"Saint Paul is a master and a model, especially for the Bishops! Saint Gregory the Great defines him ‘the greatest pastor ever’. As Bishops, we have to learn from the Apostle, above all, a great love for Jesus Christ": it was said by the Pope this morning from Castelgandolfo, as he received in audience the bishops that have been appointed over the last twelve months, who have come to Rome from all over the world for the meeting promoted by the Congregations for the Bishops and for the Eastern Churches. "Since his encounter with the Divine Master on the way to Damascus stated Benedict XVI , his life had all been a path of inner and apostolic conformation to Him, amidst persecutions and sufferings. Even Saint Paul defines himself a man "conquered by Christ". Continuing the reflections on the distinctive traits of the "pastor", the Pope recalled that "the apostolic Exhortation ‘Pastores gregis’, speaking of the bishop’s pastoral commitment, clearly states that he must be first and foremost a ‘man of God’, because one cannot serve men without being first a ‘servant of God’". (continued)
