Pope meets bishops of Guinea

March 24, 2014 - Pope Francis on Monday received the bishops of Guinea on their ‘ad limina’ visit to Rome, and urged them to invite their faithful, especially the young, to bear witness to their faith in their commitment to society and nation. Bishops in charge of dioceses make “ad limina’ visits to Rome every five years or so to report on the state of their jurisdictions. The Pope met the bishops of the three dioceses of Guinea and handed them a written message. The small west African nation, with its capital in Conakry, has recently experienced a period of intense political upheaval, with several coups and attempted coups since 2008. By collaborating with various actors of society, Pope Francis told the bishops, the laity build peace and reconciliation by fighting extreme poverty that is afflicting the nation. Despite difficulties in this task, the Pope urged the bishops to build deeper relations with the majority Muslim population, reciprocally learning to accept differences in their living, thinking and expression. In this regard, the Pontiff pointed out that discord among Christians is the greatest obstacle to evangelization. In the face of difficulties due to lack of enough priests, the Pope expressed his closeness and encouragement, urging the bishops to be fathers and friends to their priests. He urged the bishops to teach their seminarians and priests be truly holiness, celibate and have a correct relationship with material goods, refusing worldliness and careerism.