In his concluding series on the insightful Pastoral Letter, Most. Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore and President, KRCBC extends his prayerful congratulations to Archbishop-designate Peter Machado as the new Archbishop of Bangalore.
Unum of Presbyterium: One of the most beautiful practices of our Lenten spirituality and liturgy is the Mass of the Chrism in every diocese, where the whole Presbyterium, with the Bishop at the centre, celebrate the Eucharist as a symbol of and stimulus to the unity of the Presbyterium.
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In this context, we would bring to your notice the pernicious practice of some among the Presbyterium, admittedly very few, to write anonymous letters against other members of the Presbyterium, not sparing even the Bishops, often on spurious and wholly false and concocted complaints, fake facts and partial and tendentious information.
While it is obvious cowardice, not worthy of respectable gentlemen, much less, ordained ministers, to take refuge in anonymity, it is also a crude and crafty attempt to mislead the simple faithful who have no means of distinguishing lies from truth.
This is what the Lord meant when he spoke the word “Scandal”. Scandal is not just bad example but downright subversion of faith of the innocent and is much like putting a stick in front of the blind to imperil their well-being and shouting obscenities in the face of the dumb that are unable to respond. We must also remember the terrible words of the Lord that millstones to be hung around the neck of such persons! It is our hope and prayer that the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, brings about a radical conversion of the heart of such scandal-mongers in this Easter Season.
Pope Francis also said: “Gossip is one of the worst enemies of harmony. Pope Francis told the clergy and religious: “There was no way you could promote interreligious harmony in your country if your communities were marked by gossip, division and bitterness. There are many enemies of harmony, and one of the deadliest and most common enemies is gossip. You might want to criticize the Holy Father for being repetitive, but this is important to me. Speaking badly of someone behind his or her back creates distrust. ‘It’s a kind of terrorism,’ destroying everything.”
When the temptation to gossip arises, the Pope said, “Bite your tongue. You might harm your tongue, but you won’t harm your brother or sister.”
Educational Apostolate: Very soon it is time for new admissions in our educational institutions. In this context, we need to remember that Christian institutions are not meant to be commercial enterprises but means of evangelization and of building up the people in faith, fervour, fellowship and fruitfulness in the Spirit. Therefore, we need to give preference in our institutions to all deserving Catholics who apply for admission, excluding no one solely on the basis of their inability to pay the fees.
Every Diocese has its own admission policy which is not confined only to the diocesan institutions but applies to all Catholic institutions within the diocese, because these policies are evolved and promulgated by the Diocesan Bishop as the promoter and coordinator of the Church’s apostolate within the diocese.
The New Archbishop of Bangalore: His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Peter Machado, until now Bishop of Belgaum, as the new Archbishop of Bangalore. This announcement was officially made known in Vatican on March 19, 2018 (Feast of St. Joseph) at 4.30 p.m. (IST).
At the outset, on behalf of all the Catholic Bishops, Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful of the Karnataka Region, I am delighted to extend our prayerful congratulations to Archbishop-designate Peter Machado as the new Archbishop of Bangalore. May I also wish him every success in his Archiepiscopacy in the Archdiocese. May Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest and Mary our Dearest Mother and St. Francis Xavier, Patron of the Archdiocese, guide him in his Pastoral Care in the Archdiocese. The date of the canonical taking possession of the new Archbishop will be finalized shortly.
Further, The Holy See has also asked me to continue as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese till the Archbishop-Designate officially assumes office.
May I take this opportunity to thank all the Bishops, Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful and also the KRCBC Commissions for their prayerful support and cooperation during my tenure as the Archbishop of Bangalore and the President of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council.
Conclusion: Dear Brothers and Sisters, more and more the Church is growing in her self-understanding as the communion of communions and hence it seeks the active participation of all her members, pastors and the flock, in carrying forward the mission of the Church to be the sacrament of salvation for all people in the spiritual social, economic, political and other fields.
This is all the more important at this grave moment when our country finds itself in a very fluid and very dangerous situation in her national life. Let us, therefore, have recourse to the Lord with great faith and fervour and at the same time redouble efforts to actively engage ourselves in our national struggle to build India as a “haven of freedom”, a land of peace, justice, brotherhood, unity and freedom, “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”. May God bless us all, and Mary, our Dearest Mother, intercede for all of us.
May the Risen Lord fill our hearts with his peace, joy and love, and also shower His choicest blessings upon all of us and upon our beloved Karnataka State.