EUROPE/ITALY - A Pope close to missionaries, and who wanted an ever more missionary Church

Rome (Fides Service) - The Pope was close to missionaries and they were close to him sharing the same missionary zeal, Fr Wilhelm Steckling Superior General of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate present in many parts of the world told Fides.
“We will always remember what the Holy Father said on the occasion of the canonisation of our founder: ‘For Eugenio de Mazenod to proclaim Christ meant becoming the fully apostolic man of which every epoch has need with the spiritual fervour and missionary zeal which gradually made him similar to the Risen Christ’. Mission demands that we become like the Risen Christ. Only in this way will we have the strength to do our part to render the Church more missionary, so it can reach out to all the people of the world. The Pope taught this with his example and his more than 100 apostolic journeys. We pray the Lord will purify his soul and render him an intercessor for all humanity. We pray for the Church that she may be ever more missionary and we will welcome the new Holy Father as a man after God’s own heart”.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 5/04/2005 Righe: 16 Parole: 132)