TO MEXICAN BISHOPS: PLAN PASTORAL CARE WITH ENTHUSIASM

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2005 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received prelates from the Mexican metropolitan sees of Jalapa, Mexico, Puebla and Tlalnepantla, and from their suffragan dioceses, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

  The Pope affirmed that the central region of Mexico "is the area where the ancient indigenous people settled, and where the Church's missionary activity began, later extending to the other areas." After highlighting that "multiple cultures and traditions" coexist in the cities, he also indicated how life there is complicated "for the various social classes to whom diocesan pastoral activity must be directed without discrimination, giving priority to those who find themselves in situations of great poverty, solitude and marginalization."

  "All these social groups," he continued, "present a continuous challenge for pastoral care, which must also be planned to accommodate those brothers and sisters who, in ever greater numbers, emigrate from the country to the city in search of a more dignified life."

  Benedict XVI said that bishops' pastoral ministry "must be directed to everyone, both to the faithful who participate actively in the life of the diocesan community, and to people who have distanced themselves and are searching for the meaning of their own lives." On this matter, he encouraged the prelates to "propose the Word of God" in "a form and a language appropriate to our time."

  "In modern society, which shows such visible signs of secularism, we must not fall prey to discouragement, or to a lack of enthusiasm in our pastoral projects. Remember that the Spirit will give you the strength necessary. Trust in Him Who is 'the Lord and Giver of life'."

  The Pope called on the bishops to dedicate their "greatest attention and energy to priests," encouraging them to remain close to each of their pastors, maintaining relationships of "priestly friendship with them in the manner of the Good Shepherd." He continued: "Help them to be men of assiduous prayer, both in contemplative silence ... and in the devout daily celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. ... A priest's prayer is a requirement of his pastoral ministry."

  He added: "Concern yourselves with the particular situation of each priest, encouraging them to proceed with joy and hope along the road of priestly sanctity, offering them the help they need and fomenting fraternity among them. May none of them lack the means necessary to live their sublime vocation and ministry. Take also particular care over the formation of seminarians and enthusiastically promote vocational pastoral care."

  The Holy Father affirmed that "faced with a changing and complex panorama such as the present one," they should not lose hope. "The planning and implementation of pastoral programs must reflect ... trust in the loving presence of God in the world. This will help lay Catholics to face growing secularism and to participate responsibly in temporal affairs, illuminated by the Church's Social Doctrine."
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