He added, “Our physical, material or spiritual indigence, like the lack of faith of the apostles, is not an obstacle for Jesus to give us His mission. Jesus projects us into the future with infinite confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit, which the Holy Spirit will accomplish in each of us if we allow Him to act in our lives. The life of God given goes beyond our human logic, but it is always Himself, who acts beyond our very concrete and imperfect pastoral actions.”
The Malian Catholic Archbishop called on members of the Clergy to “fight against evil and the poisons of our world, to chase away evil spirits, to speak a new language, to accompany the sick who will find it good.”
“You can overcome evil because I am with you every day and my Spirit accompanies you. I work with you and confirm the word by the signs of appeasement, of well-being and of peace. God only knows the quantity of poison in our society today, as in our own Church, and the image he uses is the deadly poison of snakes,” he said.
Archbishop Cissé continued, “It is up to us to transmit the life of the Kingdom of God to all nations, to our Malian society in search of peace, to transmit a life of love, of creation, of justice, of forgiveness, of fraternity, of respect for each other, starting with those who are there, next to us, in our house, in our neighborhood, in our village, our workplace.”
“The mission entrusted to us is therefore not the dissemination of knowledge or religious instruction, nor the propaganda to adhere to our Christian religion, but the construction of a world of love, of peace and respect for each other in the daily life of our lives,” he said.
Archbishop Cissé went on to caution, “Let us be vigilant and remain all awake so that the new Mali, which is in gestation, does not give birth to a new Malian who is not in peace and devoured by our stupidity, our selfishness, and our falseness.”
He expressed his hope for virtuous living, emphasizing the value of peace. He said, “Only truth, justice, love, and freedom, pillars of true peace, will make the new Malian be born in a new Mali. May we remain artisans of peace, which God wants for his children.”
“May God bless all our countries with a night of peace. May Mali not be devoured by the forces of evil and may peace be with you,” the Archbishop implored.
Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Cissé as Local Ordinary of Bamako on July 25.
In his speech during the Eucharistic celebration, Archbishop Cissé thanked his immediate predecessor, Jean Cardinal Zerbo, for the trust placed in him, reaffirming his commitment to tackling the challenges ahead.
