VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni in Lubango: "a renewed Church, starting from renewed missionaries, becomes a missionary Church"

Saturday, 17 November 2018 filoni   local churches   missionary animation  

Lubango (Agenzia Fides) - "May the Church of Angola be a Church that goes forth and may her children be true missionary disciples so as to give a new missionary impulse in the process of the new era of evangelization": this is the intention of prayer that Cardinal Fernando Filoni entrusted to the Clarisse Sisters during his visit to their convent, in Lubango, on the morning of Friday 16 November, during his pastoral visit in Angola for the 50th anniversary of the Episcopal Conference (see Fides 9/11/2018). In his greetings, the Cardinal cited the recent Apostolic Constitution "Vultum Dei quaerere" of Pope Francis, on the contemplative life of women, expressing admiration for the donation and consecration of the religious: "The Church counts on your prayer and your immolation to bring to the men and women of our time the good news of the Gospel. The Church needs you!"
Subsequently, Cardinal Filoni met with missionaries, clergy, religious and deacons of the Apostolic Prefecture of Lubango. "A renewed Church, starting from her renewed missionaries, is a missionary Church that is flourishing, proclaiming the joy of the Gospel; it will bear fruit in its great vitality and in its missionary activity; the missionary conscience will awaken in all the faithful", the Cardinal underlined: At the beginning of his speech the Prefect of the Missionary Dicastery said: "I am happy to meet all of you, beloved priests, who in various ways and places, despite the difficulties that you meet, you are committed in the work of evangelization in these dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Lubango".
In the perspective of the extraordinary Missionary Month of October 2019, Cardinal Filoni urged "to renew the encounter with Christ" so as to give new impetus to the missionary transformation of pastoral care: "an interior renewal is needed to renew our Church and our dioceses and parishes". The Cardinal then presided at the Eucharistic Concelebration in the Cathedral of Lubango before leaving Lubango. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 17/11/2018)


Share: