Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/06/pope_francis:_the_holy_spirit_opens_our_hearts_to_the_lord/en1-689488

2013-05-06 12:48:01
Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to the Lord

(Vatican Radio) The Holy Spirit was the subject of Pope Francis’ Homily during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Martha Monday. The Holy Father also stressed that it was important for Christians to examine their conscience on a daily basis.
Present at the Casa Santa Martha was the Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Comastri who concelebrated Mass with Pope Francis. Also present were employees from the complex of St Peter’s Basilica who listened as the Pope focused his Homily on the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit whom Jesus called the “Paraclete” was the Person of God who is always there to protect us and support us.

The Holy Father underlined the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives by saying that without this presence, our Christian lives cannot be understood.
 

grace-land,
Thank-you for refreshing our mind's I was at Mass, but, a million miles away

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You're welcome, seahorse.  Glad to hear that his message refreshes your mind.  He seems to have a simple but effective way of preaching the gospel.

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http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=17792

Russian Patriarch hopes for continued ecumenical progress under Pope Francis
May 06, 2013

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has said that he hopes to see continued improvements in relations between Moscow and the Vatican under Pope Francis, ‘and we have no indication that the incumbent Pope is not open to the same.”

The Russian patriarch said that ecumenical ties had been strengthened under Pope Benedict XVI, largely because of a decision to concentrate attention on issues of mutual interest, such as the drive to counter secularization in Europe.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/06/pope_francis_to_swiss_guard:_the_lord_walks_with_you!/en1-689568

2013-05-06 15:02:34
Pope Francis to Swiss Guard: The Lord walks with you!



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met today with the members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. In his address to the Guards, the Holy Father reminded them “The Faith that God gave you on the day of Baptism is the most precious treasure you have! And your mission in the service of the Pope and of the Church finds in the Faith its source . . . Dear Swiss Guards, do not forget, the Lord walks with you.”

Each year on May 6th, the Swiss Guard commemorates the sacrifice of 147 soldiers who died defending Pope Clement VII during the “Sack of Rome,” in 1527.

To commemorate the heroic death of the soldiers, the anniversary is also the occasion of the solemn oath of 35 new recruits, which took place this afternoon in the courtyard of San Damaso in the Apostolic Palace.
 
“Though there were other papal military units in existence, such as the Palatine guard, since 1970 the Swiss guards have assumed all the ceremonial roles for papal events and liturgies and can always be seen, in their colorful ceremonial costume with halberd, flanking the supreme pontiff.

“Yet their duties are not all ceremonial, they are a real military force with excellent training and modern weaponry. One can see them, in their daily attire, as they guard the working entrance to Vatican City State, the Porta Santa Anna. They are an army, bodyguard, and border protection all rolled into one.

“In terms of the place of the Swiss Guards in the Catholic Church, they are far from being an outdated ceremonial body. Pope Francis put it best a few days ago. He offered the soldiers a greeting of affection and gratitude. ‘The Church,’ he said, ‘loves you so much . . . and so do I’.”

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/07/pope:_christian_endurance_and_christ’s_peace/en1-689816

2013-05-07 12:25:54
Pope: Christian endurance and Christ’s peace

(Vatican Radio) A Christian who constantly complains, fails to be a good Christian: they become whiners. Christians should endure their difficulties in silence, in patience to bear witness to the joy of Christ. This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily Tuesday morning, during Mass with staff from the Fabric of St. Peter. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Commenting on the first reading of the day, Acts chapter 16, Pope Francis said even in troubling times, Christians are full of joy and never sad, like Paul and Silas who were persecuted and imprisoned for witnessing to the Gospel. They were joyful, he said, because they followed Jesus in on the path of his passion. A path the Lord travelled with patience:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/08/pope_francis_at_wednesday_mass:_build_bridges,_not_walls/en1-690203

2013-05-08 13:28:49
Pope Francis at Wednesday Mass: build bridges, not walls

(Vatican Radio) Evangelization is not proselytizing. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ remarks to faithful gathered for Mass on Wednesday morning in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican. The Pope reiterated that the Christian who wants to proclaim the Gospel must dialogue with everyone, knowing that no one owns the truth, because the truth is received by the encounter with Jesus.

