VATICAN - Pope tells Bishops from Argentina on Ad Limina visit: “to be bishop is an honor when lived with that spirit of service to others and as a humble and disinterested participation in the mission of Christ.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “In exercising his episcopal ministry, a bishop must always act as a servant among his faithful, drawing constant inspiration from the One Who came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life to save many. Truly, to be bishop is an honor when lived with that spirit of service to others and as a humble and disinterested participation in the mission of Christ.” These were the words of the Holy Father Benedict XVI in addressing a group of Bishops from Argentina, whom he received in an audience on April 30, in the Consistory Hall, on the occasion of their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit.
The Pontiff recalled that the Lord Jesus has entrusted the Bishops with “a ministry of the highest worth and dignity: bringing his message of peace and reconciliation to all peoples, with fatherly love caring for the holy People of God, and leading them on the path to salvation...Frequent contemplation of the image of the Good Shepherd will serve as a model and a stimulus for your efforts to announce and spread the Gospel, it will encourage you to care for the faithful with tenderness and mercy, to defend the weak and to spend your lives in constant and generous dedication to the People of God.”
After then encouraging them to stimulate "the practice of charity, especially among the most needy" in their dioceses, the Pope highlighted: “With your closeness and your words, with material aid and prayer, with the call to dialogue and to a spirit of understanding in constant search of the common good of the people, and with the light from the Gospel, you wish to offer a concrete and visible testimony to the love of Christ among men, so as to continually build-up the Church as the family of God, always welcoming and merciful with those most in need, so that in all dioceses charity may reign, in fulfillment of Jesus' command.” Benedict XVI later recalled “the importance of prayer as opposed to activism or a secularized vision of the charitable efforts of Christians.”
The Pope has, in a special way, entrusted the Bishops with the priests: “May the embrace of peace, with which you welcomed them on the day of their ordination, become a reality lived out every day, one that contributes to the strengthening of the bonds of affection, respect, and trust that unite you to them by virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.” In continuation, speaking of the specific vocation of the lay faithful, he hoped that “conscious of their baptismal promises and animated by Christ's charity, participate actively in the mission of the Church, as well as in the social, political, economic and cultural life of their country.” In this context he made it clear that “Catholics should stand out among their fellow citizens by their exemplary accomplishment of their civic duties, and by the exercise of those human and Christian virtues which help to improve personal, social and working relationships. Their commitment will also lead them to promote values that are essential to the common good of society, such as peace, justice, solidarity, the good of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the defense of life from conception until natural death, and the right and obligation of parents to educate children according to their own moral and religious convictions.” At the end of his address, before entrusting everyone to the protection of Our Lady of Lujan, the Holy Father asked the Argentinean Bishops to convey his affectionate greetings to all the members of their dioceses: “tell them that the Pope is grateful for the work they do for the Lord and for the cause of the Gospel; that he hopes and trusts in their fidelity to the Church. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 4/5/2009)