Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cuautitlan Izcalli (Agenzia Fides) – Poverty in Mexico is “a complex problem that, in order to be understood in its entirety, should be approached from various angles, not only from an economic viewpoint, but also from the point of view of culture, territory, human rights, anthropology, and hearing from the poor themselves who are not a mere figure in statistics, but have concrete names and faces.” This is what is affirmed in a statement issued at the close of the National Encounter for Pastoral and Social Ministry 2009, which had as its theme: “Poverty in Mexico,” and was held August 24-28 at the Mexican Bishops' Conference's headquarters in Cuautitlan Izcalli (State of Mexico).
The main objective of the meeting was to bring together leaders from various parts of social and pastoral ministry, to share their experiences, to study and reflect, and to pray “at the light of the Church's Social Doctrine, with a special focus on the Magisterium of the Holy Father Benedict XVI and the Final Document of Aparecida,” as was expressed in the invitational message issued by Bishop Gustavo Rodriguez Vega of Nuevo Laredo, President of the Bishops' Commission for Pastoral and Social Ministry in Mexico.
The statement issued by the organizers mentions that the theme chosen this year has led to a deeper examination of the reality of poverty in the nation. A special reflection has been made on “the wealth of the Bible and the Church's Social Doctrine,” in which one can “examine the reality of poverty from the faith.” In this context, “there is a need to reflect on what has been and what should be the role of the poor in the Christian community and what is the duty of each one in contributing to the establishment of a more just social order.”
As for the Church's Social Doctrine, one of the most significant moments of the encounter was a study of the recent social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, “Caritas in Veritate,” which was led by Fr. Sergio Bernal Restrepo, SJ. The participants sought to examine “the challenge that poverty presents to the mission of the Church and the ways to respond to it.” The hope is that “every diocese will develop strategies to work against poverty and aid the poor.”
According to information from the Bishops' Commission for Pastoral and Social Ministry, over 150 people were present at the Encounter and 200 more were able to participate in it thanks to “new technologies,” allowing many different group leaders from various countries “to share in the wealth of the various reflections.” (GT) (Agenzia Fides 1/9/2009)
