On Friday 08 September the Bishops started the day with Mass at Santa Marta celebrating the birthday of Mary Mother of God before going to the Papal offices where they met the Pope. According to Bishop Rudolf Nyadoro, it was a busy day for the Pope.
“Instead of seeing him at 9:00am, we went in to meet him around 10 until lunch time. We had a very good time with the Pope. He was very jovial. We shared our concerns with him and he showed love to us and the people in Zimbabwe.”
Bishop Nyandoro wrote that the Pope said he was very much impressed by the growth of the church in Africa as compared to that of Europe. He said the Pope encouraged our families to grow even in numbers and in faith.