To the Bishops Gathered in the Catholic Institute for West Africa (11 May 1980)

On Sunday, 11 May 1980, the Holy Father spoke to the Bishops gathered in the Catholic Institute for West Africa, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, encouraging them to continue preaching the word of salvation.

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,

My joy is great to meet you here, in this Catholic Institute for West Africa, which bears eloquent witness to the effective collaboration of the episcopates of the entire region.

Too fast, like all my visits, alas, my brief stay here gives me, however, and will leave me with a more comforting impression. Serious work is being done here, I know that. I strongly encourage all the bishops on whom this Institute depends to continue to be full of solicitude to assure it the best recruitment, so that its future may be as fruitful as the present allows us to hope.

In a moment, I will bless the foundation stone of the building that will house the Secretariat of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Francophone West Africa. Here too, it is a new symbol of your desire to work together, for the sake of efficiency, and to better bear witness to the spirit of unity that drives you.

And to all of you, dear brothers, who have often made a long journey to come and greet me on my way through Africa, to the Ivory Coast, thank you for your presence. Thank you for the support you have come to give me in these pastoral visits. My joy is great, I repeat, to see myself thus welcomed and surrounded by so many bishops to manifest together the unity of the Church. Receive all my encouragement, fervent and fraternal, for the apostolic work that you are courageously carrying out. For the service of God, we must bear the weight of the day and the heat[ 1 ]!

So continue unceasingly to announce the word of salvation, this Gospel which was solemnly entrusted to us at our episcopal ordination!

And also convey my strong and warm encouragement to all your dioceses, to everyone: to the priests whom I love so much, to men and women religious, to all the faithful, and in a special way to those who are unhappy, to sick, to those who suffer. To all, carry the Pope's affection and blessing.

 [ 1 ] Cfr. Matt . 20, 12.

© Copyright 1980 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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