Feed the sheep, foster apostolic zeal, Pope Francis tells Mozambique’s bishops

May 11, 2015

Pope Francis received Mozambique’s bishops in the Apostolic Palace on May 9 as part of their quinquennial ad limina visit to Rome.

The Southeast African nation of 24 million is 28% Protestant, 24% Catholic, and 18% Muslim.

The Pope recalled that when Christ asked Simon Peter whether he loved Him and he answered yes, Christ told him to feed his sheep. Bishops, Pope Francis said, are called to feed the sheep by making a “total gift of our lives,” washing the feet of others.

Bishops, the Pope continued, should consider the spiritual care of priests among their foremost duties, and “time spent with them is never wasted time.”

After expressing gratitude for the work of the nation’s religious, the Pope called upon bishops to form in laity a “renewed apostolic zeal” and a “missionary dynamic to go out and accompany people,” fostering in them a desire to “return home to [God’s] family, the Church.”

The Pontiff also spoke of the importance of education and of combining the “educational task with the proclamation of the Gospel.”

“Dear bishops, spare no efforts in supporting the family and the defense of life from conception to natural death,” he added.

 

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Further information:

• Visita “ad Limina Apostolorum” dei Presuli della Conferenza Episcopale del Mozambico (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Francis receives Bishops of Mozambique (Vatican Radio)