Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - The testimony of Pope Francis in favor of the family with concrete gestures and with the III Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the canonization of two Popes, the anniversary of the II Vatican Council and the proclamation of the Year of Consecrated life, are the signs of the times, "indicators of the path of evangelization" cited by His Exc. Mgr. Diego Padrón Sanchez, Archbishop of Cumaná and President of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (CEV), in inaugurating the 103th Plenary Assembly of the CEV, which takes place from January 7 to 12 in Caracas.
In this context, according to the text sent to Agenzia Fides, Mgr. Padrón Sánchez said: "The fifth centenary of the founding of the Archdiocese of Cumanà is an event of great historical and ecclesial importance. A Bishops’ letter will highlight the beginnings of the evangelization of Venezuela as 'Tierra de Gracia' with the contribution, up to the martyrdom, of the Franciscan and Dominican missionaries".
Therefore Mgr. Padrón Sánchez talked about the national situation: "Every day Venezuelan citizens suffer the crisis in first person. An ethical-political, economic and social crisis. The starting point of this crisis is, on the one hand, the loss of Republican moral values and, secondly, the nature and the services of the system that governs us. It is now common to say that Venezuela has lost respect among people and respect for the institutions. But has also lost the principles of legality and morality that are the basis of the legal and constitutional framework".
At the conclusion of his speech, the President of the CEV proposed dialogue to get out of this dramatic reality, dominated by violence and poverty: "The National Assembly should be the first example of dialogue in the Country. On behalf of the CEV, I propose again dialogue between the government and other sectors of the country, as a way to find a mutually agreed solution". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 08/01/2015)
