JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES 37 PRELATES FROM BRAZIL

VATICAN CITY, FEB 7, 2003 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received 37 prelates of the National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil, as they near conclusion of their January 27-February 8 "ad limina visit." Among those he greeted were Bishop Jayme Henrique Chemello, president of the conference and Cardinal Jose Freire Falcao, archbishop of Brasilia.

The Pope's talk to the Brazilian prelates focussed on their ministry, in particular their triple "munus" of governing, teaching and sanctifying. Noting the immense regions that comprise their dioceses, he said he knew of the difficulties they faced in this triple task for the very reason of geographic size. "Being a bishop is not easy," he added, as there are obligations, commitments and difficulties that "in sometimes unforseen circumstances, constitute enormous and complex obstacles and, at times, humanly insurmountable ones."

He said that "without denying the specific diversity of each diocese, there are situations and problems that demand a consonant pastoral action to exercise, in unity and charity, 'certain pastoral functions ... in view of promoting that greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate which are fittingly adapted to the circumstances of the time and place."

"Through sacramental consecration and hierarchical communion with the Head and its members," the Pope said, referring to can. 375 of the Code of Canon Law, "the Bishop is a member of the Episcopal College and thus participates in the solicitude for all Churches, in being a teacher of the doctrine, a priest of sacred worship and a minister of government. His principal task is, in effect, to govern the diocese entrusted to him."

The Pope remarked that notwithstanding a bishop's specific functions in his diocese, there must be, among bishops, and among episcopal conferences, effective and concrete unity. Even when great distances cause difficulties for meetings, a pastor must do all in his power "to effectively fulfill his mission" so that he does not fail, for example, to be close to his priests or to assist in their formation.

John Paul II decried "an excess of organisms or meetings, obliging bishops to frequently be away from their own particular Churches, contrary to the 'law of residence' (Can 395), with the negative consequence of not accompanying their priests or other pastoral aspects as could be the case with the penetration of sects." He urged the prelates to avoid "the excessive multiplication of organisms or the bureaucratization of subsidiary organisms and commissions that continue actively in the period between plenary meetings: these organs 'exist to help the bishop, and not to take his place'."

The Pope lauded the bishops' conference for the recent revision of its Statutes and said he hoped this would "stimulate a solid communion among bishops" and "promote an ever greater participation by them in the Conference." He then pointed out that, because of its vastness, Brazil had numerous dioceses, prelatures, eparchies, an exarchate, territorial abbeys, a military ordinariate, a personal apostolic administrator and faithful of the Eastern rite as well as those of the Latin rite. "All of these structures must be at the service of the Conference and of each one of the local ordinaries."

The Holy Father, noting that the petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome includes being guarantor of the teaching of the universal Church, then turned to the Code of Canon Law. He said there must always be "correct application, case by case, of the norms of the Code of Canon Law, both Eastern and Western." He pointed to what he called "a certain legalism that, in practice, reduces this Code to a gathering of ecclesial laws that are not very theological and not very pastoral, contrary in themselves to the freedom of the children of God."

The Pope stated that "it is necessary to remember that pastoral action cannot be reduced to a certain 'pastoralism', understood in the sense of ignoring or attenuating other essential dimensions of the Christian mystery, among these the juridical. ... The pastoral truth can never be contrary to the truth of the Law of the Church."

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