Among the group of 267 new bishops (almost all ordained in the last year) who arrived in Rome from the five continents, there were also 5 Redemptorists: His Excellency Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R., former Superior General and Provincial Superior of the Province of Canada, consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke, His Excellency Michael Smolinski, CSsR, Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon (Canada), His Excellency Alfonso Amarante, C.Ss.R., appointed Rector Magnificent of the Pontifical Lateran University, His Excellency Stanislav Přibyl, C.Ss.R. bishop of the diocese of Litoměřice, in the Czech Republic, His Excellency Álvaro Mon Pérez, CSs.R., appointed new Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Carreño (Colombia).
The formation course, which takes place in September and is planned by the Roman Curia, this year takes on a new connotation: for the first time, a good part of the work sessions are shared and experienced together at the Pontifical Urbaniana University both by the Bishops participating in the course organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches) and by those participating in the similar training course organized by the Dicastery for Bishops.
The shared work sessions, hosted at the Urbaniana, opened on Tuesday, September 17, with a report presented by the Secretariat of State on the action of the Holy See “in the globalized world” and concluded on September 22.
Pope Francis received the two groups of “new Bishops” in the Audience: those following the Course organized by the Dicastery for Bishops on Thursday, September 19, while the group on the Course organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization met the Pontiff on Saturday, September 21.
According to the participants’ testimonies, the week of work was also experienced as a sign of the communion that embraces and unites the universal Church and as a moment of collegiality, mutual knowledge, and the possible construction of bonds between different local Churches.
Bishop Michael Brehl and Bishop Álvaro Mon Pérez shared their experiences of meeting Pope Francis and new bishops from around the world in an interview with Scala News. In the interview, they also spoke about the specifics of the mission entrusted to them in their respective dioceses. Both interviews will soon be published on our Scala News YouTube channel.
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