Pope Francis stressed the courageous attitude of Paul St Paul at the Areopagus, when, in speaking to the Athenian crowd, he sought to build bridges to proclaim the Gospel. The Pope called Paul’s attitude one that “seeks dialogue” and is “closer to the heart” of the listener. The Pope said that this is the reason why St Paul was a real pontifex: a “builder of bridges” and not of walls. The Pope went on to say that this makes us think of the attitude that a Christian ought always to have.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/08/pope_francis:_god_loves_us_and_always_forgives_us/en1-690184

2013-05-08 15:15:49
Pope Francis: God loves us and always forgives us

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday called on the faithful to recognise God’s love for us and to share it with our brothers and sisters.

The Pope was addressing crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the General Audience.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni... RealAudioMP3

As has become customary in these occasions, Pope Francis took his time to stop, greet and exchange a few words, as well as kiss the babies and children as he made his way through the crowds thronging St. Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience.

And continuing his catechesis on the Creed, the Pope turned his attention in particular to “The Holy Spirit: Lord and Giver of Life”.
With a reference to the Creed, Pope Francis explained that the Spirit is “Lord”, fully God, the third person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the gift of the Risen Christ, who draws us, through faith, into communion with God.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/08/pope_meets_with_heads_of_womens_religious_communities/en1-690219

2013-05-08 14:13:54
Pope meets with heads of women's religious communities

(Vatican Radio) A vocation to religious life must always been seen as a call from God to serve the poor, the sick, the lonely and those who find themselves on the margins of society. That was Pope Francis’ message on Wednesday to 800 women who head religious communities in countries around the world. The sisters met with the Pope at the conclusion of their plenary assembly of the International Union of Superior Generals which has been focused on the theme of leadership in light of Gospel values.

In his speech to them, Pope Francis spoke of their vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, saying the sisters are not spinsters, but rather spiritual mothers and icons of the Mother Church. Echoing the theme of their five day meeting, the Pope said true power is always service to others. While the world may see power in terms of possession, dominion and success, the authority of God is always synonymous with service, humility and love.

As he has done in the past, the Pope warned of the damage caused to the Church by men and women who seek to further their own careers and personal ambitions. Instead Pope Francis urged the sisters to always “feel with the Church” in faithfulness to the Magesterium, the Pastors and the Bishop of Rome as a visible sign of the unity of the Church. Finally the Pope thanked the sisters for their work and for the maternal intuition which they bring to the life of the Church.

Lilsten to Philippa Hitchen's report: RealAudioMP3

Please find below a summary of Pope Francis' address to the UISG participants:
 

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/pope-tells-nuns-to-be-spiritual-mothers-not-spinsters/2013/05/08/a6968e86-b81b-11e2-b568-6917f6ac6d9d_story.html

Pope tells nuns to be spiritual mothers, not ‘spinsters’
Alessandro Speciale| Religion News Service, 
Updated: Wednesday, May 8, 3:30 PM

 
Speaking about the nuns’ vow of chastity, the pope stressed that it must be a “fertile” chastity, generating “spiritual children in the Church.”

With one of the more colorful off-the-cuff expressions that have become a hallmark of his young pontificate, Francis said that “the consecrated are mothers: they must be mothers and not’spinsters’!”

“Forgive me if I talk like this, but this maternity of consecrated life, this fruitfulness, is important!” he added.

Echoing a theme that has often resonated in his public speeches, the Jesuit pope also lashed out against “careerists” and “social climbers” who “use the Church ... as a springboard for their interests and personal ambitions,” saying they do a “great damage” to the church.

