Pope Francis celebrated a grand mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on October 17th, consecrating the two new bishops, and exhorting them to live a life of service and get close to God and others.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis reflected on the role that the bishops are called to play in the church during the Holy Mass for the consecration of the two bishops on October 17. On the central altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope’s preaching was inspired by the gospel deeds of Jesus sending the twelve apostles to the world to preach the gospel to all people and lead them to salvation.
The Pope stated, “In order to continue the apostle’s role from generation to generation, the Twelve Apostles gathered their collaborators, laid their hands on them, passed on to them the grace of the Holy Spirit received from Christ, and granted them the Holy Spirit in its entirety. Sacrament of Order”. For this reason, “because of the church’s lively heritage, the bishop’s inheritance has never been interrupted. With this, this long-lasting and important office has been protected, and the Savior’s project has continued to develop to this day.”
The two bishops who were promoted that day were Guido Marini, the new bishop of Tortona, Italy, and Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, the new secretary-general of the Holy See Priesthood. With “joy and gratitude”, Pope Francis welcomed the two newly promoted bishops and urged them to live a life of service. The Pope reminded them to “seize every opportunity to preach the word of God”, continue to learn and get close to their “flock.” The bishops “will be the guardians of faith, service, and charity in the church.” Therefore, they must get close to God and reflect God’s “compassion and tenderness.”
The Pope emphasized that the first priority for bishops is to “draw close to God in prayer.” Prayer should not become “parrot”, but “pray with heart.” Their second task is to get close to “other bishops” and not to speak ill of the bishop brothers. The third task of the bishop is to “not forget that the priest is his closest neighbor.” The Pope also invited the bishops to become fathers within reach of the priests. The pope then reminded that the bishops must be close to their “flock” because they are “selected from the flock.”
The Pope finally prayed that these two new bishops would grow up on this path of intimacy and imitate the Lord, “because he has always been close to us from before to now.”
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Photogallery
Orientation of Bishop Marini and Archbishop Ferrada