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POPE
BENEDICT'S MANDATE
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| BENEDICT,
BISHOP, SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD, sends greetings
and his Apostolic blessing to his beloved son Peter Doyle
who, until today, has been a priest of the community of
Portsmouth, and Vicar General of the said Diocese, and is
now appointed Bishop of the vacant See of Northampton. |
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After taking appropriate
advice, it is my wish to contribute to the building up of
the various Churches around the world through the
appointment of holy pastors and especially to provide for
the pastoral need to have labourers in the vineyard.
In this light I have considered the situation of the
Church of Northampton which previously was presided over
by Venerable Brother, Archbishop Kevin John Patrick
McDonald who has been recently transferred to care for
the flock of the Archdiocese of Southwark.
In order therefore to provide more effectively for the
needs of this vacant See and to plan for the future of
this Church, which I love dearly, we are eager to send a
particular trusted minister to Northampton, granting to
you, because of his giftedness and expertise in pastoral
matters, would know how to govern, on Christ's behalf,
this portion of the Lord's Flock.
You, my beloved son, have exercised your priesthood among
the faithful people of Portsmouth in a praiseworthy
fashion You have been prepared for this task by the full
range of the everyday ministry that you have until now
carried out, and also by the diligence with which you
fulfilled your role as Vicar General in Portsmouth |
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Having
consulted the Congregation for Bishops, by virtue of the
Apostolic authority vested in me in all its fullness I
have chosen you and establish you as Ordinary for the
Cathedral Church of Northampton, granting to you all the
privileges and rights of the episcopate.
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At the same time I impose upon
you equally the specific obligations and duties of the
same office, which according to canon law are
associated with the dignity of the office of bishop and
with governance in the Church.
You must first make your
profession of faith and your oath of fidelity towards me
and my lawful successors. Then clearly you may receive
Episcopal ordination outside of the city of Rome
according to the liturgical norms. From the moment of
your appointment to them you must never cease to properly
instruct the clergy and people of Northampton as their
spiritual leader.
At the same time I also encourage your
people, these beloved sons and daughters, in the name of
the Divine Shepherd, to willingly embrace you as their
own Shepherd and afterwards to follow whatever you lay
down as legitimate teaching. |
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May you grow and be strengthened in the most effective
leadership and spiritual renewal of the Church of
Northampton in such a way, my beloved son that you will
excel even more in all the love and care which you have
already shown towards people in need of salvation.
Given at Rome, at St
Peter's, on this twenty fourth day of the month of May in
the year of Our Lord two thousand and five, the first of
my pontificate. : Pope Benedict XVI |
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