“The people of God who will be entrusted to you are a failed flock, weeping, suffering, counting their dead, with no food to eat; the people don't know which saint to turn to. Be attentive to them,” the Cardinal, who presided over the Eucharistic celebration and Episcopal Ordination at the courtyard of the People’s Palace in Kinshasa told the two Congolese candidates he was about to ordain Bishops.
Pope Francis appointed Bishops Tsimba and Isangoi as Auxiliary Bishops for Kinshasa Archdiocese on 15 July 2023.
In his September 9 homily, Cardinal Ambongo highlighted the identity and mission of a Catholic Bishop. He said, “More than an honor, the episcopate is above all a task and a great responsibility.”
“The Word of God reveals not only the identity of the Bishop, but also the nobility and gratuitousness of his mission. St. Peter describes the Bishop as essentially a shepherd of God's flock,” Cardinal Ambongo further said.
He continued, “The shepherd's fundamental mission is to feed the flock, to gather them into a single fold and lead them to a safe and verdant pasture.”
“The Bishop is not the owner of the flock. He is merely its steward, since the flock entrusted to his care belongs to God. So, following in Christ's footsteps, as a good and faithful steward, the Bishop becomes a model for his flock,” the Local Ordinary of Kinshasa Archdiocese said.
Tracing the ministry of Catholic Bishops to the apostles of Jesus, he said, “The Apostles anointed their successors with the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. In this way, the Bishop becomes, through the total gift of his life, a watchman (sentinel) and an awakener. He watches over the well-being and integral growth of the flock.”
A Catholic Bishop has, Cardinal Ambongo went on to say, “the mission of rousing the sheep from the sleep of hatred, division, injustice and violence – in short, from the sleep of death. He is called to be a good shepherd in the footsteps and example of Christ, who gave his life so that the sheep could live in dignity.”
“Your duty is also to ensure that the thirst for God and His Word that lies deep within our people is not exploited by clever charlatans in search of money and merchants of illusions,” he further said, and added, “In fulfilling your prophetic mission, teach these people the Gospel of Christ with unshakeable courage and firm trust in the Lord.”
The two newly Consecrated Bishops have joined Bishop Charles Ndaka Salabisala, bringing the number of Auxiliary Bishops in DRC’s Archdiocese of Kinshasa to three.
