Witness to the Gospel of the family amid divorce and polygamy, Pope tells Mali’s bishops
May 07, 2015
Pope Francis received the bishops of Mali in audience on May 7 and praised them for their witness of charity and interreligious dialogue in the midst of a “difficult context”—likely a reference to the northern Mali conflict in which France recently defeated jihadist forces.
After praising the bishops for their efforts to translate the Bible into local languages and to promote catechesis, the Pope lauded the “beautiful dynamism” of the Church’s “work of evangelization, while having a deep respect for consciences.”
“The disciples of Christ grow in number and fervor,” he added. Calling for “more consistency” between belief and practice, the Pope said that “in your sociocultural context, also marked by divorce and polygamy, Catholics are called to announce concretely through their witness the Gospel of life and of the family.”
The Pontiff also lamented violence against women and called upon Mali’s clergy to grow in charity and communion for the sake of witness.
The West African nation of 14.5 million is 1% Catholic.
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Further information:
- Visita “ad Limina Apostolorum” dei Presuli della Conferenza Episcopale del Mali (Holy See Press Office)
- Northern Mali conflict (Wikipedia)
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