Pope Benedict: Evangelization of Cultures must be a Priority

"The evangelization of cultures is a priority task to ensure that the Word of God remains accessible to everyone"

VATICAN CITY (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

"Your pastors' hearts", the Pope told the bishops, "are filled with concern for the increase in violence and poverty that affects large numbers of the population and causes extensive emigration to other countries, with grave repercussions on personal and family life.

This situation is an invitation for you to renew your efforts to show everyone the merciful face of the Lord, of Whom the Church is called to be the image, accompanying and serving with generosity and dedication, especially those who suffer and are most in need".

The Holy Father then went on to refer to the Guatemalan people's "profound religious sentiment, rich in forms of popular expression which must mature into solid Christian communities".

And he reminded bishops that "firmness in the faith and participation in the Sacraments strengthens your faithful against the risk posed by sects or by supposedly charismatic groups, which create disorientation and can even endanger ecclesial communion".

"The tradition of your cultures sees in the family the basic nucleus of existence and of transmission of faith and values", said the Pope. However, given the "serious pastoral and human challenges" which the institution of the family is facing, "the Church remains dedicated ... to the solid formation of people who are preparing for marriage, constantly infusing faith and hope into homes and praying that, with the necessary help, they may fulfil their responsibilities".

Benedict XVI also reminded bishops that their priests "need constant encouragement to continue along the path of true priestly sanctity, ... as well as the means necessary to increase their human and theological formation".

Finally, the Holy Father turned his attention to the impact on evangelization of the Second American Missionary Congress, held in Guatemala in 2003, and of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrated in Brazil in 2007.

He invited the bishops "to continue with renewed energy the Church's evangelizing mission in the context of modern cultural movements and globalisation, giving fresh vigour to preaching and catechesis, and proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the foundation and raison d'etre for all believers".

"The evangelization of cultures", he concluded, "is a priority task to ensure that the Word of God remains accessible to everyone and, absorbed into the mind and heart, becomes the light that illuminates those cultures and the water that purifies them with the message of the Gospel which brings salvation for all humankind".