Pope Francis urges Catholic Bishops to continue working with politicians

Pope Francis has urged Catholic Bishops in Zambia to continue working with political leaders for the common good.

Pope Francis said this when he met the 11 Catholic Bishops from all the dioceses in Zambia on Monday, 17^th November 2014 in the Vatican during their Ad Limina visit.

During the meeting, Pope Francis said with the death of President Michael Sata, Catholic Bishops in Zambia should continue working with political leaders for the common good and also deepen their prophetic witness in defence of the poor in order to uplift the lives of the weak.

In a statement issued by the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) Communications Officer Mwenya Mukuka, the Pope has also said Catholic Bishops, as pastors of the flock, should not forget to seek out the weakest members of Zambian society, among who are the materially poor and those afflicted with HIV and AIDS.
The Pope further noted that for the great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith and that they need God , Pastors must not fail to offer them God’s friendship, blessing, word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith.

Pope Francis has also appealed to Catholic Bishops in Zambia to continue to seek a happy and fulfilling future in the Church and in society, despite great challenges  which militate against stability in social and ecclesial life, in particular for families.

In his remarks to the Bishops of Zambia currently in Rome, the Pope further said that in difficulties times like today, he is convinced that the weakening of family bonds is particularly serious because the family is the fundamental cell of society.

The Pope has also implored the Catholic Church in Zambia to affirm Catholic couples in their desire for fidelity in conjugal life and yearning to provide a stable spiritual home for their children, helping them to nurture the life of virtue in the family.

And Pope Francis has urged the Catholic Bishops in Zambia to be close to young people as they seek to establish and articulate their identity in a disorienting age.

Ad Limina visit is the pilgrimage that Catholic Bishops take every after five years to the Vatican to present to the Pope on the status of their dioceses and visit the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul believed to be buried in Rome as a sign of communion with the Apostles.

This visit also aims to show Bishops are in unison with the Pope who is the Successor of St.