AMERICA/BRAZIL - The Pope will visit over 2,000 former drug addicts at Hope Farm, one of many authentic centres of detoxication and re-evangelisation

Friday, 11 May 2007

Guarantinguetá (Fides Service) - Over 2,000 former drug addicts will welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Hope Farm in the Sao Paulo district of Guarantinguetá on Saturday 12 May. The Hope Farms initiative, supported by the Catholic work Aid to the Church in Need, offers a future to young people abandoned by society, who grew up far from God or have strayed away from Him. Besides being centres of detoxication from drugs and alcohol, Hope Farms are authentic centres for re-evangelisation.
The farms began in 1979, when a German Franciscan father Hans Stapel arrived in a parish in Guaratinguetá, Sao Paulo. "Friggei Hans" - as he is known there - launched a series of social initiatives based on the Gospel. His idea was to enlist the help of local young people to offer concrete help to young drug addicts. Eventually a group decided to form a community and to work to support themselves. This centre of community life and work was a formula for success. Today there are more than 30 of these Farms in Brazil, one in Paraguay, one in Argentina, one in the Philippines, two in Germany and there are plans to open centres in Mexico, Guatemala and Mozambique.
During his visit Pope Benedict XVI will present a copy of the Children's Bible to the children of former drug addict couples living at the Farm. The Children's Bible has been printed in 153 languages and distributed to 138 countries and in many cases it is the first book to be printed in certain native tongues. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 11/5/2007; righe 31, parole 406)


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