Among the 21 prelates appointed to the Cardinalate by Pope Francis earlier this month is a 62-year-old bishop from Indonesia, +Paskalis Bruno Syukur, a Franciscan.
Yesterday, the news surfaced online that he has asked the Pope to dispense him from the appointment; the bishop doesn’t want to be a Cardinal. The Pope has accepted his declination. The man will remain a bishop, but will not become a Cardinal in the forthcoming December 8 Consistory.
This news kept me thinking about power in the church. The example of this Indonesian bishop is a big challenge to me and to all of us who are called to serve in the Church. What do we seek?
I remember the prayer we said in the Seminary at the end of the 10th Station of the Cross, where Jesus is stripped of his garments: “Lord, detach me from the craving for prestige, position, wealth, and privileges. Root out of me all traces of envy of my neighbor who has more than I. Release me from the vice of pride, my longing to exalt myself, and lead me to the lowest place. May I be poor in spirit, Lord, so that I can be rich in you.”
Amen.
© Omokugbo Ojeifo, 2024
Me: This example should teach us clergy many things. We were ordained simply to be Priests after the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. Yes these appointments are for service, but they can be rejected if one strongly feels it’ll alter one’s life path and choice. Power is transient.
