Nairobi - Pope Francis called on religious leaders to learn to serve rather than wait to be served, when he addressed clergy at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Nairobi on his historic visit to Kenya.
He admonished priests who had complained that they needed more time to pray rather than serving others.
He reminded them the reason for their calling was to serve.
“All you have to worry about is going to the cross, after that let Him worry about the resurrection,” he told them on Thursday.
But he also praised other religious leaders for their service to mankind as many were working in difficult terrains.
“Thank you for following Jesus; for every tenderness you’ve shown those who need it; for all those times you helped someone die in peace and for giving people hope in life. Thank you for allowing our souls to be helped; forgiven and corrected.”
The Pope also emphasised the importance of prayer, as he said there were many worldly distractions that had taken the place of prayer in people’s lives.
While requesting the clergy to pray for him, he also urged them to take time off their sleep; and they time they spent watching television and listening to the radio in order to pray as this would ensure they placed themselves before the Lord.
“A priest that doesn’t pray is an ugly soul, I ask for forgiveness, but that is what it is.”
The Pope who has shown great concern and love for children also pleaded with the community to think about their plight, noting that Christ came to Earth so that everyone and especially those at the margins, especially children and the elderly, could live abundant lives.
“I have asked myself, why children suffer. Every time I see children with tumours and other rare illnesses, I ask myself why? I don’t have the answers, but I look to Jesus!”
The Pope urged the people not to be selfish in their ways of seeking Christ. He said that there was a temptation to follow Christ with ambitions for power and money. The church was not a business, but a “mystery of Christ in our lives”, the Pope said.
African News Agency