CNS STORY: Pope says pastors can't be soloists, need parishioners' advice

POPE-SUNDAY Mar-30-2009 (410 words) With photos. xxxi

Pope says pastors can't be soloists, need parishioners' advice

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- In a world that does not seem interested in hearing about God, effective communication of the faith requires a group effort, Pope Benedict XVI said.

When many people seem unable or unwilling to recognize the presence of God, "it is important that a pastor not be a 'soloist,' but be surrounded by believers who, along with him, are bearers of the seed of the word (of God) and help it live and grow," the pope said during a visit March 29 to a Rome parish.

In addition to celebrating Mass at the Holy Face of Jesus Parish, the pope met with members of the parish council and with children preparing for their first Communion before he returned to the Vatican for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

The pope told parish leaders, "The council is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and the pastor -- and even more a pope -- needs advice, needs help in making decisions. And so these (parish) councils are also a work of the Holy Spirit and a witness to the Spirit's presence in the church."

Arriving at the parish, Pope Benedict noted that the sun was hidden from view by storm clouds, but everyone knew the sun was still there. In the same way, he said, "even though he is hidden, we know that God exists, he is near to us, he helps us and accompanies us."

"Let us go toward Easter knowing that suffering and difficulty are part of our lives, but knowing also that the sun of divine goodness" is always behind the clouds, he said.

Praising the parish Caritas program and the work of parishioners involved in the Community of Sant'Egidio, the pope said that especially at a time marked by a general social and economic crisis Catholics must make greater efforts to care for the poor and needy.

Returning to the Vatican for the midday recitation of the Angelus, the pope was greeted by hundreds of African students studying at the pontifical universities in Rome who wanted to thank him for his March 17-23 visit to Africa.

Thanking the students for their support, Pope Benedict said he was especially struck by "the visible joy in the faces of the people, the joy of feeling part of the one family of God" and by the "strong sense of the sacred that one breathed during the liturgical celebrations" in Cameroon and Angola.

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