The reason, he said, is that вЂњthey have not seen Jesus at work in their own lives,вЂќ and вЂњoften this is because we, by our lives, have not sufficiently shown him to them.вЂќ The challenge is huge, the pope said, because so many Europeans see religious faith as вЂњa relic from the past.вЂќ вЂњRebuilding means becoming artisans of communion, weavers of unity at every level: not by stratagems but by the Gospel.вЂќ вЂњThis is our vocation as pastors: to gather the flock, not to scatter it or to keep it enclosed by fine fences,вЂќ he said. For if we keep the grace of the whole, the Lord keeps building, even when we fall short.вЂќ вЂњVisions may differ, but unity must always be preserved. вЂњAll rebuilding takes place together, in unity, with others,вЂќ Pope Francis said. In the reading from Haggai, he noted, the verb form of вЂњrebuildвЂќ is plural - a call to all the people. вЂњWe need to rebuild from her foundations the church of every time and place, from worship of God and love of neighbor, and not from our own tastes, not from pacts or deals that we make to вЂdefend the churchвЂ™ or вЂto defend Christianity,'вЂќ he said.

Of course, Pope Francis said, any idea of вЂњrebuildingвЂќ the church must begin with the churchвЂ™s foundation, вЂњthe churchвЂ™s living tradition, which is based on what is essential, the Good News, closeness and witness.вЂќ вЂњTo make her beautiful and welcoming, we need, together, to look to the future, not to restore the past.вЂќ вЂњThe same is true for the church, the house of God,вЂќ he said. The founders of the European Union вЂњdid not seek a fleeting consensus, but dreamed of a future for all,вЂќ the pope said, and only that kind of farsighted vision can ensure a consolidation of peace, freedom and solidarity on the continent.

Using the images of rebuilding homes and the temple in the dayвЂ™s first reading from the Book of Haggai, Pope Francis said in his homily that just as the ancient Israelites had to вЂњstop being content with a peaceful present and start working for the future,вЂќ so must the people of Europe. John Paul II - the popes who accompanied the early years of the councilвЂ™s existence. 23-26 was to celebrate the councilвЂ™s 50th anniversary and review its service to the continent in the light of Pope FrancisвЂ™ encyclical, вЂњFratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship.вЂќДЄfter the Mass, the bishops were to renew their profession of faith at the tomb of St. The plenary of the Council of European BishopsвЂ™ Conferences brought together the presidents of 33 national bishopsвЂ™ conferences and a dozen other Eastern- and Latin-rite bishops from across the continent. Do we feel concern and compassion for those who have not had the joy of encountering Jesus or who have lost that joy? Are we comfortable because, deep down, our lives go on as usual, or are we troubled by seeing so many of our brothers and sisters far from the joy of Jesus?вЂќ Instead, вЂњthe word of God challenges us to look to ourselves. вЂњIt is easy, but ultimately pointless, to judge those who do not believe or to list the reasons for secularization,вЂќ the pope said. вЂњCertainly, we are вЂpreoccupiedвЂ™ by this, but are we really вЂoccupiedвЂ™ with responding to it?вЂќ Pope Francis asked. вЂњSo many people are induced to feel only material needs, and not a need for God,вЂќ the pope told his brother bishops during the early evening Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. 23 as he concelebrated the opening Mass of the plenary assembly of the Council of European BishopsвЂ™ Conferences. вЂњConsider how many people no longer hunger and thirst for God! Not because they are evil, but because there is no one to awaken in them a hunger for faith and to satisfy that thirst in the human heart,вЂќ the pope said Sept. VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Bishops and others in the Catholic Church often lament the declining number of Christians, but rarely do they examine their own behavior and failure to show others how much God loves them, Pope Francis told the presidents of European bishopsвЂ™ conferences.

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