ECUADOR: PASTORAL MINISTRIES MUST EMBRACE ALL MILIEUX

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received this morning the prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

In his speech, the Pope referred to "the Global Pastoral Plan of the Church in Ecuador from 2001-2010, which," he said, "must implement effective activities, continued and coordinated, that invigorate ordinary pastoral ministries in this first decade of the first millennium. In this sense, I remind you that any pastoral plan must have the sanctity of every Christian as its ultimate and unrelinquishable goal."

"For this reason," he continued, "no effort must be spared to promote those most fundamental resources of evangelical action, without which the success of any programing would be seriously comprised. Capillary and organized vocational pastoral care must be included among these, without a doubt, so that it takes into account the world's indigenous environments with their peculiarities, but without creating separations or, much less, discrimination."

John Paul II urged them to "take great care also in the permanent formation of priests, which should include, in addition to required theological updating, a constant stimulus to their spiritual life, which strengthens their fidelity to the duties acquired with ordination and stimulates all their pastoral work from their experience of faith in Christ."

He went on to say: "Particular attention must be applied to the formation of the laity and to their role and mission in the Church." He indicated that they must ask all baptized people to "not only manifest their Christian identity but also to be effective craftsmen, within their field, of a social order inspired ever more in justice and less conditioned by corruption, disloyal antagonism or lack of solidarity. It would be a contradiction to invoke ethical principles, denouncing some morally deplorable situations and not demanding from those who are in the field of business, politics or public administration that they put into practice the values proclaimed with such insistency by the Church and her shepherds."

Then, speaking about the fundamental right of families to educate their children according to their own faith, the Pope expressed his desire that the "right formulas are found so that the right to liberty of education may soon be a fuller and more effective reality for all."

He recalled that the Church "considers a great treasure the variety of ways in which the Gospel and ecclesiastical message can be expressed." And he stated: "An attitude that concerns itself exclusively with keeping intact all the traditional components of a human group, not only compromises the authentic announcement of the Good News of the Gospel - which is also leaven in diverse cultures and a promoter of new civilizations - but also, paradoxically, favors (the group's) insulation with respect to other communities and, above all, to the great family of the people of God all over the globe."

John Paul II concluded by inviting all the Ecuadorian pastors to create a "pastoral ministry of emigration that helps families that are separated not to lose contact with those that are far away and that establishes the necessary channels with the dioceses of destiny in order to assure them of the necessary religious assistance, in such a way that their roots and Christian traditions are not lost."

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