The Vatican-mandated overhaul of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the largest umbrella organization for U.S. nuns, loomed large over the May 3-7 meeting of Catholic sisters, which is devoted to discussing the issues of authority within the Catholic Church.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/08/holy_see,_us_sign_memorandum_of_understanding_on_financial_enforcement/en1-690093

2013-05-08 08:53:30
Holy See, US sign Memorandum of Understanding on financial enforcement

(Vatican Radio) The Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its U.S. counterpart at the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, on Tuesday in the US Capital. Below, please find the full text of a statement regarding the Memorandum from the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ. Listen: RealAudioMP3

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The Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria - AIF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding [Tuesday] in Washington, D.C., with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), its U.S. counterpart at the U.S. Department of Treasury, to strengthen its efforts to fight money laundering and terrorism financing globally.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/10/pope_at_mass:_christian_joy_far_from_simple_fun_/en1-690760

2013-05-10 11:31:50
Pope at Mass: Christian joy far from simple fun

(Vatican Radio) Christian joy is a pilgrim joy that we cannot keep ‘bottled up’ for ourselves, or we risk becoming a ‘melancholy’ and ‘nostalgic’ community. Moreover, Christian joy is far from simple fun. It is something deeper than fleeting happiness, because it is rooted in our certainty that Jesus Christ is with God and with us.

This is the lesson that Pope Francis drew from the Acts of the Apostles at Friday morning Mass as he described the disciples joy in the days between our Lord’s Ascension and Pentecost and what we can learn from them. Mass in the Santa Marta residence chapel was concelebrated by the Archbishop of Mérida, Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, and the abbot primate of the Benedictine monks Notker Wolf, and was attended by Vatican Radio staff accompanied by the Director General, Father Federico Lombardi. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

"A Christian is a man and a woman of joy. Jesus teaches us this, the Church teaches us this, in a special way in this [liturgical]time. What is this joy? Is it having fun? No: it is not the same. Fun is good, eh? Having fun is good. But joy is more, it is something else. It is something that does not come from short term economic reasons, from momentary reasons : it is something deeper. It is a gift. Fun, if we want to have fun all the time, in the end becomes shallow, superficial, and also leads us to that state where we lack Christian wisdom, it makes us a little bit stupid, naive, no?, Everything is fun ... no. Joy is another thing. Joy is a gift from God. It fills us from within. It is like an anointing of the Spirit. And this joy is the certainty that Jesus is with us and with the Father”.
 

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Video at the bottom of the link

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/10/pope_francis_welcomes_egypts_coptic_orthodox_pope_tawadros/en1-690886

2013-05-10 15:23:44
Pope Francis welcomes Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday with the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, telling him the future of Egypt and the role of its Christian communities finds a deep echo in the heart of the entire Catholic world.

Pope Tawadros of Alexandria, who heads the largest Christian Church in the Middle East, is currently making a five day visit to Rome, his first outside Egypt since his enthronement last November. He’s due to hold talks with Vatican and Italian officials, as well as celebrating together with the various Coptic communities here in Italy.

Friday’s meeting between the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox popes comes 40 years to the day after the first historic encounter between Pope Paul VI and Tawadros’ predecessor, Shenouda III, who signed a joint statement pledging the two Churches to the search for reconciliation and unity.

In his speech to Pope Francis, Tawadros proposed that May 10th each year should be marked as a day of celebration between the two communities. He also invited the successor of St Peter to visit his Church, founded by St Mark the Evangelist around the middle of the 1st century.

Following the papal audience, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the Coptic leader and asked for his impressions of the meeting…

Listen: RealAudioMP3

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis' address to Pope Tawadros and his delegation:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/11/pope_at_mass:_true_prayer_takes_us_out_of_ourselves/en1-691060

2013-05-11 11:37:23
Pope at Mass: true prayer takes us out of ourselves

(Vatican Radio) True prayer brings us out of ourselves: it opens us to the Father and to the neediest of our brothers and sisters. This was a central part of Pope Francis’ message to the faithful gathered for Mass on Saturday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence at the Vatican, with agents of the Vatican Gendarmerie and a group of Argentine journalists with their families in attendance.

The Pope's homily focused on the day's Gospel reading, in which Jesus says, “f you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you.” Discussing Jesus’ words, Pope Francis said, “There's something new here, something that changes: it is a novelty in prayer. The Father will give us everything, but always in the name of Jesus.” The Lord ascends to the Father, enters “the heavenly Sanctuary,” opens doors and leaves them open because “He Himself is the door,” and “intercedes for us,” as priest, even, “until the end of the world”:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/10/council_of_european_bishops_conference_meets_pope_francis/en1-690908

2013-05-11 07:15:02
Council of European Bishops Conference meets Pope Francis

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday with the presidency of the Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE) and was briefed on their work. Afterwards, the CCEE President, Cardinal Peter Erdo, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and other senior members of the Council briefed journalists on their meeting.

