Bishops ‘must defend their flock before God’, says Francis

Pope Francis has urged members of the Congregation for Bishops to do a better job in finding new candidates to head dioceses around the world, saying the Church needs “authentic pastors” that serve and intercede for their people, writes Robert Mickens.

“The Church does not need apologists of personal causes or crusaders of personal battles, but humble and trusting sowers of the truth … men who are patient because they know the weeds will never be so many to overtake the field,” the Pope said in an unusually lengthy address to the congregation on 27 February.

He said bishops should “safeguard doctrine, not by measuring the world’s distance from the truth it contains, but by fascinating the world, enchanting it with the beauty of love, and seducing it” with the freedom that the Gospel offers.

Francis said bishops must be “courageous” enough to intercede for their people the same way Abraham begged God not to destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. “A man that does not have the courage to argue with God on behalf of his people cannot be a bishop – I say this with all my heart, I am convinced,” the Pope said.

He said  selection of bishops should not be decided by “factions, cliques, hegemonies” among those vetting candidates. “Maybe we are not going around the fields enough to search for [bishops],” Francis said.