Vatican City, Jun 21, 2010 / 08:46 am
On Saturday morning, Pope Benedict XVI received prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, who have recently completed their "ad limina" visit. The Pope reminded the prelates that, "as teachers and doctors of the faith, you have the mission to teach the truth boldly and authentically, the truth that must be believed and lived."
He invited them to help the people they shepherd "to rediscover the joy of the faith, the joy of being loved personally by God Who gave His Son for our salvation. ... Put great trust in grace and spread this conviction among your people, that the faith may always be defended and transmitted in all its purity and integrity," he said.
The Holy Father emphasized that the celebration of the Eucharist is the most important duty of the priest. "The duty to sanctify which was given to you, obliges you to promote and encourage prayer in the human city, often turbulent, noisy and forgetful of God.”
“You must create places and opportunities for prayer where, in silence, listening to God in individual and community prayer, human beings can come together and gain a living experience of Jesus Christ Who reveals the true face of the Father,” the Pope advised the bishops. “Parishes and shrines, places of education and of suffering, families, must all become places of communion with the Lord.”