I do so again today but in a different context. Today, each one of us who is here present is going to witness something that is very moving and very profound in the history of the Church. The new Bishop is led by the former Bishop to the cathedra. It is a profound moment of handing over, of tradition. The faith that you and I have received by the gift of the Spirit, given to us in Baptism, in the Holy Eucharist, in our Confession of Faith, and in the leadership of the Apostolic ministry, is an expression of the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Tradition is the treasure to be received and a gift to be handed on and shared with all humanity.
Jesus Christ has said that He will be with us until the end of time. So when Christ comes again He will still find the People of God all over the world in different places, confessing Him, living that faith, which was once entrusted to the Apostles and the early Christian disciples. Now in this process of handing on of tradition, the gift of over-sight, the Apostolic ministry of the Bishop is fundamental. This is because it is the Bishop who assures that the local Church, the local Diocese, is faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, authenticates His presence in the sacramental life of the Church and continues to shepherd and guide the People of God. The Bishop is the one who, thanks to a specific gift of the Spirit received from God the Father, has the responsibility to keep the community within the grace once and for all given in Jesus Christ.