A bishop who does not pray is failing to fulfil his obligations, according to Pope Francis
The Pope was speaking on the feast of St Joseph as he ordained three new bishops who will serve as papal nuncios, or ambassadors.
After the reminder that bishops are called to take the position of the least and to serve, Pope Francis urged them to "flee from the temptation to be princes".
"Prayer is the first task of the bishop," said Pope Francis, noting how when the widows of the early Christian community went to the apostles to complain that they were not being cared for, the apostles established the order of deacons to oversee the community's charity.
St Peter explained to the deacons, "You do this, this, and this, and we will pray and proclaim the word," the pope said. "A bishop who does not pray, does not fulfil his obligations. He does not live out his vocation."
After reading the homily's exhortation that bishops show special care for their priests, the Pope added, "Be close to priests, please. May they be able to meet the bishop the same day they ask (for a meeting) or at most a day later."
The new bishops are: Archbishop Jose Bettencourt, a priest of the Archdiocese of Ottawa and former head of diplomatic protocol for the Vatican; Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, a Maltese who was general secretary of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and had served as assistant personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI; and Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, a career Vatican diplomat from Poland.
Archbishop Bettencourt will be nuncio to Georgia and Armenia; Archbishop Xuereb will take up posts as the nuncio to South Korea and to Mongolia; and Archbishop Sommertag will serve as nuncio to Nicaragua.
As is his practice, Pope Francis read the ritual homily for the ordination of bishops during the Mass March 19, but he chose to add a few comments of his own.
Reading the homily's reminder that a bishop is chosen to minister to men and women in the things related to God, the pope said they were not chosen for other tasks, "not for business, not for worldly affairs, not for politics."
Pic: Three new nuncios lay prostrate as Pope Francis celebrates their ordination as archbishops in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 19. The new archbishops were: Archbishop Jose Bettencourt, a priest of the Archdiocese of Ottawa and former head of diplomatic protocol for the Vatican; Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, a Maltese who was general secretary of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and had served as assistant personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI; and Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, a career Vatican diplomat from Poland. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
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