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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “As teacher and doctors of the faith, your mission is to boldly teach the truth which must be believed and lived, presenting it in an authentic manner”. This recommendation was addressed by the Holy Father Benedict XVI to Bishops from the Leste 2 Region of Brazil whom he received in audience on 19 June, on the occasion of their ad limina visit. The Pope repeated words he pronounced in his address for the inauguration of the 5th General Conference of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean, in Aparecida, Brazil: "The Church has the important task of preserving and nourishing the faith of the people of God and of reminding the faithful (...) that by virtue of baptism, they are called to be disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ", and the Pope urged the Bishops: “help the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care to discover the joy of the faith and the joy of being personally loved by God, who gave His Son for our salvation.”
Then, recalling “the triple service of teaching, sanctifying and governing the people of God” assigned to the Successors of the Apostles, the Pope asked the Bishops to “make sure that the liturgy is truly an epiphany of the mystery, that is, an expression of the genuine nature of the Church as she actively worships God through Christ in the Holy Spirit”. Bishops in particular are responsible for the celebration of the Eucharist and for ensuring that the faithful are able to approach the table of the Lord, especially on Sundays. Benedict XVI went on to urge the Brazilian Bishops to be “promoters and animators of prayer in the earthly city, often agitated, noisy and forgetful of God: you must create places and occasions where in silence, in listening to God , in personal and community prayer, people can find and live a vibrant experience of Jesus Christ who reveals the authentic image of the Father. It is necessary for parishes and shrines, places of education and places suffering, and for families to become places of communion with the Lord.”
The Pope recalled that it is the Bishop's duty to “promote the participation of all the faithful in the edification of the Church ”, and to “judge and discipline with norms, directions and proposals the life of the people of God entrusted to his pastoral care”. “This right and duty – the Holy Father underlined - is important because it ensures that the diocesan community is united and proceeds in sincere communion of faith, love and discipline with the Bishop of Rome and with the whole Church. Therefore, never tire of nourishing in the faithful a sense of belonging to the Church and the joy of brotherly communion”. The Pontiff then recalled that the government of the Bishop will only be pastoral fruitful if it is "accompanied by moral credibility, deriving from the holiness of his life. This credibility will prepare minds to welcome the Gospel he announces to his Church and also the norms he establishes for the good of the people of God " (Esort. ap. Pastores gregis, 43). (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/06/2010)
