lay people too “will be able to contribute to the transformation
of society and the life of the Church in Madagascar”, he said.
Sharing and cooperation
“This great responsibility for the Lord’s field should
challenge us to open our hearts and minds”, said the Pope to the bishops. He
encouraged them to engage in fraternal dialogue among themselves, to share
their gifts and to cooperate with the Particular Churches of the Indian Ocean.
The Pope suggested that similar pastoral challenges, like the protection of the
environment, or the problem of immigration, could be sources of “shared
reflection and coordinated action on a large scale in devising effective
approaches”.
Two women protectors
Before concluding his address to the bishops, the Pope noted
how “two women protect this Cathedral” where the meeting was taking place.
Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo, who “was able to do much good and to defend and
spread the faith in difficult times”, and our Blessed Mother, represented in a
statue, “whose arms, outstretched to the valley and the hills, seem to embrace
everything”, he said.
“Let us ask these two women always to enlarge our hearts”,
concluded Pope Francis, “to teach us the maternal compassion that women, like
God himself, feel for the forgotten of the earth, and to help us to sow seeds
of hope”.
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