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“We were blessed”: Catholic Bishop in Eswatini on Ad Limina Encounter with Pope Francis

Pope Francis with members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) during a private meeting on 16 June 2023. Credit: SACBC

The June 16 encounter with Pope Francis during the Ad Limina visit of members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) was a source of blessings, Bishop José Luís Gerardo Ponce de León of Eswatini’s Manzini Diocese, the only Catholic Diocese of the Southern African landlocked nation, has said.

In a Wednesday, June 21 reflection, Bishop Ponce de León recalls the Papal encounter, the same day that the Holy Father had been discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following an abdominal surgery.

“We were blessed to meet him (Pope Francis). The moment he came out of the car, he looked as if he was coming from another meeting and not from the hospital,” the Catholic Bishop says, and adds in reference to SACBC members, “We were also conscious that it was more than fair for him to rest after a major surgery.” 

But to the surprise of the Catholic Bishops from the Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa, the Holy Father requested to meet them after lunch, Bishop Ponce de León has recalled in his reflection, adding, “It was beautiful to see all the Bishops dropping everything they were doing and running to be ready.”

“In our hearts, it was not just about us. It was also about the Dioceses we represent and the people who had been praying with us during the (Ad Limina) visit,” the Argentine-born member of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC) who has been at the helm of Manzini Diocese since his installation in January 2014 says.

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He continues, “We also thought of those who had just been ordained Bishops (Bp Zondi in Durban and Bp Mazibuko OMI in Ingwavuma) and those who - most probably - were coming to Ad Limina for the last time.”

In his reflection, Bishop Ponce de León also recalls the words of Pope Francis to SACBC members, that is, “I suffer when I cannot meet the Bishops.”

Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishop recalls, “spent more than an hour answering our spontaneous questions about what advice he would give to Bishops, the synodal journey, the reality of migrants and refugees, the coming World Youth Day in Portugal, and our call to be a listening church.”

The 62-year-old Catholic Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in April 2009 recalls that the Holy Father “spoke at length, sharing many experiences from the journey of the Church all over the world.”

He goes on to recall Pope Francis appealing for prayer during the June 16 encounter, “Ask the people to pray. Without prayer, we are just another social organization but not the Church.”

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“We treasured the heart of the shepherd who never seems to be tired when caring for others, Bishops included,” the Local Ordinary of Manzini Diocese says in his June 21 reflection.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.