The Pope met with the bishops of the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo and asked them to flee from «careerism» and worldliness and to be «instruments of consolation and reconciliation for others».
«May it never be said that, while the people suffer from hunger, it is said of you: those do not care and one goes to his field, another to his business. No, please, let us leave business out of the Lord’s vineyard. Let us be shepherds and servants of the people, not businessmen», said the pontiff before bidding farewell to the Congolese.
Thus, on his last day in Kinshasa, after a visit marked by appeals for peace and condemnation of war and corruption, the Pope urged priests to be «credible in everything» and, in particular, «in cultivating communion, in the moral life and in the administration of goods».
The Pope said in a speech in which he resumed his warnings against worldliness and careerism, as he did on Thursday in his address to the priests, religious and seminarians of the African country with the largest number of Catholics, «One cannot see in the episcopate the possibility of climbing social positions and exercising power, nor interpret the ministry according to criteria of personal benefit».
The Pontiff indicated that «Christian prophecy is incarnated in many political and social actions» but made it clear that the task of the bishops and pastors in general «is not this» but the proclamation of the Word «to awaken consciences, to denounce evil, to encourage those who are despondent and without hope».
The Pope is already traveling to South Sudan, the youngest country in the world after gaining independence in 2011 from Sudan, which is among the poorest on the planet and is devastated by civil war. He will be accompanied on his trip by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Jim Wallace, representatives of the other two Christian denominations in that country of 12 million inhabitants.
Francis had long wanted to travel to South Sudan, a predominantly Christian country, but the unstable situation in the country had complicated the Pope’s visit plans. In April 2019, the Vatican organized a retreat for South Sudanese leaders and South Sudanese church authorities, during which the Pontiff knelt at their feet and begged them to give peace a chance and be worthy fathers to the nation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
