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| Bishop Montort Stima (right) and Bishop George Lungu |
Bishop Stima said this in an interview with AMECEA Online News in Nairobi where he had attended a workshop on Assessment of the Performance of Priest in Eastern Africa.
According to Bishop Stima, these are the realities on the ground that perhaps the Catholic Church has undermined them and thus, need to be taken seriously during the formation of the priests.
“We understand that priests are struggling and some are tempted to indulge in private businesses. It is good to have money and to have resources but what I have discovered with the little experience I have been in the ministry, is that these good initiatives can also generate very negative impacts in the Church,” Bishop Stima said adding that there are instances where some Christians have chosen not to support the Church because Priests are considered as competitors in the business world.
He said, “So we have to realize that whatever we do as an individual can bring a big negative impact on the whole Church. One person in the Church may commit a scandal but people generalize it and so it affects everybody. I would encourage priests to engage in development initiatives but not as an individual but as the Church. This is because we cannot separate the Priests and the Church.”
He also said that the issue of collaboration between the Priests and their Bishops needs to be fostered in order to forge ahead with the pastoral programs. He urged the Priests to foster a good relationship with their Bishops in order to be at the same level.
“Bishops relates to their priests as father and son; I am sure in the family that relationship is there and has to be cultivated. Likewise Bishops should extend their hands to invite them to come closer to him and let them feel at home,” he said.
He said, “there could be some punishments in some cases; however, those are meant to correct someone from misconduct; to bring him back in the right direction. Just like a real father to his sons, the Bishop must carry his responsibility of guiding his sons into the right track.”
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News