Vatican City, Jun 30, 2009 / 10:13 am
On yesterday's Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the pallium, a narrow circular woolen band signifying authority, upon 34 new metropolitan archbishops. During the ceremony, the Holy Father reminded the new bishops of their call to shepherd their flocks as Peter and the other apostles did.
In his homily, the Pope spoke about the First Letter of St. Peter, explaining the significance of the role of bishop by emphasizing how Peter describes Christ as "shepherd and guardian of ... souls" while, in the same context, the Greek text uses the word “episcopos,” which means bishop.
"It is surprising the Peter should call Christ Himself bishop, bishop of souls," Benedict said. "What this means is that He sees us from God's perspective. Looking from God's standpoint gives an overall view, the dangers are evident but also the hopes and the possibilities. From God's perspective one sees the essence, one sees the inner man.”
“If Christ is the bishop of souls, the aim is to ensure that man's soul does not become impoverished, that man does not lose his essence, his capacity for truth and love,” the Holy Father continued. “In this perspective, being a bishop, being a priest, means ... making oneself available to human beings that they may find life."