Vatican City, 25 April 2014 (VIS) –
The bishops of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference,
from South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland, were received in audience
by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of their “ad limina”
visit. Francis handed them his prepared address, in which he recalls
the arduous labours of the missionaries and the men and women of
these countries in sowing the seed of faith and reaching out to the
people in the villages, towns and cities, and especially in the
ever-expanding urban townships. He emphasised the “flourishing
parishes, thriving often against very great odds: far distances
between communities and a dearth of material resources”. He praised
the efforts made for the preparation of permanent deacons and the
formation of lay catechists to assist the clergy where there are few
priests.
“Priests and religious brothers and
sisters are of one mind and heart in their service of God’s most
vulnerable sons and daughters: widows, single mothers, the divorced,
children at risk and especially the several million AIDS orphans,
many of whom head households in rural areas. Truly the richness and
joy of the Gospel is being lived and shared by Catholics with others
around them”. The Pope remarks that, despite the difficulties faced
by Catholic minority communities in countries where many religions
are present, “the richness and joy of the Gospel is being living
and shared by Catholics with others around them”, and he prays that
they “will continue to persevere in building up the Lord's Kingdom
with their lives that testify to the truth, and with the work of
their hands that ease the sufferings of so many”.
He notes the serious pastoral
challenges communities face, according to the bishops, such as the
declining birth rate which affects the number of vocations, the
tendency of some Catholics to drift away from the Church in favour of
other groups who seem to promise something better, and abortion,
which “compounds the grief of many women who now carry within them
deep physical and spiritual wounds after succumbing to the pressure
of a secular culture which devalues God's gift of sexuality and the
right to life of the unborn”. He adds, “the rate of separation
and divorce is high, even in many Christian families, and children
frequently do not grow up in a stable home environment. We also
observe with great concern, and can only deplore, an increase in
violence against women and children. All these realities threaten the
sanctity of marriage, the stability of life in the home and
consequently the life of society as a whole. In this sea of
difficulties, we bishops and priests must give a consistent witness
to the moral teaching of the Gospel”.
The Holy Father expresses his
appreciation for the unity of the bishops with their people and their
solidarity with the vast number of unemployed in their countries.
“Most of your people can identify at once with Jesus Who was poor
and marginalised, Who had no place to lay His head”. He asks the
prelates to offer, alongside the material support they provide, “the
greater support of spiritual assistance and sound moral guidance”.
He also comments on the reduced number of priests and seminarians,
and urges “the authentic promotion of vocations in every territory,
a prudent selection of candidates for seminary studies, fatherly
encouragement of those men in formation, and attentive accompaniment
in the years after ordination”.
Likewise, he encourages the rediscovery
of the sacrament of reconciliation, “as a fundamental dimension of
the life of grace”, and emphasises that “Christian matrimony is a
lifelong covenant of love between one man and one woman; it entails
real sacrifices in order to turn away from illusory notions of sexual
freedom and in order to foster conjugal fidelity”, and approves the
bishops' programmes of preparation for the sacrament of marriage,
which are “inspiring young people with new hope for themselves and
for their future as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers”.
Finally, he refers to the bishops'
concerns regarding the “breakdown of Christian morals, including a
growing temptation to collude with dishonesty”, an issue the
bishops addressed in their pastoral statement on corruption, in which
they note that “corruption is theft from the poor … hurts the
most vulnerable … harms the whole community … destroys our
trust”. “The Christian community is called be be consistent in
its witness to the virtues of honesty and integrity, so that we may
stand before the Lord, and our neighbours, with clean hands and a
pure heart, as a leaven of the Gospel in the life of society”. He
concludes, “With this moral imperative in mind, I know that you
will continue to address this and other grave social concerns, such
as the plight of refugees and migrants. May these men and women
always be welcomed by our Catholic communities, finding in them open
hearts and homes as they seek to begin a new life”.