Pope Francis
Photo: Daniel Ibanez/CNA. Be courageous in ministry, Pope tells bishops
Bishops from New England have shared with Pope Francis some of the joys, challenges and sufferings of the Church in the US.
Nearing the end of their ad limina visits to the Vatican to pray at the tombs of the apostles and report on the status of their dioceses, the bishops spent two hours last week sitting in a circle in the papal library conversing with Pope Francis.
Auxiliary Bishop Robert Reed of Boston said that the conversation included “the role of women in the Church” and how to give them “a real seat at the table” when decisions are being made; immigration; priestly formation and the need for men preparing for priesthood in the US to learn Spanish; the growth of secularism; and the importance of God’s mercy and encouraging Catholics to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The overriding theme was vicinanza or closeness, Bishop Reed said: “You must be close to God in your prayer and your personal life; you must be close to your priests as a father and walk with them; and you must be close to your people.”
At the end, the Pope told the bishops they must be courageous in their ministry.
Diocesan headquarters of accused bishop raided
A diocese in northern Argentina was raided last week as part of a fraud investigation into the rule of Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, a man close to Pope Francis who also faces charges of sexually abusing seminarians.
The Economic Crime Unit of the city of Oran, in Salta, raided the headquarters of the Diocese of Oran for alleged fraud against the state from 2013 to 2017.
According to a local newspaper El Oranense, the procedure was carried out under great secrecy, and officials left with several folders.
Bishop Zanchetta resigned in 2017, allegedly for health reasons. Soon after, Francis transferred him to Rome, and later acknowledged that he did so after having accepted his resignation due to the bishop’s “despotic” behaviour.
He is facing charges of defrauding the state and “aggravated continuous sexual abuse”.
Over 20 seminarians have testified to the misbehaviour of the bishop, which included paying visits to the seminary late at night, sitting on the beds of seminarians and giving them alcohol.
Treat atheists as children of God – Francis
Christians who preach the Gospel must see people who do not know Christ as children of God and not as non-believers worthy of hostility and contempt, Pope Francis has said.
The example of St Paul’s mission in Greece and his encounter with the pagan culture there serves as a reminder that Christians should “create a bridge to dialogue” with other cultures, the Pope during his weekly general audience.
“Paul does not look at the city of Athens and the pagan world with hostility but with the eyes of Faith,” he said. “And this makes us question our way of looking at our cities: Do we observe them with indifference? With contempt? Or with the faith that recognises children of God in the midst of the anonymous crowds?”
Continuing his series of talks on the Acts of the Apostles, the Pope focused on St Paul’s visit to Athens, a city that “still held the primacy of culture” and was “full of idols”.
The paganism of the Greeks did not cause the apostle to flee, the Pope explained. Instead, “Paul observes the culture and environment of Athens from a contemplative gaze that sees God dwelling in their homes, in their streets and squares.”