The archbishop of Milwaukee and the two auxiliary bishops believe a sense of unity and harmony-building stands as a critical trait which the next pope will need to bring forth during his leadership.
“You know you’re not going to make everyone happy,” Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob said. “There’s always the challenge of creating balance. The pendulum is always swinging between polarities.”
“I believe that the next pope will need to focus on unity. People are divided in so many ways in today’s world. An emphasis on reconciliation, peacemaking and understanding will be key,” said Bishop James T. Schuerman, who also spotlights a continuation of Pope Francis’ calling.
“The next pope must continue to build on Pope Francis’ efforts to urge people at all levels of Church and society to uphold and defend the human dignity of all, especially the poor, the migrants, the sick and those marginalized in any way.”
“We live in a time which is beset by a massive amount of separation, discord and division, which already is threatening to do major damage,” Bishop Jeffrey R. Haines said.
“The root of the word pontiff is from the Latin pontifex, which can mean ‘bridge builder’ or ‘path maker.’ There is a great need in our time for the creation of bridges and paths that will lead to greater unity,” he said.
