Some of Pope Francis' advice to bishops of the United States

Here are excerpts from an address Pope Francis gave to the Catholic bishops of the United States during his 2015 visit to this country:

We are bishops of the Church, shepherds appointed by God to feed His flock. Our greatest joy is to be shepherds, and only shepherds, pastors with undivided hearts and selfless devotion. We need to preserve this joy and never let ourselves be robbed of it.

The heart of our identity is to be sought in constant prayer, in preaching (Acts 6:4) and in shepherding the flock entrusted to our care (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28-31).

It is not about preaching complicated doctrines, but joyfully proclaiming Christ Who died and rose for our sake. The “style” of our mission should make our hearers feel that the message we preach is meant “for us.” 

Bishops need to be lucidly aware of the battle between light and darkness being fought in this world. Woe to us, however, if we make of the cross a banner of worldly struggles and fail to realize that the price of lasting victory is allowing ourselves to be wounded and consumed (Philippians 2:1-11).

And yet we are promoters of the culture of encounter. We are living sacraments of the embrace between God’s riches and our poverty. We are witnesses of the abasement and the condescension of God Who anticipates in love our every response.

Dialogue is our method, not as a shrewd strategy but out of fidelity to the One Who never wearies of visiting the marketplace, even at the eleventh hour, to propose His offer of love (Matthew 20:1-16). The path ahead, then, is dialogue among yourselves, dialogue in your presbyterates, dialogue with lay persons, dialogue with families, dialogue with society.

We need to learn from Jesus, or better to learn Jesus, meek and humble; to enter into His meekness and His humility by contemplating His way of acting; to lead our Churches and our people — not infrequently burdened by the stress of everyday life — to the ease of the Lord’s yoke.

Be pastors close to people, pastors who are neighbors and servants. Let this closeness be expressed in a special way toward your priests. Support them, so that they can continue to serve Christ with an undivided heart, for this alone can bring fulfillment to ministers of Christ. I urge you, then, not to let them be content with half-measures. Find ways to encourage their spiritual growth, lest they yield to the temptation to become notaries and bureaucrats, but instead reflect the motherhood of the Church, which gives birth to and raises her sons and daughters.

Now you are facing this stream of Latin immigration which affects many of your dioceses. ... Perhaps you will be challenged by their diversity. But know that they also possess resources meant to be shared. So do not be afraid to welcome them. Offer them the warmth of the love of Christ and you will unlock the mystery of their heart. I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people will enrich America and its Church.