BISHOPS ARE "FATHERS" AND "GUARDIANS," LIKE ST. JOSEPH

VATICAN CITY, MAR 19, 2001 (VIS) - At 9:30 a.m. today, solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, John Paul II conferred episcopal ordination in St. Peter's Basilica on nine priests from various nations.

The new bishops are: Archbishops Fernando Filoni, apostolic nuncio in Iraq and Jordan; Henryk Jozef Nowacki, apostolic nuncio in Slovakia; Timothy Paul Andrew Broglio, apostolic nuncio in the Dominican Republic and apostolic delegate in Puerto Rico, and Domenico Sorrentino, archbishop-prelate of Pompeii, Italy, and pontifical delegate of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary; Bishops Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Giampaolo Crepaldi, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Tomasz Peta, apostolic administrator in Astana, Kazakhstan and Djura Dzudzar, auxiliary of the eparchy of Mukacheve in Transcarpathia, Ukraine.

In his homily the Pope underlined that we contemplate St. Joseph today as "the saint under whose efficacious patronage Divine Providence wished to place the persons and the ministry of all those called to be, within the Christian people, 'fathers' and 'guardians'."

The Holy Father remarked that "the pastors of the Church are 'fathers' and 'guardians', called to act as wise and faithful 'servants'. They are entrusted with the daily care of the Christian people who, thanks to their guidance, can go forward securely on the path of Christian perfection."

"Imitate the example of this great saint," he urged the new bishops, "as well as of his spouse, Mary. If at times you meet difficulties and obstacles, don't hesitate to accept suffering with Christ for the advantage of His Mystical Body, because with Him you can rejoice in an all beautiful Church, without stain or blemishes, holy and immaculate. The Lord, who will not fail to send you His grace, today consecrates you and send you forth as apostles of the world."

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