The religious ceremony included a sermon by His Eminence, in which he addressed the new Vatican diplomat, pointing out that in order for a person to be a credible peacemaker, to carry to others the reconciliation offered by God, and to be an ambassador for good, he must above all else love love, and love his neighbor just as Christ loved us. sacrificing his life on the cross.
Then Cardinal Parolin recalled that Archbishop Benimuteh was the first Angolan person to be invited to carry out this mission, representing the Pope as a papal ambassador, and added that he personally wished to grant him this episcopal ordination in order to highlight the importance of this event and to share with the new bishop and with the faithful this joy.
His Eminence pointed out that when someone is called to serve the Church as a bishop, he has to cooperate especially with the Lord for the salvation of all, and in this way the hymn of joy gains greater momentum, and gratitude increases as the responsibility and commitment of the person called to carry out this service increases. In this context, he reminded the new bishop that he is called from now on to be an ambassador of the Supreme Pontiff, an ambassador of the Holy See, and an ambassador of Christ, and this is a matter of great honor and at the same time a wonderful message.
The Vatican official continued his homily, addressing Archbishop Benimote and reminding him that he is also called to be a sign of reconciliation and peace between peoples and between states, and a sign of unity and solidarity between churches, and this is the message entrusted to every papal nuncio, wherever he is. His Eminence added that the papal ambassadors are also a sign of the deep and final reconciliation between God and man, between the Creator and creation, and between the yearning for truth, justice and happiness, which exists in the depths of every human being, and human history with its achievements and tragedies, which finds its complete salvation and is achieved only through the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
After that, Parolin confirmed that the papal ambassadors are also ambassadors of good tidings among people, to make them understand that the recurrence of tragedies resulting from wars and conflicts between brothers is not their inevitable destiny. On the contrary, they should accept the word of reconciliation that the Lord Jesus brought us, and acknowledge that they are brothers and sisters.
Here, His Eminence stressed the importance of papal ambassadors always working, by all means available to them, to build and strengthen paths of peace, solidarity and civilization, paths that must be respected when faced with differences resulting from the limitations of the human being. Cardinal Parolin considered that the message of promoting reconciliation and peace, where there are differences and conflicts, derives its roots from the phrase written by St. John the Evangelist, namely, “God is love.” From this point of view, promoting peace and reconciliation means proclaiming God – love, even if in a silent and discreet way.
The sermon of the Secretary of State, present in the Vatican, was not without talk about the service awaiting the new bishop. He said that after the experience he gained in a number of papal embassies around the world, he is preparing today to start his new service as a papal ambassador in Pakistan, and this means that he has to face challenges. Difficult. Parolin pointed out that in this Muslim-majority country, regardless of the laws in force, it is not easy to guarantee full respect for the rights of religious minorities.
His Eminence reminded that Pakistan counts one and a half million Catholics, adding that the new papal nuncio will testify to the interest of the Pope and the Holy See towards them, so that these believers feel the strong bond that exists between them and the universal Church, and that they are rooted in faith and search for paths of dialogue with Muslims and followers of other religions. He pointed out that this dialogue is very important if we want to avoid the danger of exploiting religion and justifying violence.
At the end of his homily, Parolin stopped at the motto that the new bishop had chosen for himself, which is Omnes fratres estis, meaning “You are all brothers.” And they do not deny it, so that we can establish friendly relations of cooperation and overcome the violence that takes many innocent lives.
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2023-08-14 21:48:40
