Pope: Bishops live simply, guiding their flock through life's joys, trials with hope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A bishop is a man of deep faith who is filled with hope and stays close to his people, Pope Leo XIV said.

He is "not offering easy solutions," but rather, he is helping his flock be a community that strives "to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity," he said in a reflection with bishops celebrating the Jubilee of Bishops June 25.

The heart of a bishop "is open and welcoming, and so is his home," he said. But he "must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force."

More than 400 bishops from 38 countries gathered for the pope's reflection at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica after taking part in a pilgrimage through the Holy Door and concelebrating Mass presided over by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, retired prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery of Bishops.

Going through the Holy Door -- the symbol of Christ the savior -- is important, Pope Leo said, because "each of you, like myself, before being a shepherd, is a sheep, a member of the Lord's flock."

"If we are to lead the churches entrusted to our care, we must let ourselves be profoundly renewed by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in order to conform ourselves fully to his heart and to the mystery of his love," he said.

The Holy Year dedicated to a hope that "does not disappoint," he said, is a reminder that "we, as bishops, are the primary heirs of that prophetic legacy, which we must preserve and transmit to the people of God by our words and the way we live our lives."

At times, preaching that message "means swimming against the tide, even in certain painful situations that appear to be hopeless," he said. Yet, "if we are truly close to those who suffer, the Holy Spirit can revive in their hearts even a flame that has all but died out."

"Dear friends, a bishop is a witness to hope by his example of a life firmly grounded in God and completely devoted to the service of the church," Pope Leo said. "This will be the case only insofar as he is conformed to Christ in his personal life and in his apostolic ministry."

The pope then detailed several characteristics of "the theological core of the life of a bishop," whose way of thinking, feelings and actions are formed by the Holy Spirit.

"The bishop is a man of hope," he said, "especially at moments of difficulty in people's lives."

"The bishop, by this theological virtue, helps them not to despair: not simply by his words but by his closeness," he said.

"When families are greatly burdened and public institutions fail to provide adequate support; when young people are disillusioned and fed up with empty promises; when the elderly and those with grave disabilities feel abandoned, the bishop is close to them, not offering easy solutions, but rather the experience of communities that strive to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity," the pope said.

The bishop is a man of faith, much like Moses, "who, by the grace of God, sees ahead, glimpses the goal and perseveres in times of trial," interceding for his people before God, he said.

"Faith and hope then come together in him as a man of pastoral charity," he said, so that whether he is "preaching, visiting communities, listening to priests and deacons, or making administrative decisions, all that he does is inspired and motivated by the charity of Christ the shepherd."

Through God's grace, prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the bishop can be an example of "fraternal love" that is open to everyone, especially those experiencing moments of difficulty or illness, he said.

Pope Leo then told bishops their life and ministry needed to be marked by some other essential virtues: pastoral prudence, poverty, perfect continence in celibacy and human virtues.

"To bear witness to the Lord Jesus, the bishop lives a life of evangelical poverty," marked by "a simple, sober and generous lifestyle, dignified and at the same time suited to the conditions of the majority of his people," he said. "The poor must find in him a father and a brother, and never feel uncomfortable in meeting him or entering his home."

"In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power," he said, because, like Jesus, the bishop has been anointed and sent "to bring good news to the poor."

"Together with material poverty, the life of the bishop is also marked by that specific form of poverty which is celibacy and virginity for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven," Pope Leo said.

It is not just a question of living a celibate life, he said, "but of practicing chastity of heart and conduct," which presents "the authentic image of the church" to everyone.

Pastoral prudence, the pope said, "is the practical wisdom that guides the bishop in his decisions, in his governance, in his relations with the faithful and with their associations."

"A clear sign of prudence is his exercise of dialogue as a style and method, both in his relationships with others and in his presiding over participatory bodies: in other words, in his overseeing of synodality in his particular church," he added.

Finally, he said, "the bishop is called to cultivate those human virtues which the Council Fathers also chose," which include "fairness, sincerity, magnanimity, openness of mind and heart, the ability to rejoice with those who rejoice and to suffer with those who suffer, as well as self-control, delicacy, patience, discretion, great openness to listening and engaging in dialogue, and willingness to serve."

"These virtues, which each of us possesses to a greater or lesser extent by nature, can and must be cultivated in conformity to the Lord Jesus, with the grace of the Holy Spirit," the pope said.

Before leading the bishops in reciting the profession of faith together, Pope Leo encouraged them to be "men of communion, always promoting unity in the diocesan presbyterate" and to make sure "every priest, without exception," can sense the fatherhood, brotherhood and friendship of his bishop.