Pope urges new bishops to holiness of life based on the Word of God
(September 22, 2008) A great love for Christ demonstrated in a life of holiness built
upon the Word of God is the key to a bishop’s credibility and inspiration to his flock
as well as an effective means to fight the challenges of secularism in today’s society.
Pope Benedict gave this exhortation on Monday to some 120 bishops who were appointed
during the course of the past year. The new bishops attended an orientation seminar
from September 15-23 in Rome, sponsored by the Vatican’s Congregations for Bishops
and Oriental Churches. Recalling the figure of ‘the greatest of all pastors’, St.
Paul during the current Pauline Jubilee Year marking his 2000th birthday, Pope Benedict
pointed to Paul’s great love for Christ to whom his entire interior and apostolic
life conformed in suffering and in persecution. “The example of the great apostle,”
the Pope said, “calls us bishops to grow in holiness of life every day”, because,
he said, “one cannot serve men without first serving God.” And in this spiritual
growth, the Pope said, the Word of God should have an undisputed central place in
the life and mission of the bishop. Together with their priests, bishops must listen
to the Word of God, so that they can be teachers of the faith and authentic educators
of their faithful. In order to face the great challenges of secularism of contemporary
society, the Pope said, it is necessary that bishops meditate on the Word every day
so as to be able to be efficacious in announcing it, be authentic teachers in illustrating
and defending it and be enlightened and wise masters in transmitting it.