Susy Hodges spoke to the Vice-Secretary General of the CEE Father Michel Remery who told her one of the key themes discussed during their encounter with the Pope was the question of religious freedom and intolerance against Christians.

Listen to the extended interview with Father Michel Remery: RealAudioMP3

Father Remery says Pope Francis was “very interested and keen” to hear what they had to say during their meeting and learn about “the issues of greatest concern.” Asked what those greatest concerns were, he replied that threats to religious freedom along with growing secularization are seen as some of the most serious “threats” and required an active response from the Church.
 

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http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saints-canonized-pope-francis-19161616#.UZBSc74o7IU

A Look at New Saints Canonized by Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY May 12, 2013

Pope Francis has made hundreds of new saints at his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Here is a look at the people receiving the Catholic Church's highest honor:
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ANTONIO PEZZULLA AND 812 FELLOW MARTYRS

In 1480, some 20,000 Turkish troops overran the citadel of Otranto in what is now the southeastern Puglia region of Italy, in the "heel" of the boot-shaped peninsula. The invaders demanded that the locals, including many who took refuge in the city's cathedral, convert to Islam. The Turks took 813 men from among those refusing to convert.

Pezzulla, also known as Primaldo, was the group's leader, and the first among the martyrs to be beheaded. They are referred to as "The martyrs of Otranto."
 
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Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/palio/pope-francis-canonized-802-new-saints-english-10004.html#.UZBY_r4o7IU

Pope Francis canonized 802 New Saints
2013-05-12 12:08:35
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/10/otranto_martyrs:_exceptional_witness_of_fidelity_to_christ/en1-690956

2013-05-11 14:44:19
Otranto Martyrs: exceptional witness of fidelity to Christ

 
Among those being canonized on Sunday are 800 martyrs who gave their lives for Christ in 1480 – Antonio Primaldo and his Companions. These were the Martyrs of Otranto. Dr. Donald Prudlo, associate professor of Medieval History at Jacksonville State University, Alabama, spoke with Christopher Wells about their dramatic story:

“Mehmed II was one of the most powerful and successful emperors in Ottoman Turkish history. He had taken the impregnable city of Constantinople in 1453, and had pacified the Balkan regions. By the 1470s Mehmed 'The Conqueror' was preparing a death blow to Europe. His fleet sailed the Mediterranean without challenge. Having taken 'New Rome' he set his sights on 'Old Rome.' In order to test the resolve of Christian Europe he sent an exploratory raiding party in 1480. Its target was the small maritime town of Otranto in far south Italy. During this expedition thousands of people were massacred, in what was really an attempt to instill terror into the inhabitants of the peninsula. After the city fell, its civil and religious leaders were either beheaded or sawn into pieces. Eight hundred men of the town were offered the choice between conversion to Islam or death. Led by the tailor Antonio Primaldi, acting as spokesman for the group, they were beheaded, one by one, on a hill outside town while their families watched.

“The significance of their sacrifice was clear. Antonio and his townsmen had, in reality, saved Europe – their bravery gave Christendom time both to regroup, and to realize the gravity of the threat. Mehmed II died the next year, at the age of only 49, frustrating Ottoman plans for expansion.

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http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-addresses-tens-of-thousands-of-pro-life-marchers-95750/

Pope Francis Addresses Tens of Thousands of Pro-Life Marchers
May 13, 2013|11:46 am

Pope Francis greeted more than 40,000 people from Italy and other countries who had gathered for a pro-life event at Saint Peter's Square after marching against abortion on Sunday, and praised their efforts to highlight the importance of respect for human life.

"I greet the participants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception," Catholic News Agency quoted the pope as saying at St. Peter's Basilica.

