Vatican City (AsiaNews) - When choosing a bishop, "we do not need a manager, a company administrator, nor someone who is as tall as our petty-mindedness or our petty demands." We need instead a "witness" to the Risen One, a man of prayer who can "captivate the world," with the "offer of freedom given by the Gospel," a "pastor who is close to the people" and his flock.
Pope Francis spoke again today about what he deems the traits that a bishop must have, the one who is called to succeed the apostles and show the world "this uninterrupted succession."
In chairing the meeting of the Congregation for Bishops this morning in the Vatican, the pope had an opportunity to outline again what makes a bishop a bishop. In addressing those present, he reiterated what he said last year when he met the nuncios and told them to make sure that pastors are "close to the people".
"[F]athers and brothers, may they be gentle, patient and merciful;" he said, "may they love poverty, interior poverty, as freedom for the Lord, and exterior poverty, as well as simplicity and a modest lifestyle; may they not have the mindset of "princes' [. . .]".
Hence, "Be careful that they are not ambitious, that they are not in quest of the episcopate', that they are espoused to the Church, without constantly seeking another;" which is something "called adultery. May they be overseers of the flock that has been entrusted to them, to take care of everything that is needed to keep it united". May they be "able to watch over the flock."
Today, turning to the dicastery that provides popes with episcopal candidates, Francis said, "we need someone who looks upon us with the breadth of God's heart. [. . .] We need someone who knows how to raise himself to the height of God's gaze" because "people toil along the prairie of everyday life, and need to be guided by those who are able to see things from above."
"To choose such ministers we too need to elevate ourselves, to rise to the 'upper level'. We must rise above and overcome any eventual preferences, sympathies, provenances or tendencies to arrive at God's broad horizon, to find those who bear his gaze from above."
"The essential standard to define the essence of a bishop" is that he is "a witness to the Risen One," the one "who has followed Jesus from the beginning, who with the apostles becomes witness of the resurrection. For us too, this is the unifying trait: the bishop is the one who knows how to make current everything that has happened to Jesus; above all, he knows, along with the Church, how to be a witness of his resurrection. The bishop is first and foremost a martyr of the Risen One. He is not an isolated witness, but is one together with the Church. His life and his ministry must lend credibility to the Resurrection."
"Therefore, to identify a bishop, it is not necessary to list his human, intellectual cultural or even pastoral skills. The profile of a Bishop is not the sum of his virtues. Certainly, there is a need for someone who excels (CIC, can. 378 § 1); whose human integrity ensures a capacity for healthy relationships ... so as not to project his shortcomings onto others and to become a destabilising factor ... his cultural preparation must enable him to enter into dialogue with men and their cultures; his orthodoxy and faithfulness to the complete Truth held by the Church makes him a pillar and a point of reference; his inner and outer discipline allows him to be master of himself and opens up room to receive and lead others; his ability to govern with paternal firmness ensures the security of the authority that he helps to develop; his transparency and detachment when managing community assets must confer authority that deserve everyone's esteem."
"All these indispensable skills must be, however, in support of his central witness to the Risen Christ, and must be subordinate to this central commitment. It is the Spirit of the Risen One who makes his witnesses, who integrates and elevates quality and values, educating the Bishop."
Finally, as Pope Francis told the nuncios, "the 'pastoral office or the habitual and daily care of their sheep is entrusted" completely to bishops. "I think that in this time of meetings and congresses the decree of the Council of Trent is very current, and it would be good for the Congregation for Bishops to write something about this. . . ."
"The flock needs to find a place in the heart of its Pastor. If this is not solidly anchored in itself, in Christ and His Church, the bishop will continually be at the mercy of the waves, in search of ephemeral compensations, and will offer no shelter to his flock."
