2013-05-10 17:16:47

Pope urges French Church to be close to poor


10 May, 2013 - Open the doors of your communities so that animated by the sacrament of love, your communities may become meeting places of charity for all who are in need of a brotherly hand. This is the encouragement that Pope Francis gave in a message sent by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to participants in the concluding meeting of “Diaconia 2013” taking place in the famous Marian shrine of Lourdes in France, May 9-11. “Diaconia 2013” on the theme of brotherly service is a 3-year initiative launched in 2011 by the French Catholic Church’s National Council for Solidarity, calling on dioceses, Church communities and institutions to live more closely and in brotherhood and hope with those in difficult situations. In his message, the Pope noted that today’s severe financial, economic and ecological crisis was particularly hitting the vulnerable, and the Church, in the footsteps of Christ, was accompanying all those who are being crushed by life’s trials. In this crisis, the Pope said, the Church’s contribution is to bring about a creative love driven by faith, away from those selfish ideologies that exacerbate poverty. Being a Catholic is not an obstacle to collaborating with others because Christ wants his disciples to be the light of the world and the signs of the goodness, compassion and fatherly tenderness of God for each person, the Pope added. (Source: Ansa)








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