Pope urges Brazil bishops to reinvigorate faith life, engage in true ecumenism

(September 10, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged the Catholic Church of Brazil to launch a vigorous re-evangelization effort aimed at building an authentic faith life in their faithful based on a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict’s exhortation came in his address to a group of 28 bishops from northeast Brazil who are currently on their so-called ‘ad limina’ visit, which heads of all dioceses are required to make every 5 years to report on the state of their jurisdiction. The Holy Father reminded the bishops of the Christian roots of Brazil, where the first Mass was celebrated and the Gospel preached over 5 centuries ago. But while the values of the Catholic faith have shaped the hearts and minds of Brazilians, the Pope lamented that today many Catholics were abandoning church life or even the Church, while evangelical communities and neo-Pentecostals were growing rapidly. The success of these Christian sects, the Pope observed is a sign of widespread thirst for God among the people and also an indication of the weakness and superficiality of the faith life of Catholics. He therefore urged the Brazilian bishops to launch a vigorous new evangelization that aims building a deep faith life among the people based on a personal encounter with the living Christ. Pope Benedict further urged the Brazilian bishops to engage in healthy ecumenical dialogue in truth, saying division among Christians is a scandal which ultimately undermines the credibility of Christians and evangelization. The Pope said that proclamation of the Christian message is even more urgent today than before as even in the small towns of Brazil there is a growing negative influence of intellectual and moral relativism in the life of people.