In what is likely to be one of his last – if not the last – messages to the faithful of his diocese, Bishop Antoon Hurkmans looks ahead to the upcoming appointment of his successor. He acknowledges that waiting can be a good thing – it makes us look at ourselves and our place in the Church in the diocese – but it should not take too long. The retiring bishop of ‘s-Hertogenbosch expresses his hope that the divisions in the diocese can be overcome, and that people will be willing to work with the new bishop, to find a greater unity and so to give a strong witness in society. These hopes are not without reason. In recent years we have seen more than a few clashes between the diocese and more liberal groups of faithful – most recently, a priest was even forcefully removed from his own church by a group who wanted to do things their own way. These divisions are a witness of strife, of anger, of closemindedness, not of faith, hope and love, nor of the joy of the Gospel. Cooperation with the new bishop should not be done “to please or praise him, but to strengthen the Church of the diocese”.
Bishop Hurkmans in the monthly newsletter from the diocese:
“In this newsletter I would like to catch up with you. Many people keep asking me, “How are you now?” Underneath often lies the question: how will things go with our diocese now? I can happily say that my health is a lot better. And, together with many of you, I anxiously await the appointment of the new bishop. That this needs time is to be expected. In most cases the preparations for the appointment of a bishop take about a year. But it would be good if the appointment would happen soon. An interval can be good, but it should not take too long.
What is good about an interval? Everyone marks time. We are being thrown back on ourselves a bit. What is my place in the Church? How do I contribute to the whole of the Church of the diocese? A bishop can mean a lot for his diocese when he is united in his duties with his priests, his deacons, with all who work with him in pastoral care and with the faithful. The future of the diocese depends for a major part on, let me put it like this, how we position ourselves. It would be very good if we accept the new bishop gladly and really think and work with him. Upon his appointment, let us strongly search for unity with him, in order to grow in unity with him. Not to please or praise him, but to strengthen the Church of the diocese. A strong witness to society may be expected of us in our time. This is what the Gospel asks, and so do the many people who need the richness of the faith. A divided witness is never strong. That is why I desire unity. This unity can not be restrictive, but must be built on love. The unity of a family. I pray and hope that the divisions in our diocese can be overcome. That there is an inner unity between those who stand with the people in their daily life and faith, and those who serve to maintain the larger context. After all, we all want to be Catholic and we all orient ourselves on Pope Francis. This is part of our Catholic identity.
In the context of the particular situation in our diocese it is especially beautiful that we have been given a Year of Mercy by our Church. Of course, there are initiatives. There is a Holy Door, there are prayer cards, meals are organised and I hear of parishes taking care of refugees. But it is also important that we give God’s mercy a place in our lives in a personal way. Directed at ourselves in prayer, but also directed at the people directly around us. To experience God’s mercy in prayer allows us to deal with others openly. It tears down prejudiced opinions and ideas which we can have of others.
Lastly, I would like to refer to Lent. We will soon begin our preparations for Easter. Once again, as Christians, we can become who we are. It is a good tradition to restore personal relations during Lent, to restore the relation with God and contribute to restoring good relations in the world. We can not remain indifferent to the people affected by wars, by attacks, to people who have to flee, who are persecuted for their faith, to sick people living in institutions or on the street, to people in prison, to the many lonely people in the world. Especially during Lent, we must try and find the steps to take to restore relations. As Church we have the commandment to be open to the world.”
In Caelo et in Terra 