Pope Francis charts a brave new course for the Church!

Pope Francis continues to stir things up in the Church, albeit in a good way. Meeting with the Congregation for the Bishops, an advisory body that helps him choose who will be elevated to that level of responsibility, Pope Francis gave new direction to the Congregation.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis wants a change in the Catholic Church, and he is urging the Church to grow in its traditional direction, which is the direction of compassion. Such growth can be difficult in an age where the spreadsheet guides financial decisions, and shunning corporate liability is a full time job.

Modern developments in the Church, managing money and developing infrastructure in a modern, competitive and litigious society means that bishops often feel like they are corporate managers as opposed to shepherds of the Lord's flock. However, Francis wants to refocus the world's bishops on the flock, rather than on the minute details of day-to-day management.

"We don't need a manager, the CEO of a business, nor someone who shares our pettiness or low aspirations. We need someone who knows how to rise to the height from which God sees us, in order to guide us to him," Pope Francis explained to the Congregation.

Pope Francis drew parallels between martyrdom and the true role of a bishop of the Church: "The courage to die, the generosity to offer one's own life and exhaust one's self for the flock are inscribed in the episcopate's DNA. The episcopate is not for itself but for the Church, for the flock, for others, above all for those whom the world considers only worth throwing away."

He listed the virtues the Congregation was to look for when selecting new bishops which includes, a "capacity for healthy, balanced relationships," "upright behavior," "orthodoxy and fidelity," and "transparency and detachment in administrating the goods of the community."

He also added that he wanted bishops who could preach the Gospel to the flock, but not in a way that chides people, but rather in a way that lifts them up. He explained that bishops should preach, "not in order to measure how far the world falls short of the truth it contains, but to fascinate the world, enchant it with the beauty of love, seduce it by offering the freedom of the Gospel."

"The church doesn't need apologists for their own causes, nor crusaders for their own battles, but humble sowers who trust in the truth . bishops who know that even when night falls and the day's toil leaves them tired, the seeds in the field will be sprouting."

He also wants his Bishops to be powerful men of prayer. "A man who lacks the courage to argue with God on behalf of his people cannot be a bishop," Pope Francis said.

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He also said that bishops should be men of the people, living in their own diocese, and staying home as opposed to traveling all the time. The men should not show ambition for greater offices, instead they should be "meek, patient, and merciful."

"There is no standard pastor for all the churches," Pope Francis warned. "Christ knows the singularity of the pastor every church requires, able respond to its needs and help it realize its potential."

Finally, he chided the Bishops to look harder if they do not find such men already. "Where can we find such men? It is not easy. Do they exist? How can we choose them?" Pope Francis asked. "I am sure they exist, because the Lord does not abandon his Church. Maybe it is we who do not spend long enough in the fields looking for them."

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