The Church of Mercy by Pope Francis

them] during the Spiritual Exercises—I don’t know whether it’s true but I’ve heard it very often in my life—“Well! I called the bishop, and his secretary told me that he had no time to receive me!” It was like this for months and months and months. I don’t know whether it is true, but if a priest telephones the bishop, then that same day or at least the following day, the call [should be returned]: “I heard that you called; what would you like? I cannot receive you today but let’s look at the dates together.” Please listen to what the father says. Vice versa, the priest might think: “But he doesn’t care; he is not a father, he is an office head!” Think about this well. This would be a good resolution: reply to a telephone call from a priest, if [not on the same day], then at least the following day. And then see when you can meet him. Be constantly close; be in touch with them all the time.
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    A bishop who lives among his faithful has his ears open to listen to “what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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    b) Then
presence in the diocese
. In the homily in the Chrism Mass this year, I said that pastors must have “the odor of sheep.” Be pastors with the odor of the sheep, present in your people’s midst like Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Your presence is not secondary; it is indispensable. Presence! The people themselves, who want to see their bishop walk with them and be near them, ask it of you. They need his presence in order to live and breathe! Do not close yourselves in! Go down among your faithful, even into the margins of your dioceses and into all those “peripheries of existence” where there is suffering, loneliness, and human degradation. A pastoral presence means walking with the People of God, walking in front of them, showing them the way, showing them the path; walking in their midst, to strengthen them in unity; walking behind them, to make sure no one gets left behind, but especially, never to lose the scent of the People of God in order to find new roads. A bishop who lives among his faithful has his ears open to listen to “what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7), and to the “voice of the sheep,” also through those diocesan institutions whose task it is to advise the bishop, promoting a loyal and constructive dialogue. It is impossible to think of a bishop who did not have these diocesan institutions: a presbyteral council, consultors, a pastoral council, a council for financial matters. This means really being with the people. This pastoral presence will enable you to be thoroughly acquainted with the culture, customs, and mores of the area, the wealth of holiness that is present there. Immerse yourselves in your own flock!
    c) And here I would like to add: let your
style of service
to the flock be that of humility; I would say even of austerity and essentiality. Please, we pastors are not men with the “psychology of princes”—please—ambitious men who are bridegrooms of this Church while awaiting another that is more beautiful, wealthier. But this is a scandal! If a penitent arrives and says to you, “I am married. I live with my wife, but I am always looking at that woman who is more beautiful than mine: is this a sin, Father?” The Gospel says: it is a sin of adultery. Is there a “spiritual adultery”? I don’t know; think about it. Do not wait for another more beautiful, more important, or richer. Be careful not to slip into the spirit of careerism! That really is a form of cancer! It is not only with words but also and above all with a practical witness in our life that we are teachers and educators of our people. The proclamation of faith requires us to live out what we teach. Mission and life are inseparable (see John Paul II,
Pastores gregis
, no. 31). This is a question we should ask ourselves every day: do I practice what I preach?
    3. To welcome, to walk. And the third and last element:
staying with the flock
. I am