Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Bishops of Mexico have gathered for their 85th general assembly 31 March to 4 April. The Assembly opened with a Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe, presided by Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of the diocese of Texcoco and President of the Mexican Bishops' Conference.
In a statement issued at the end of the first day the Bishops say they intend, in the light of the Document of Aparecida, “to respond to the challenges in our country, with the proclamation of the Gospel expressed in the announcement of the good news of life, peace, human dignity, the family, work, the universal destiny of resources and respect for the environment”. Not by chance one goal of the general assembly is to “discuss and continue New Evangelisation taking into account the challenges and needs of our country in the spirit of Aparecida, in order to promote in Mexico a Church of disciples and missionaries ”.
The Bishops mention some of the principal challenges facing the Church, not only in Mexico but throughout America. The challenges include “weakening of Christian life in society and membership of the Catholic Church, due to a separation between faith and life; scarce pastoral care for the laity; evangelisation undertaken with little ardour and without renewing methods and expressions”. Aware of the situation, the Bishops are preparing new pastoral impulse with new objectives: to become a “a lively, faithful, and credible Church; maintain with renewed effort primary commitment for the poor; collaborate with all men and women of goodwill to foster the presence of God in society and intensify with audacity pastoral care for the family and for life ”.
“Missionary activity is not a form of proselytising or anti-ecumenism - the Mexican Bishops recall -; it is not a competence; it is addressed to Catholics who have not been evangelised, as well as to evangelise those who have never encountered Jesus Christ”.
Therefore the Bishops call on the faithful “to be open to the impulse of the Holy Spirit to promote permanent missionary awareness and commitment of disciples through the Continental Mission”. Together with all the Bishops of Latin America they are preparing for the Mission, on 17 August in Quito (Ecuador), in the context of the Third American Mission Congress CAM 3.
During the first day of the assembly, the government secretary, Juan Camilo Mouriño Terrazas, presented federal government projects and initiatives relative to the energy reform and a special programme to modernise research and extraction of crude oil from the deep waters of the Mexican Gulf. For their part the Bishops stressed the need to define a Rule of Law which will guarantee and promote human dignity and basic human rights, such as religious freedom. They also exposed to Secretary Mouriño programmes for New Evangelisation in keeping with the Document of Aparecida. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 2/4/2008; righe 36, parole 493)
