AMERICA/MEXICO - “A poor Church encourages us not to pass by the afflicted but to be pilgrims following the footsteps of Jesus the Good Shepherd” says President of CELAM closing celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Puebla Conference

Friday, 20 February 2004

Mexico City (Fides Service) - The closing act of celebrations 12-15 February in Puebla, Mexico for the 25th anniversary of the 3rd general conference of the Council of Latin American Bishop’s Conferences CELAM in Puebla 1979, was a Mass concelebrated by 40 Bishops from various countries and the Bishops of Mexico. The Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated on Sunday 15 February at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of America.
In his homily Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, Archbishop of Santiago del Chile and CELAM said that today despite progress in many American countries, “the Continent suffers, the Church suffers the pain of the poor who have not even bread to share with one another ”. Starting from the Gospel teaching on the Beatitudes (Mt 25,35), Cardinal Errázuriz, said that many people are innocent victims of injustice, underlining that “the Church is called to make the commandment of love the main principle of her activity, it is her unavoidable duty to knock insistently on the door of the hearts of brothers and sisters, the authorities, political and economic systems, individual Catholics, to satisfy the hunger of so many brothers and sisters with their talents, their creativity sharing their goods and opening the way for an economy based on solidarity and giving work”. Besides hunger for bread, in the world today there is a greater hunger for justice, peace, reconciliation, spirituality which in other terms, includes a deep longing for God. The Cardinal voiced concern that not always an adequate answer is offered to the many in America searching for God: “How many (...) searching for answers, entrust their illusions and energies to ideologies and currents of thoughts alien to the faith! No few have justified violence as an answer and solution to the scourges of poverty and exclusion which tragically wound our peoples!”. The Church, striving to grow in fidelity to the Lord of life never ceases to give a response starting from the deposit of faith to these many questions, illuminating with the Word of Life the vicissitudes of our people in America the Cardinal said.
“A poor Church encourages us not to pass by the afflicted but to be pilgrims following the footsteps of Jesus the Good Shepherd, to understand and help those who suffer poverty and exclusion to those outside the circuits of development…to announce to them the treasure of the beatitudes”. (R.Z.) (Agenzia Fides 20/2/2004; Righe 27; Parole 423).


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