Pope says bishops should be evangelists and men of prayer, not CEOs (CNS)

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“Pope says bishops should be evangelists and men of prayer, not CEOs”

catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400842.htm

In preaching the Gospel, bishops should be appealing rather than censorious, upholding church teaching “not in order to measure how far the world falls short of the truth it contains, but to fascinate the world, enchant it with the beauty of love, seduce it by offering the freedom of the Gospel.”

“The church doesn’t need apologists for their own causes, nor crusaders for their own battles, but humble sowers who trust in the truth … bishops who know that even when night falls and the day’s toil leaves them tired, the seeds in the field will be sprouting.”
 
I think this fits nicely with his comments about Trent’s decrees on bishops living in their dioceses and not being “wandering bishops.”
 
This would mean that others in the diocese would be making the monetary decisions, and in effect running the business of the Church.

This would be a significant diminishment of the role of bishop in the church then. For all that, it is not a bad idea. It would be good to see that the highest offices of the Church be confined to holiness rather than monetary pursuits.

On the other hand, deciding how money is spent is a significant factor in which direction the church will take too.

Who will be making the monetary “CEO” decisions, if not the bishops?
 
I believe this lecture is being interpretted falsely. From my perspective the Holy Father is merely saying that a bishop should not be running his diocese for profit and defending the Church against all it’s “enemies” and is in keeping with his forcing several bishops and cardinals to give up their fancy toys and mansions. He is calling the episcopacy back to it’s primary purpose- to be good shepherds- not capitalizing giants. Yes Bishops will always make monetary decisions just as the Pastor of a local parish has the final say in…the buiding of a new ministry building for instance. But the primary purpose of the episcopacy is to be a shepherd, a teacher and a lover of humanity, not a CEO.
I agree.........my local bishop (who shall remain unnamed) said mass at a local church and I attended. He was standing around cutting up with the pastor of that church and didn't seem very busy, many people were avoiding him as they maneuvered out of the church (in his homily he seemed quite distant) and I had refrained from taking the Eucharist due to sin and asked him if he would mind hearing my confession to which he quickly respo.ded by giving me the proverbial "run around" and essentially delegated that task to the pastor. I was given absolution and my oenance nonetheless but I was rather offended. I think it is good that Pope Francis is calling his fellow bishops back to their true role within the Church.
 
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