There were about 80,000 people, half of whom were there for the Regina Coeli prayer, an ancient Latin Marian Hymn, led by the pope after he canonized some 800 new saints.

"I am pleased to recall the petition that today takes place in many Italian parishes, in order to support the initiative European 'One of Us' to ensure legal protection to the embryo, protecting every human being from the first moment of its existence," the pope added.

The "One of Us" movement is comprised of primarily independent anti-abortion Roman Catholic groups which are seeking to gain one million signatures in seven of 27 countries in the European Union by November. Should the petition gain one million signatures by that time, the European Parliament will be forced to schedule a debate on the issue of life at conception.

The pontiff said there was a need for a law to "protect all human beings from the first moment of their existence."
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/13/pope_at_mass:_the_holy_spirit_and_historical_memory_/en1-691619

2013-05-13 14:48:18
Pope at Mass: The Holy Spirit and historical memory

(Vatican Radio) The Holy Spirit helps Christians remember the history of our faith and the gifts we have received from God. Without this grace, we risk slipping into idolatry. That was Pope Francis’ message at morning Mass on Monday.

Monday’s first reading from the answer that Acts of the Apostles described Paul’s exchange with a group of disciples in and their surprising statement: “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Pope Francis began his homily commenting on these words and the amazement they produced by in Paul.

But he noted, with a certain realism, that the lack of awareness manifested by the Christians two thousand years ago was something confined to the first ages of the faith. “The Holy Spirit,” he said, “is always somewhat ‘the unknown’ of the faith.”

“Even now, many Christians do not know who the Holy Spirit is, what the Holy Spirit is. And you sometimes hear: ‘But I get on well enough with the Father and with Son, because I pray the Our Father to the Father, I have communion with the Son, but I do not know what to do with the Holy Spirit. . .' Or people say, ‘The Holy Spirit is the dove, the one that gives us the seven gifts.’ But in this way the poor Holy Spirit always comes last and finds no place in our lives.”

Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit is “God active in us”, “God who helps us remember,” who “awakens our memory.” Jesus himself explains this to the Apostles before Pentecost: the Spirit that God will send in my name, “will remind you of everything I have said.”

The opposite, he said, would lead the Christian down a dangerous path:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/14/pope_at_mass:_a_big_heart_to_avoid_selfish_isolation/en1-691921

2013-05-14 12:03:13
Pope at Mass: A big heart to avoid selfish isolation

(Vatican Radio) We need a "big heart" that is wide open and capable of loving. We must also avoid behaving selfishly at all costs because, selfish people, like Judas, do not understand what giving and love are; they become traitors, isolated and alone. This was Pope Francis’ message Tuesday morning during Mass at Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Focusing on the Gospel of the day and the contrast between the path of love and that of selfishness, Pope Francis said if we really want to follow Jesus, we must "live life as a gift" to give to others, "not as a treasure to be kept to ourselves". The Pope quoted the words of Christ: " No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." But Tuesday's liturgy, he noted, also presents us with another person: Judas, "who had the exact opposite attitude." And this, he explained, was because Judas "never understood what gift really means":
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/15/pope_francis_at_mass:_bishops_and_priests_need_prayers_of_faithful/en1-692314

2013-05-15 13:01:48
Pope Francis at Mass: bishops and priests need prayers of faithful

(Vatican Radio) Pray for priests and bishops, that they might not give in to the temptations of money and vanity, but serve the people of God. This was Pope Francis’ exhortation to the faithful at Mass this morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican, at which there was a group of Vatican Radio staff. Listen: RealAudioMP3

Pope Francis’ homily took its starting point from the passage in the Acts of the Apostles, in which Paul exhorts the elders of the Church of Ephesus to watch over themselves and all the flock, to be attentive shepherds, and guard against the “ravenous wolves” that would feed on the fold. “One of the ‘most beautiful pages of the New Testament’,” said Pope Francis, “[the episode] is full of tenderness, of pastoral love,” from which emerges a picture, “[of] the beautiful relationship of the bishop with his people.” Bishops and priests, he explained, are at the service of others, to preserve, build and defend the people of God. Theirs is, “a relationship of protection and love between God and the pastor and the pastor and the people”: