.- As
the Catholic Church in Latin America prepares to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of the death of its patron Saint, St. Toribio de Mogrovejo,
the Vatican has released Pope Benedict’s official message for the event
in which he recalls the Saint’s profound impact on the region and the
world.
St. Toribio was
the second archbishop of Lima, Peru and celebrations for his feast are
being held in Lima from April 24th through the 29th.
In his message
for the occasion, Pope Benedict XVI addressed Cardinal Juan Luis
Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, as well as the bishops, priests,
religious and laity from around Latin America participating in the
event.
He invited them
to "consider this anniversary as a providential opportunity to
reactivate the journey of the Church in the various dioceses, drawing
inspiration from the life and work of St. Toribio."
That saint, the
Holy Father wrote, "distinguished himself for his selfless commitment
to the edification and consolidation of the ecclesial communities of
his day. He did so with a great spirit of communion and collaboration,
always seeking unity as is shown by his calling of the third provincial
council of Lima (1582-1583), ... one fruit of which was the so-called
Catechism of St. Toribio."
The pontiff also highlighted the conciliar seminary in Lima, founded by St. Toribio which still exists today.
He expressed his
particular hope that the seminary "may continue to give abundant fruit,
precisely at a time when it is urgently necessary to promote vocations
to the priesthood and consecrated life in order to face the immense
task of building Christian communities that gather joyfully on Sunday,
perform the Sacraments, foment spiritual life, transmit and cultivate
the faith, bear witness of resolute hope, and always practice charity."
"St. Toribio's
profound missionary spirit," the Holy Father continued, was apparent in
"his efforts to learn various languages in order to be able to preach
personally to all those entrusted to his pastoral care."
The Pope
concluded his message saying that this fact "was also a sign of his
respect for the dignity of all human beings, whatever their condition,
in whom he always sought to promote the joy of feeling themselves to be
true children of God."
Church in Latin America, worldwide should draw inspiration from life of St. Toribio, says Pope
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