VATICAN - Pope addresses Bishops participating in the Seminar conducted by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples: “As successors of the Apostles, you continue the mission of Saint Paul in bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. May you be inspired by him in understanding your vocation, strictly relying on the light of the Spirit of Christ.”

Castel Gandolfo (Agenzia Fides) – Saint Paul “is our teacher and we should learn from him how to gaze with sympathy upon the people to whom we are sent. We can also learn from him how to go to Christ to find the light and grace to announce the Good News today; following his example, we should make an effort to work tirelessly on the human and geographic plains of today’s world, bringing Christ to all those who have already opened their hearts to Him and all those who still do not know Him.” This was what the Holy Father Benedict XVI told the 104 recently appointed Bishops whom he received in an audience at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo on Saturday, September 20, at the close of their Seminar sponsored by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (see Fides 10/9/2008).
After mentioning the fact that the Seminar had taken place in the Year of Saint Paul, which is being celebrated by the entire Church, “with the purpose of growing in our understanding of the missionary spirit and charismatic personality of Saint Paul,” Benedict XVI addressed the new Bishops with these words: “Your life as Pastors, in many ways, is similar to that of the Apostle Paul. Oftentimes, your field of pastoral labor is extremely vast, as well as difficult and complex. Geographically speaking, for the most part your Dioceses are very extensive and oftentimes they lack infrastructures and means of communication. Thus, it makes it difficult for faithful who live far from the center of your diocesan community to gather together. In addition, in your societies as in others, the violent winds of de-Christianization, religious indifference, secularism, and relativization of values beat with ever greater force. And this creates an atmosphere in which it can appear that the armor of preaching, as in the case of Paul in Athens, lacks the strength that is needed. In many regions, Catholics are a minority, oftentimes a very small representation. This means you find yourselves facing up to other religions that have a stronger presence and who are not always favorable to your presence. Thus, there are plenty of occasions in which, as Pastors, you must defend your faithful in the face of persecution and violent attacks. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged by all these inconveniences, although they are difficult at times, but let yourselves be inspired by Saint Paul, as you are called to suffer much for the same cause.”
Making reference once again to the Apostle, the Pope recalled that “amidst his travels at sea and over land, he was submitted to persecutions, scourging, and even stoning; he faced dangers of traveling, hunger, thirst, frequent fasts, cold and nakedness, and he worked tirelessly, living with utmost concern for all the Churches. He did not flee from the difficulties and suffering, because he was fully aware of the fact that these are part of the daily Cross of the Christian...evangelization and its fruits must pass through the Cross and suffering. It is the suffering that unites us to Christ and to our brothers and reveals the fullness of love, whose source and supreme evidence is in the Cross of Christ Himself.” In his experience of persecutions for the cause of the Gospel, Paul “discovered the riches of Christ’s love and the truth of his mission as Apostle on that road.” The Pope continued by saying that “Paul was a man who was ‘conquered’ by the love of Christ and all of his work and suffering can only be understood from this central point.”
Lastly, the Holy Father counseled the Bishops with these words: “Do not hesitate to go to this great master of evangelization, to learn from him how to love Christ, how to sacrifice yourselves in service to others, how to identify yourselves with the people in the midst of whom you have been called to preach the Gospel, how to proclaim and bear witness to the presence of the Risen Lord... As successors of the Apostles, you continue the mission of Saint Paul in bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. May you be inspired by him in understanding your vocation, strictly relying on the light of the Spirit of Christ. He will guide you on the difficult, yet always invigorating, roads of the new evangelization.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 22/9/2008)