Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Porto Novo (Fides News Service) - “After giving thanks yesterday in Ouidah for the Golden Jubilee of Episcopate of our beloved patriarch, Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, today we have gathered here in this beautiful cathedral dedicated to Notre Dame de l’Immaculée Conception for the installation of the new Bishop of your diocese. Like yesterday, again today we celebrate with joy and gratitude what our Lord and God in His loving mercy has done for the Church in Benin”. With these words Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples addressed concelebrating bishops and priests and crowds of faithful gathered in the cathedral of Porto Novo diocese in Benin, on Sunday 4 February for the installation of the new Bishop Mgr René-Marie Ehuzu, C.I.M., until now Bishop of Abomey, Benin.
In his homily Cardinal Dias spoke of three reasons to rejoice and thank God: the presence of many cardinals and bishops who had come to accompany the new bishop and to bring greetings from the people of God whom they serve in Africa and elsewhere; the gift of a new bishop for the diocese of Porto Novo, since “a bishop is a gift of God”; the joy of being Christians and missionaries.
“The modern world does not appreciate superficial or tepid Christians - said Cardinal Dias -. We are baptised in the death of Christ and therefore we must be configured with Christ and become one in Christ and one with Christ. We must live accordingly as people who belong to the Lord in order to do the will of God every day. The will of God is our sanctification. God calls us to become saints and if we strive for holiness we will be really and truly authentic missionaries. The Lord Jesus calls us to be saints and missionaries”.
Addressing the new Bishop of Porto Novo and the people of God entrusted to his care Cardinal Dias urged him to be committed to missionary activity: “Porto Novo, the new port, is a port on the ocean. A crossroads of nations and people towards Togo and Nigeria, the Ad Gentes dimension is indelibly written in the vocation of this diocese. Porto Novo for its history, its ecclesial dynamism, its many priests and men and women religious, is called to a specific missionary vocation. Arise and go, mission Ad Gentes is calling. Look to the north of Benin! On the horizon Africa and the whole world await your missionary commitment. On behalf of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples I urge you put out into the deep of the missionary Ocean”. After urging the new Bishop to “open his heart to the dimensions of God’s own heart” and to continue with generosity the evangelisation undertaken by his predecessors, Cardinal Dias addressed the Church-Family-of-God in Porto Novo: “Jesus is installed today in the boat of our heart to accompany us out to sea towards other people, towards God. Let us follow him!”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 6/2/2007 - righe 35, parole 508)
