VATICAN - The Pope addresses the Bishops of Zimbabwe: “In your preaching and teaching the faithful should be able to hear the voice of the Lord himself, a voice that speaks with authority of what is right and true, of peace and justice, of love and reconciliation”

Vatican City (Fides) - “May your pilgrimage to the Tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and this meeting with Peter’s Successor, be for all of you an incentive to ever greater unity in the cause of the Gospel and the service of Christ’s Kingdom.!” Pope Benedict XVI said in his address to a group of Catholic Bishops from Zimbabwe recevied in audience on Saturday 2 July on the occasion of their five yearly ad limina visit.
The recent elections in Zimbabwe have laid the basis for what I trust will be a new beginning in the process of national reconciliation and the moral rebuilding of society, the Pope said, expressing his appreciation for the Bishops’ contribution with a joint Pastoral Statement. “As you rightly observed in that statement - Benedict XVI said - responsibility for the common good demands that all members of the body politic work together in laying firm moral and spiritual foundations for the future of the nation”. With that statement and the more recent Pastoral Letter “The Cry of the poor”, “you yourselves have brought the wisdom of the Gospel and the rich heritage of the Church’s social doctrine to bear upon the thinking and practical judgements of the faithful both in their daily lives and in their efforts to act as upright members of the community”. The Pope then encouraged the Bishops to “continue to provide clear and united leadership”: “In your preaching and teaching the faithful should be able to hear the voice of the Lord himself, a voice that speaks with authority of what is right and true, of peace and justice, of love and reconciliation, a voice that can console them in the midst of their troubles and show them the way forward in hope.”.
Amid the difficulties of the present moment, the Church in Zimbabwe can rejoice in the presence of so many communities vibrant in faith, a significant number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the presence of a committed laity devoted to various works of the apostolate. “These gifts of God’s grace are at once a consolation and a challenge to an ever more profound and integrated catechesis aimed at training the faithful to live fully their Christian vocation” the Pope said urging the Bishops to “ensure suitable and comprehensive catechetical preparation for all the faithful, and to take whatever steps may be necessary to provide for a more systematic education of catechists”. With regard to the formation of future priests, Benedict XVI commended the Bishops to offer practical support to national seminaries “in their challenging task of providing seminarians with an adequate human, spiritual, doctrinal and pastoral formation” recommending the promotion of “a programme of spiritual, pastoral and human accompaniment” for the younger clergy and to strengthen the religious identity of Catholic schools in Zimbabwe, “for the good not only of their students, but of the entire Catholic community in your country.”.
The Pope ended his address with a specific request: “As you return to your native land strengthened in faith and in the bond of ecclesial communion, I ask you to cooperate generously in the service of the Gospel, so that the light of God’s word will shine ever more brightly in the minds and hearts of Zimbabwe’s Catholics, inspiring in them a deeper love of Christ and a more firm commitment to the spread of his Kingdom of holiness, justice and truth”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 4/7/2005; righe 37, parole 548)