Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Guatemala City (Fides Service) – On Saturday 29 November Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Pope John Paul II’s Special Envoy to CAM2, met children of the Missionary Childhood Society. He went to the town of Santa Caterina de Pinula, not far from Guatemala City where 2000 people warmly welcomed him, Victor Livori reports. The mayor José Antonio Coro Garcia, presented the Cardinal with the keys of the town and the Cardinal offered the mayor a Medal of Pope John Paul II’s 25th Year of Pontificate. Deeply moved the Cardinal said that in this country he felt “more priest, more bishop, more cardinal”.
The Papal Envoy then went to the Pinula Sports Stadium where he was warmly greeted by 6,000 flag waving children who cried: “John Paul II, the whole world loves you!” Cardinal Sepe replied, “and the Pope loves you too”. In his address the children the Cardinal thanked them “for your joy, your presence and above all for your missionary work in the Church in Guatemala and all over America” and he underlined the importance of the moment, “which could change the face of Church in America”. In the early centuries of Christianity children helped the Church of the catacombs to spread the Gospel of Jesus: the first was Saint Tarcisius who offered his life for the Eucharist, the Cardinal recalled. In Japan children taught Saint Francis Xavier how to speak the local language and they went with him when he preached. Three Mexican children Cristobal, Antonio and Juan, were among the first to accept the Gospel in America Latina and they offered their lives that it might spread all over the Continent. “The Church needs children – the Cardinal said -. 160 years have passed since the Church entrusted children with the mission of saving the children of the world... more than ever today the world needs you because greater than ever is the suffering of children”.
Cardinal Sepe asked the children to “open a shining path towards the light” for adults who have lost the faith: “you are the young missionaries of the young Church you can help spread the Gospel in this land of America and all over the world” following the example of Saint Therese who at the age of 9 joined Missionary Childhood and at 14 consecrated her life to God.
In the early afternoon of Saturday 29 November, Cardinal Sepe met representatives of the American Missionary Youth association. Father Carlos Navarrete, head of the Missionary Youth League in Mexico, spoke on the mission of young people in America and their commitment for Christ. After this young participants at CAM2 presented their “manifesto” in which they demand greater participation in the Church’s missionary pastoral activity. Then it was the turn of Cardinal Sepe who told the young people: “your presence reminds me of the thousands of missionaries through the centuries who travelled to all the five continents... today the Church in America is preparing to renew the miracle of mission with the new energy of your holiness ”.
Mission is not the fruit of passing enthusiasm, neither one does become a missionary all of a sudden the Cardinal said; it demands lengthy preparation and a long time to mature. “Dear young people mission is your vocation, the Church needs your enthusiasm to be present in society and to spread all over the world”. This is not easy in the world today impregnated with a culture of materialism and hedonism, which empties the Christian message of its contents to render it less challenging. The call to Mission is therefore a call to mission: “You cannot be missionaries unless you are saints,” the Cardinal said and he urged the young people “to be faithful morning watchmen of evangelisation in the third millennium”. (S.L.) (Fides Service 1/12/2003; lines 52; words 731)
