Vatican City, May 30, 2017 / 15:53 pm
Pope Francis on Tuesday urged priests and bishops not to be afraid to "step down completely" from their assignment when they are called to a new duty.
"All shepherds have to step down. There comes a moment where the Lord says 'go to another place, come here, go there, come to me.' And it's one of the steps that a shepherd must take," he said during his homily May 30 at the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta residence.
The shepherd must "be prepared to step down in the correct way, not still hanging on to his position," he said.
In the first reading of the Mass, St. Paul addresses the Church leaders in Ephesus. The Pope said Paul left the Ephesus to go to Jerusalem, following the Holy Spirit's call.