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POPE-BISHOPS Apr-29-2004 (690 words) xxxi
Pope tells U.S. bishops to be holy, imitate poverty of Christ
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II told U.S. bishops that their effectiveness as church leaders rests on an attitude of service and a witness of personal holiness.
That includes adopting a lifestyle that "imitates the poverty of Christ" so that the church can better identify with the struggles and suffering of the poor, he said.
The pope made the remarks in a talk April 29 to a group of 13 bishops from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands. The bishops were on their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican, a series of consultative meetings made every five years.
The pope, who met with each bishop earlier in the week for individual talks, pronounced only a few paragraphs of his text, which focused on the bishop's sanctifying role. He said the universal call to holiness applies in a particular way to a bishop, who should act as a "spiritual father" and a herald of the Gospel.
"The pursuit of personal holiness must be central to the life and identity of every bishop. He is to recognize his own need to be sanctified as he engages in the sanctification of others," he said.
The pope said a bishop's pastoral success and credibility rest in large part on how well his own life exemplifies a "zeal for holiness."
"I am deeply convinced that, in a church constantly called to interior renewal and prophetic witness, the exercise of episcopal authority must be built upon the testimony of personal holiness," he said.
He said the great challenge of modern evangelization is that it "requires a credibility born of personal fidelity to the Gospel and the demands of Christian discipleship."
The pope said the bishop's daily routine should be a "dynamic interplay of prayer and work." That should include prayer nourished by the Eucharist, in Mass and in eucharistic adoration; reading of the Scripture; contemplation; frequent recourse to the sacrament of penance; and celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours.
The pope said the bishop's spirituality must be closely linked to evangelical poverty. He recalled that at a recent Synod of Bishops he had urged bishops worldwide to show their attitude of service by adopting a lifestyle that imitates the poverty of Christ.
He encouraged U.S. bishops to "undertake such a discernment with regard to the practical exercise of the episcopal ministry in your country, in order to ensure that it will be seen ever more clearly as a form of sacrificial service in the midst of Christ's flock."
He said approaching their episcopal ministry as a form of service will help bishops attain "a more evangelical witness to Jesus Christ and a greater solidarity with the struggles and sufferings of the poor."
The pope told the bishops that their own search for holiness will help their faithful understand that this is a central part of the church's mission in the world.
The bishops should also help Catholics appreciate the idea that the church has an "unfailing holiness" that stems from Christ's sacrifice, he said. This fundamental truth of the faith needs to be more clearly understood by Catholics, he said.
At the same time, he said, people should understand that the holiness of the church on earth remains "real yet imperfect," a fact that calls its members to constant conversion.
In a brief talk to the pope on behalf of the bishops, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore said Catholics have generally remained supportive of their parish priests despite the recent scandal over cases of clerical sexual abuse.
"With many in our country, we confess that the scandal of the sex abuse of minors by members of our clergy has caused great damage to our church," Cardinal Keeler said.
"Despite their hurt, embarrassment and disappointment, committed priests continue living exemplary lives and faithfully performing their priestly ministry. They have been a source of strength in bringing the local churches through the scandal," the cardinal said.
He said archdioceses and dioceses, along with religious orders, have worked together for healing and a recovery of the church's strength.
END
Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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