"Personal integrity" and a "holy life": these are the "key factors of the testimony of a bishop", called to be "patient, meek and kind, in the spirit of the Beatitudes", starting from "evangelical integrity". This picture was drawn by the Pope, as he received in audience today the bishops of Bangladesh during their "visit ad limina". Then, lingering on the importance of the role played by lay catechists "in preparing people to the Sacraments", Benedict XVI said it is "increasingly important" to "prepare young men and women to recognise the Sacrament of marriage as an alliance of faithful love for life and as a process of holiness". While mentioning his "concern for the problems encountered by today’s men and women in taking responsibilities that last for a lifetime", the Pope stated that "there is an urgent need for all Christians to reassert the joy of the total gift of the self, in response to the radical appeal of the Spirit". The Holy Father found that a "clear sign of this commitment" is given by the "many calls to priesthood and consecrated life" that come from the Church of Bangladesh.
