Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lima (Agenzia Fides) - “We express our solidarity with the Bishops' statement and that of the pastoral ministers to the indigenous peoples in Peru, on 'The Value and Development of the Amazon Peoples,' and we denounce the similar situations present in other Latin American nations. It is a crime to continue exploiting the environment in this indiscriminate manner, especially as it is the source of life for humanity,” says the statement released at the close of the Latin American Meeting on Pastoral Ministry for Indigenous Peoples which was sponsored by the CELAM (Latin American Bishops' Council), February 9-12 in Lima, Peru.
The presentation of the meeting was made by Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela of Verapaz (Guatemala) , head of the Native Peoples Sections of CELAM, and brought together Bishops and executive secretaries of the commissions for “Pastoral Ministry with Native Peoples” from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and la Argentina. The talks focused on the theme: “The Word of God and inculturation,” with the following subtopics: Synod on the Word of God; the Word of God and inculturation; Bible studies in indigenous pastoral activity; and the native peoples and the Aparecida Document.
At the close of the Meeting, the participants issued a statement on the main conclusions and proposals from the Meeting. Among them were: strengthening the incarnation of the Christian faith in the life of the peoples that have a long historical tradition of faith and spirituality; emphasizing the importance of learning indigenous dialects; promotion of Catholic translations of the Bible into the various native dialects; place trust in the indigenous peoples, pastoral agents: priests, religious, parish leaders and catechists, so that they feel supported and find their place as protagonists in the process of the inculturation of the Gospel; that the Bible be more present in meetings, celebrations, and important life events; organize workshops for translators of the Bible and liturgical texts into indigenous languages.
“We encourage everyone to remain attentive and vigilant in the faith that we profess and the defense of the life and rights of the peoples, frequently threatened,” the Message concludes. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 16/2/2009)
