VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni to the Bishops of Bangladesh: "try to sow unity in the dioceses"

Saturday, 12 September 2015

Dhaka (Agenzia Fides) - The unity with Christ and with the community of the faithful, who "have a right to see their Bishops living in communion, both in the pastoral decisions taken by them and in their implementation", is what Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples emphasized this morning, who met the Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh in Dhaka, as part of his pastoral visit in Asia (see Fides 07/09/2015).
"Try to sow unity and not division in your Dioceses", recommended the Cardinal. Although the context of each diocese can be different, and therefore also have diverse missionary activities and ways of evangelizing, but "the direction of all of the Dioceses must always be one and the same". Then he explained: "Unity does not imply uniformity... No Bishop should claim that a Diocese is his personal possession. The Church belongs to Christ and we are His servants, who strive to do His will. All the baptized belong to the Church and its Pastors are entrusted with guiding the members along the right path. We are servants not lords".
The Prefect of the Congregation mentioned with satisfaction the large number of people receiving baptism and the many conversions that usually take place in rural areas and within tribal groups, urging the Bishops to "continue this mission" and "to promote the evangelization of these people", without neglecting pastoral tasks in urban areas. He then praised the efforts of the Bishops, who often go out to visit parishes, communities and other institutions, "this will demonstrate that we are public servants. Besides, you know full well how grateful and privileged these people feel when they are visited by their Pastor".
"I am well aware of the difficulties that you encounter living as a minority in Bangladesh – continued Cardinal Filoni -. The great challenge is to live in harmony with those professing other religions, to search for common ground for dialogue without compromising the truth of our faith... Please build harmonious relationships with everyone. Other religions are neither our rivals nor our competitors. Pope Francis reminds us that faith arises not only through preaching but also through personal contact and witness...... We are called to establish local Churches rooted in the culture of each nation but always consonant with the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. In time every Local Church must grow to stand on its own, with diocesan clergy and local Bishops, so that missionary activity reaches every remote and needy area".
Among the recommendations of Cardinal Filoni to the Bishops of Bangladesh, in first place there is special attention towards the path of formation that takes place in the seminaries, therefore the care for the pemanent formation of priests, and lay participation in Church life, the work of evangelization and the administration of the diocese.
"The People of God has great expectations from you as Bishops –concluded the Cardinal -. Your people expect you to be hard-working missionaries; promoters of communion; collaborators in the Church; and among the first to encourage the Priests, the Religious and the Lay Faithful". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/09/2015)


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