VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
Joshua J. McElwee | Oct. 5, 2014
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis opened a worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops Sunday — a possible landmark of his papacy — by warning against “bad shepherds” who unduly burden the faithful and who “thwart” God by not being guided by the Holy Spirit.
Francis was speaking in a homily during the opening Mass for the meeting, known as a Synod and focusing on modern struggles of family life, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Referring to the Mass readings for the day and to the prophet Ezekiel’s warning about shepherds who care for themselves and not their sheep, the pontiff said some shepherds become tempted by “greed for money and power.”
“To satisfy this greed bad shepherds lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others, which they themselves do not lift a finger to move,” said Francis.
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