Pope says bishop must discuss poor, women, youths to show God's love

Published: 2005-09-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The plight of the poor, the exploitation of women and the confusion of young people are all topics a bishop is called to address because a bishop must demonstrate Christ's love for humanity, Pope Benedict XVI said. The bishop's role as a teacher calls on him to spread the Gospel "with its moral and religious values, taking into consideration the various realities and hopes that arise in contemporary society," the pope said Sept. 29 during a meeting with a group of Mexican bishops. The bishops were in Rome for their "ad limina" visits, which the heads of dioceses make every five years. The group included Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara, who presided over a special ceremony in Rome Sept. 26 honoring his predecessor, Cardinal Juan Posadas Ocampo, who was murdered in 1993. During the ceremony at Rome's St. Bartholomew Church, a pastoral staff used by Cardinal Posadas was placed in a chapel dedicated to Latin American Christians who were martyred in the 20th century.

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