In Times of Terrorism, Bishop Is Crucial Witness of Hope

Interview with Cardinal Re, a Synod President

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 1, 2001 (ZENIT.org-Avvenire).- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, has a key role in the 10th Synod of Bishops. John Paul II appointed him a president-delegate, together with Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India.

In the following interview, Cardinal Re explains the importance and timeliness of this episcopal assembly.

--Q: Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the synod's choice of hope as the topic might have to be seen in another light. How should this key virtue be interpreted today?

--Cardinal Re: The theologically rooted virtue of hope helps to overcome difficulties and to find the necessary courage in the most tragic moments. Today there is a special, very intense thirst for hope among those who reflect on what happened.

Among other things, the synod will lead to questioning the paths humanity is following and the objectives to which it is directed. We must help to construct history with the force of the Gospel. The challenge to hope today is great, because people need reasons for living and for looking ahead with confidence.

Mere scientific or technological progress does not give reason for hope. The synod's working document ("Instrumentum Laboris"), the track that will direct our thinking, states that the bishop must be a witness of hope. And the source of a bishop's hope is God himself who, in Christ, has come close to the world. God works in the heart of men and women, guiding their way. It is up to the bishop, when necessary, to kindle hope and keep it alive.

--Q: At present, the bishop is also and frequently a point of social reference.

--Cardinal Re: Even if he is not eventually heeded, his figure is a sign and a call to perennial values and eternal truths. There is a restlessness in man that stems from his need for God, and the bishop is a sign of this reality that the eyes cannot see and the hands cannot touch.

Therefore, the bishops, in communion with the Pope, are called to be the first witnesses of the Gospel in the world. It is their responsibility to proclaim the reasons for hope and to announce to our contemporaries, often attracted by illusory myths or threatened by the pessimism of evanescent dreams, that Christ is our hope and that, in Christ, the expectations of the human heart are fulfilled.

--Q: What role does the bishop have for nonbelievers?

--Cardinal Re: Whether or not he is aware of it, man is always in search of God's face. However, there are still those who have not known or heard the Lord; therefore, they have not felt the joy of those who entrust their own lives to him.

The bishop's house is also open to these people and, making an effort to follow the Good Shepherd, he wishes to propose the "good news" to each man and each woman, pilgrims toward truth, toward the full meaning of life and, therefore, toward the Savior. Thus, the bishop can become a point of reference for every person who wants to live in hope.

--Q: Will collegiality also be among the topics of the synod?

--Cardinal Re: Of course, the synod itself is a collegial instrument of work and favors the growth of cordiality among all bishops. It is the task of the synod to help the Pope with advice, suggestions and proposals in the service of the universal Church.

Over these years, John Paul II has tried to foster the growth of an authentic collegial spirit. Among bishops there is a conviction about the importance of collegiality, one of the strong points of Vatican II, but at the same time, they are very much aware of the meaning and need of the Petrine ministry.

As some cardinals and bishops have stated in recent months, today more than ever before the Church needs a strong collegiality but also a strong exercise of the Pope's ministry.

What is more, I would say that in the era of globalization, there is more awareness, than in the past, of the usefulness of the "primacy" conferred by Christ on Peter and his successors. Just as in order to walk, one foot is not enough but two are necessary, the Church also needs the Pope's ministry as well as the exercise of collegiality.

--Q: There are those who feel that bishops should only be concerned with Church matters.

--Cardinal Re: It is also the pastor's task to be concerned with this world, namely, to be in touch with its problems, which today are terribly complex and serious. The Church wishes to be in the midst of the world to take Christ to all and to illuminate the questions of our time with the wisdom of the Gospel.

--Q: What should be the bishop's primary concern?

--Cardinal Re: To be faithful to his Lord, who one day will ask him to render an account of how he has been a teacher of faith, a guide and pastor of his faithful; how he has sanctified the people of God. It is his responsibility, which he cannot abdicate.

--Q: Will the synod have consequences for ordinary Christians?

--Cardinal Re: Reflection on the figure of the bishop will not be limited to his life and ministry but will necessarily lead to analyzing the relation with the faithful. One of the central topics that this synod will study is, precisely, the bishop's spiritual identity and his mission as pastor of the Christian community.

On some occasions, bishops have had to give witness to the Gospel with the sacrifice of their life, but also in the most common circumstances, the pastor is called to dedicate his life to the faithful, giving every day all his mind, heart and energies.

--Q: What should the profile of today's bishop be like?

--Cardinal Re: The Council has underlined three fundamental tasks of his mission: to be a teacher of the faith, that is, to proclaim the truths that lead to salvation and illuminate the problems of our time with the wisdom of the Gospel; to sanctify souls with the celebration of the sacraments; [and,] as a shepherd, to lead the flock.

These have always been the tasks; what must change is the way they are carried out, but that is not enough.

In the last decades, the lifestyle of bishops has become simpler, closer to the people, more attentive to the needs of the faithful. Above all, today the pastor is a solicitous father for his priests and faithful: He comforts, encourages, corrects and bends over the none-too-few wounds of humanity.

Therefore, the bishop's mission has become more of a commitment due to the new social phenomena. Today, the bishop must be aware of the present challenges and have the courage to address them with all his resources.

Zenit - The World Seen From Rome
1. oktober 2001