Antananarivo, 29 August, 2019 / 11:55 pm (ACI Africa).
As the countdown of the fourth pastoral trip of Pope Francis to Africa gets to just days, a Church leader on the continent is asking the Pontiff to have a particular message that challenges religious heads.
“I hope that besides the formal occasions, Pope Francis would exhort the religious leaders of Africa to take on the smell of the sheep and to put the interest of their people first,” the president of the Jesuit Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (JESAM), Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator has said.
In an exclusive interview with ACI Africa, the Jesuit Father hoped that Pope Francis will challenge religious leaders in Africa to prioritize the faithful in their ministry.
“We are called to serve the people of God and not to be served at the expense of the faithful,” Fr. Orobator said, referring to cases of clericalism among religious leaders of Africa where some leaders assume moral superiority and exaggerated powers that distance them from the laity.
The Nigerian-born Jesuit expressed the desire that the very presence of Pope Francis on the continent would challenge religious leaders of Africa to embrace a simple lifestyle that brings them closer to those they lead.
“Pope Francis has given the church an example of how to be a leader,” Fr. Orobator said, adding, “with all the qualities of listening, compassion, mercy, solidarity, humility and simplicity. These are lessons for all of Africa’s religious leaders.”
Ahead of his arrival on the continent, the Holy Father has instructed the Church leaders in Mozambique to avoid booking expensive lodging facilities, various sources have reported.
“There is no global leader who exemplifies this model of servant leadership with authenticity and credibility more than Pope Francis,” the head of Jesuits in Africa emphasized.
Fr. Orobator would like that the pastoral visit of Pope Francis on the continent affords religious leaders of Africa the occasion to learn from his leadership qualities “up close and personal.”
Expressing the hope that the Holy Father would address the vulnerable in African societies, the JESAM Superior said, “I would hope that the responsibility of religious leaders for making the church a safe place for children and vulnerable adults feature in the pope’s message.”
“This responsibility should include transparency and accountability at all levels of leadership in the church,” he added.
He also saw the visit of the Holy Father rekindling “the desire and quest of Africa’s youth for a hope-filled future in Africa.”
The Pope is scheduled to visit Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius from September 4-10, 2019, his fourth pastoral trip on the continent. His maiden trip in Africa was in Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic in 2015. He visited Egypt in 2017 and Morocco in March 2019.
