
Pope arrives in Brazil stressing Christian
duty to defend life, solidarity
Sa Paulo, May 10, 2007 / 01:36 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI arrived
25 minutes early to a rainy Sao Paulo to open his visit to Brazil
with a call to Christians to defend the life of the unborn and
promote solidarity towards the poorest.
The Holy Father was received at the International airport of
Guarulhos by President Luiz Ignacio “Lula” da Silva, who welcomed
the Pope at a ceremony that had to be moved to an interior location
because of the light but persistent rain.
In his response to Lula’s greetings words, Pope Benedict said that
“Brazil has a very special place in the Pope’s heart, not only
because it was born Christian and has today the largest number of
Catholics, but above all because it is a nation endowed with a rich
potential and an ecclesial presence that gives joy and hope to the
whole Church.”
The Pope recalled that he has come “to preside the opening sessions
of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and
the Caribbean at Aparecida,” Brazil’s national Marian shrine.
“This country –he continued-, in the providence and goodness of the
Creator, will become the cradle of the ecclesial proposal that, with
God’s help, will give renewed vigor and missionary impetus to this
Continent.”
Benedict XVI recalled that “in this geographical area, Catholics are
in the majority. This means that they must make a particular
contribution to the common good of the nation. The word ‘solidarity’
will acquire its full meaning when the living forces of society,
each in its own sphere, commit themselves seriously to building a
future of peace and hope for all.”
Regarding the Fifth general Conference of Latin American Bishops,
that will start in the Marian Shrine of Aparecida on May 13 and will
last until the May 31st , Pope Benedict said that “the decision to
undertake an essentially missionary Conference reflects clearly the
concern of the Bishops, as it does mine, to seek suitable ways by
which in Jesus Christ ‘our peoples may have life,’ as the theme of
the Conference reminds us.”
“I am well aware that the soul of this people, as of all Latin
America, safeguards values that are radically Christian, which will
never be eradicated. I am certain that at Aparecida, during the
Bishops’ General Conference, this identity will be reinforced
through the promotion of respect for life from the moment of
conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human
nature. It will also make the promotion of the human reason the axis
of solidarity, especially towards the poor and abandoned,” the Pope
added.
“The Church –the Pope continued- seeks to stress the moral values
present in each situation and to form the conscience of the citizens
so that they may make informed and free decisions. She will not fail
to insist on the need to take action to ensure that the family, the
basic cell of society, is strengthened, and likewise young people,
whose formation is a decisive factor for the future of any nation.”
“Last but not least, she will defend and promote the values present
at every level of society, especially among indigenous people,” he
concluded.
After the opening ceremony, Pope Benedict rode the “Popemovile”
through the crowded streets of Sao Paulo, Bazil’s largest city, to
the Monastery of St. Benedict, in the city centre, where he will
reside until he travels to Aparecida on Saturday.
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