In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!

At this moment, before entering into the theme of the day, we can say a prayer for the eternal rest of the father of the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Cardinal Tagle, and for the consolation of the whole family. [recites the Hail Mary]

I am sincerely very glad to meet you at the conclusion of these days of formation intended for new Bishops, and I thank for its preparation the Dicasteries for Bishops, for the Eastern Churches and for Evangelization – Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches. Some of those who worked on the organization are here, and I thank them, having come to know a little of what it means to organize this programme.

You have lived a singular experience of fraternity: together you have listened, prayed, celebrated the Eucharist and shared the hopes and dreams you carry in your hearts for the Churches that the Lord has just entrusted to your care as pastors. All of this will help you to remember something very simple and precious: no Bishop walks alone.

Dear friends, know that you are in my prayers, and with you your Churches: the priests, the deacons, the consecrated men and women, the seminarians, the families, the young, the elderly, the poor, those who suffer and those who still await the joy of the Gospel. All must find a place in the heart of the Bishop, because all already have a place in the heart of Christ. For this reason, I would now like to share with you some reflections on the theme: «Bishops, servants of communion in the Church and in today's world».

First of all, to remain with Jesus. Among the many things you will be called to do as Bishops, this is the most important. We are Bishops, but we are first of all disciples. To speak of him, we need to be with him; to guide his people, we must let ourselves be guided by him each day, each day. «He appointed twelve – the Gospel of Saint Mark tells us – whom he also named apostles, to be with him and to be sent out to proclaim the message» (Mk 3:14). This is the order of the Gospel: to be with him and, from him, to be sent. Let us never forget it. Therefore always hold dear your time with the Lord: the Eucharist, the Word of God, prayer and those moments in which you can remain in his presence with the simple heart of the disciple who lets himself be loved by his Lord. Our ministry is born from there. And when the heart remains close to him, service too becomes more serene, more free, more fruitful.

A second aspect: to have the heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd, a heart completely turned towards the Father and, precisely for this reason, totally given to our brothers and sisters. Jesus says: «I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep» (Jn 10:11). This is our model. The Bishop is a man who learns each day more to love his people: to know the joys and sorrows of his people, to share their dreams, to rejoice in seeing communities grow. You will ordain priests and deacons, you will meet young people full of enthusiasm, you will see the silent generosity of many religious men and women, missionaries, catechists and families, and you will discover ever more how beautiful the People of God is. Love the people the Lord has entrusted to you. Learn their names, listen to their stories, enter their homes when you can, pray with them. Especially in the young Churches, the presence of the Bishop often says a great deal, even before his words. A visit, a blessing, time given to a priest, listening to a family, dialogue with a young person: these are small gestures, but they can remain in a person's soul for a lifetime.

Another characteristic of the Bishop is what tradition calls sollicitudo pastoralis, pastoral solicitude. It does not simply mean having many responsibilities. It is something deeper: it is to carry one's people in one's heart. Saint Paul called his «daily preoccupation» (2 Cor 11:28) the concern for all the Churches. Thus the Church to which you have been sent becomes ever more part of your life, almost part of yourselves. This is proper to episcopal fatherhood: to have a large soul, large enough to make room for everyone, carrying one's children within oneself and presenting them each day to the Lord in prayer. Pope Francis recalled that «closeness is one of God's traits with his people» (Homily on the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II, 18 May 2020). And speaking precisely to the Bishops of the formation Course, on 12 September 2019, he said: «We exist to make this closeness palpable». What precious words for us! May people be able to feel, through our presence, something of God's tenderness and fatherhood! And this holds true in a special way for priests.

In this regard, dear brothers, I recommend that you love your priests. May they find in each of you a father and a brother. Listen to them, encourage them, pray for them, rejoice in the good they do and accompany them with trust in their ministry. Have particular care for those who are elderly and ill. Let them feel that they are precious, that the Church is grateful to them and that the Bishop does not forget them. Sometimes a telephone call, a visit, an affectionate word from you is enough.

A further trait of our ministry that I would like to recall is, in the beautiful expression of Saint Augustine, that of being an «amoris officium» (In Iohannis Evangelium, 123, 5): a service of love. Our preaching is an act of love, as are listening, prayer, discernment, the time given to people, presence. It is pastoral charity, which allows Christ the Shepherd to reach the people he loves through our poor person.

We live in an age of rapid changes. Developments in communication technologies and in artificial intelligence have opened possibilities that, until a few years ago, we would not even have imagined. But they certainly cannot free humanity from sin and its consequences: the crises it is going through tragically demonstrate this. In a complex and, in some ways, disturbing scenario like the present one, the Church last year celebrated the Jubilee of Hope. Perhaps because she lives outside the world? On the contrary, because from Christ, dead and risen, she is sent to proclaim to all the Gospel of salvation. And we Bishops are the first recipients of this mandate. With the Encyclical Magnifica humanitas I believe I have offered, first of all to the Pastors of the Churches, a vision and a method for facing the great challenge of safeguarding the human in the age of artificial intelligence. I encourage you to promote in your dioceses paths of reflection and dialogue, to form and support those who wish to commit themselves to the service of the civilization of love.

Many of you come from young Churches. You know the beauty and also the toil of mission, of a Church that perhaps possesses little, but is rich in a great faith. For this reason I invite you to keep a missionary heart. It is a precious gift that the Lord has placed in your hands and that can become even greater in your episcopal ministry. The missionary Bishop has a heart open to all: not only to those who frequent our parishes, but also to Christians of other confessions, to believers of other religions, to people who profess no faith, to all men and women of good will. He listens to and respects everyone, draws near to everyone and is able to recognize the good present in the heart of every person.

Saint Augustine, speaking to his people, said: «Vobis enim sum episcopus, vobiscum sum christianus» – you all know this, I think –, «for you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian» (Sermo 340, 1). Let us walk with our people: let us pray with them, let us listen with them to the Word, let us celebrate the Eucharist with them. Let us seek with them each day the face of the Lord.

Dearest brothers, as you return to your Churches, carry with you this certainty: the Lord, who has called you, is faithful. He will go before you on the road, he will accompany you on the journey and, with the gift of his Holy Spirit, he will give you light each day. And may Mary, Mother of the Church, always watch over you and the people entrusted to you. Thank you.