{"id":6157,"date":"2025-10-13T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T23:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=6157"},"modified":"2025-10-12T16:11:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T14:11:04","slug":"being-close-to-the-people-because-each-one-has-the-right-to-be-listened-to-by-their-pastor-constitution-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=6157","title":{"rendered":"BEING CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE BECAUSE EACH ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE LISTENED TO BY THEIR PASTOR (Constitution 8)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We will always be close to the people with whom we work, taking into account their values and aspirations.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Constitution<\/em> 8<\/h3>\n

One of Eugene\u2019s earliest biographers, Rey (I, p 38), shows how Eugene remained faithful to this program of being available to all in his diocese. Each morning, for four hours, he was in his office to receive whoever came. Because Marseille was a crossroad of all people and all types of misery, it was clear that all these presented themselves and received a welcome, without having to make an appointment or having to state their names. Within a few weeks of starting this practice, Eugene was led to note :<\/h3>\n

Audiences swamp me!\u201d and \u201cWho will be the most indiscreet in asking me for exorbitant help. Five persons drained me with their requests this morning. Mr. Fabre, magistrate and municipal councilor\u2026 had the patience to wait more than one and a half hours for his turn to enter my place. This perseverance gained him a very polite reception.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Later in the year he reflected on one of these mornings in his Diary:<\/h3>\n

\nIf mornings such as this one has been, and indeed many others too, were to occur too often, I feel that I would not be able to continue. It is not merely a question of giving money, but to be faced with unfortunate people and to realize that, even doing the impossible, I am not able to meet their needs, is more than I can cope with. A widow<\/strong><\/em>
\nwhose husband has died in Cayenne and who hasn\u2019t a penny either to <\/strong><\/em>live or to return to her country. A young man, of Belgian nationality, <\/strong><\/em>coming out of hospital where he spent all his money and who is now<\/strong><\/em>
\nworn out by his illness and by frustration, has only the 10 Francs <\/strong><\/em>given him by his consul to get him back to Belgium. An old lady, the <\/strong><\/em>sister of a priest of the diocese who died a long time ago, who has all<\/strong><\/em>
\nher belongings in the pawn shop and who has not the wherewith to <\/strong><\/em>go to her son who would at least give her a bowl of soup to prevent <\/strong><\/em>her dying of hunger.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Diary, 3 September 1838, EO XIX<\/em><\/h3>\n

Reflecting on these and countless other moments of being close to his people he concluded:<\/h3>\n

These audiences every day take all of my time. Nevertheless, they are necessary. It is the duty of a bishop to make himself available to all his flock. I have the satisfaction of seeing everybody satisfied with the way they have been received when they leave. I must give advice and help, each one has the right to be listened to by their pastor.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Diary, 8 September 1838, EO XIX<\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We will always be close to the people with whom we work, taking into account their values and aspirations. Constitution 8 One of Eugene\u2019s earliest biographers, Rey (I, p 38), shows how Eugene remained faithful to this program of being … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6157\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}