All Pastoral Work Is
Mission Work, Pope Tells
Costa Rican Bishops
All pastoral work is
missionary work, Pope
Benedict XVI told
the bishops of Costa
Rica at a meeting in at
Vatican City. The
bishops are in Rome for
their five-yearly visit.
The Holy Father told the
Costa Rican bishops that
the people of their
country should
"constantly revitalize
their ancient and deep
Christian roots, their
vigorous popular
religiosity, and the
Marian piety they hold
so dear." He asked the
bishops - who were
completing their ad
limina visits - to think
of their pastoral work
as a constant effort at
further evangelization.
As "the bishop's main
collaborators in his
pastoral ministry," the
Pope continued, priests
need special attention.
He urged the bishops to
be diligent in the
selection, training, and
continuing direction of
their priests.
The laity, too, should
be involved in
missionary work, the
Pope continued, urging
Church leaders to "given
them encouragement and
constant attention."
That attention, he said,
should include a special
effort to fight "the
increasing deterioration
of the institution of
the family"-- an effort
that could include
better pre-marital
preparation and more
specific programs to
address the causes of
marital discord and
family breakdowns.
Pope Benedict
acknowledged the
challenges posed by
aggressive sects in
Costa Rica. These sects,
he observed, prey on
"lethargic and
superficial faith." So
it is even more
important for Catholic
bishops to give their
people a sure foundation
in the faith and to
reinvigorate their zeal
for the Gospel.
76.3% of the population
Costa Rica is Catholic.
The 13.7% remaining
belong to evangelical
denominations. Jehovah's
Witnesses account for
1.3% of the population. |
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