Pope’s general prayer intention for March

(March 01, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI is urging us to join him this month of March to pray that the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and progress in justice and peace. According to the latest statistics of the Catholic Church, 49.4% of the world’s 1.18 billion Catholics live in the Americas, most of them in Latin America. With 71 percent of Latin Americans considering themselves Catholic, Latin America remains the world’s most Catholic continent. Yet the continent is often torn by violence, poverty, and injustice. Many Latin America countries are celebrating their bicentennials this year, yet 200 years of independence have not led Latin America to justice and peace. In last year’s Lenten message, Pope Benedict pointed out that injustice is not something that comes from outside us. Injustice, the fruit of evil, originates in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious cooperation with evil. To bring about justice one needs to leave the illusion of self-sufficiency, which is the very origin of injustice. The Pope has made clear that it takes more than being Catholic and free for a nation to live in justice and peace. To achieve a just and peaceful society, people must walk in the Gospel. This truth is just as valid for all countries of the world. There can be no true justice and peace without the people walking faithfully in the Gospel.