Bishops should be humble servants and men of prayer — not possession, Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass to consecrate a new bishop on Sunday.
“This is the first lesson for every bishop: humility. Not humility in words, but that which dwells in the heart of those who know they are servants, not masters; shepherds, not owners of the flock,” the pontiff said Oct. 26.
The pontiff personally consecrated Mons. Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski a bishop during a Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Wachowski was appointed apostolic nuncio — the pope’s diplomatic representative — to Iraq in September. Nuncios are usually also archbishops.
The 55-year-old Wachowski, originally from Poland, has been in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 2004. He has also served in the Secretariat of State in the section for relations with states, and was appointed undersecretary for relations with states — similar to a deputy foreign minister — in October 2019.
Reflecting on Wachowski’s background growing up in a farming family in the Polish countryside, the pope said, “From your contact with the earth, you have learned that fruitfulness comes from waiting and fidelity: two words that also define the episcopal ministry.”
“The bishop is called to sow with patience, to cultivate with respect, to wait with hope,” Leo continued. “He is a guardian, not an owner; a man of prayer, not of possession. The Lord entrusts you with a mission so that you may care for it with the same dedication with which the farmer cares for his field: every day, with constancy, with faith.”
The pontiff also reflected on the role of a nuncio, who, as the papal representative is “a sign of the concern of the Successor of Peter for all the Churches.”
“He is sent to strengthen the bonds of communion, to promote dialogue with civil authorities, to safeguard the freedom of the Church, and to foster the good of the people,” he underlined.
“The Apostolic Nuncio is not just any diplomat: he is the face of a Church that accompanies, consoles, and builds bridges,” he added. “His task is not to defend partisan interests, but to serve communion.”
The pope said, Wachowski is being asked to be a father, a shepherd, and a witness of hope in Iraq, “a land marked by pain and the desire for rebirth.”
“You are called to fight the good fight of faith, not against others, but against the temptation to tire, to close yourself off, to measure results, relying on the fidelity that is your hallmark: the fidelity of one who does not seek himself, but serves with professionalism, with respect, with a competence that enlightens and does not flaunt itself.”
He remarked on the longstanding presence of Christianity in Mesopotamia, which, according to tradition, can trace its roots to St. Thomas the Apostle, and his disciples Addai and Mari.
“In that region, people pray in the language that Jesus spoke: Aramaic. This apostolic root is a sign of continuity that the violence, which has manifested itself with ferocity in recent decades, has not been able to extinguish,” the pope said.
“Indeed, the voice of those who have been brutally deprived of their lives in those lands does not fail,” he added. “Today they pray for you, for Iraq, for peace in the world.”
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
