AMERICA - Latin American Bishops protagonists of the "Pact of the Catacombs"

Monday, 16 November 2015 bishops evangelization poverty

AMERICA

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Lima (Agenzia Fides) - Today, 16 November, 50 years after the "Pact of the Catacombs", marks a special moment in the life of the Church, particularly in Latin America, as the Jesuit missionaries in Peru point out in a note sent to Agenzia Fides.
During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) a group of Bishops, primarily from Latin America, led by the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Mgr. Helder Camara, met regularly to discuss the theme of the "Church of the poor" that John XXIII had proposed. On November 16, 1965, just days before the closure of the Council, numerous Council Fathers – at the beginning they were 40 - met at the Catacombs of St. Domitilla, in Rome, to celebrate the Eucharist together and sign a "commitment" to which shortly after other 500 Bishops joined.
The document, then known as the "Pact of the Catacombs", committed the signatories to live imbued with the spirit of the Gospel, in poverty and humility, with the heart and mind on the pastoral ministry.
The text sent to Fides underlines the commitment of the signatories at a personal level (with the renunciation of luxury goods, etc.) and at a pastoral level, suggesting options for evangelization directed to the most marginalized and vulnerable. The last paragraph of the commitment states: "When we return to our respective dioceses, we will make the faithful aware of our resolution, asking them to help us with their understanding, their help and their prayers. Help us God to be faithful". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 16/11/2015)