Pope Francis receives bishops of Ivory Coast

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the bishops of Ivory Coast on Thursday morning, who are here in Rome for their ad limina visits. In remarks prepared for the occasion and delivered during the course of the meeting, the Holy Father focused on the role of the bishops as spiritual sustainers of the faithful and of the whole people. Especially in the wake of the country’s brief but intense civil war (2010-2011), the bishops are called, “to take full responsibility for their part in the work of national reconciliation,” he said, “eschewing personal involvement in political gamesmanship at the expense of the common good.”

Pope Francis also spoke of the need to continue and to increase efforts to build inter-religious understanding, particularly among Christians and Muslims. “In that same spirit [of reconciliation], I encourage you to continue the dialogue with Muslims,” he said, “so as to discourage tendencies toward violence and religious misinterpretation of the conflict that you experienced.”

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The Holy Father went on to address the need to assist priests with continuing formation and with pastoral solicitude, calling on the bishops to visit their priests often and to get to know them ever better, to form a truly fraternal and united presbyterate attentive and dedicated to the people they serve.

The Holy Father’s remarks concluded with praise for the bishops’ work to spread the Gospel. “I want to express my joy and gratitude for the great work of evangelization which takes place in Ivory Coast,” he said. “Your local Churches are experiencing real momentum and showing joy and enthusiasm for the proclamation of Christ crucified and risen,” he continued, adding that a major key to the success of the Good News is authentic dialogue with religious and traditional cultural realities – a dialogue that proceeds, “in order to achieve a genuine inculturation of our Faith: unambiguously rejecting what is contrary but welcoming and bringing to fulfillment what is good.”