Print friendly
Service not politics should be your focus, Pope Francis told his papal ambassadors (nuncios) last week.
In a special Jubilee audience with nearly all of his 108 ambassadors around the world, Pope Francis thanked them for their dedication, and encouraged them to continue their work in humble service, without getting caught up in useless politics.
“(You are) the link between the Successor of Peter and the different local churches to whom you are bearers and artisans of that communion which is sap for the life of the Church, and for the announcement of her message,” the pope said Sept. 17.
As papal ambassadors – also called nuncios – “you touch with your hand the flesh of the Church, the splendor of the love which renders her glorious, but also the wounds and sores that are begging for forgiveness,” he said.
He thanked the nuncios for their service and fidelity, as well as their generous dedication and availability to their missions, often times demanding.
As the pope’s representatives, nuncios must be bearers of Christ’s love and one who “sustains and protects, who is ready to support and not only to correct, who is willing to listen before deciding, to make the first step in eliminating tensions and fostering understanding and reconciliation.”
Francis stressed the importance of humility in their role, explaining that “without humility no service is possible or fruitful.”
“The humility of a nuncio passes through love for the country and for the Church in which he is called to serve,” the pope said, and cautioned his ambassadors not to get distracted by politics or thinking of the next assignment, but to be fully present “with an undivided mind and heart.”
Pope Francis met with 106 out of his 108 ambassadors serving in various countries throughout the world. They gathered in the Vatican Sept. 15-17 for a special meeting convened specifically for the Jubilee of Mercy.
Source
- Crux
- Image: religionnews.com
Related Posts:
News category: World.
