In his daily homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis outlined the important qualities a bishop needs to serve his flock.
POPE FRANCIS
“The definition of a bishop is an 'administrator of God,' not of goods, of power, of climbing the ladder, but of God. He must always correct himself and ask himself, 'Am I an administrator of God or am I a businessman?' ”
He added it would be good to ask these questions before a bishop is even elected. The pope concluded that what is important is not nice preaching, but humility and service.
EXTRACTS FROM PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican News)
“The pope pointed out that the Church was born amidst zeal and disorder but also 'admirable things' were accomplished. He noted that there is always confusion and disorder with the power of the Holy Spirit but we must not be afraid because it is a beautiful sign.”
“Speaking in Italian, the pope explained that the Church was never born with everything in order, in place, without problems, or confusion - never. However this confusion, this disorder, he said, must be resolved and put in order. As an example, he pointed to the first Council of Jerusalem where there was a struggle between judaizers and non - judaizers , but the Council finally fixed the problem.”
“Pope Francis said that St. Paul leaves Titus in Crete to set things right, reminding him that 'the first thing is faith.' At the same time, he provides some criteria and instructions on the figure of the bishop.”
“The pope outlined the definition of a bishop as a 'steward of God,' not of goods, power, mutual self-interest but only the interest of God. The bishop always has to correct and ask himself, 'Am I an administrator of God or a businessman?' The bishop, the administrator of God must be irreproachable, something God asked of Abraham: 'Walk in my presence and be irreproachable.' This, the pope said, is the basic quality of a leader.”
“Pope Francis also spoke about what a bishop should not be. He should not be arrogant or conceited, ill-tempered or giving in to drinking, one of the most common vices in Paul's time, not a businessman or attached to money. He said it would be a calamity for the Church if a bishop had only one of these defects. Instead, a bishop should be able to 'give hospitality,' a 'lover of good,' 'sensible, just, holy, master of himself, faithful to the Word worthy of the faith that he was taught.'”
“The Holy Father said it would be nice to ask these questions at the beginning of an investigation before the election of bishops, before going ahead with other inquiries.”
“According to Pope Francis, a bishop, above all must be humble, meek, a servant and not a prince. This, he said, is the Word of God. This, he said, is not something new after Vatican II but goes back much earlier to the time of Paul. This is from the beginning when the Church realized that it had to fix the problem of bishops.
What counts before God is not being nice and preaching well but humility and service. The Pope concluded urging for prayers for bishops so that 'they may be, or we may be, as Paul asks us to be.'”
