Vatican City, Feb 28, 2008 / 09:47 am
Upon completing their “ad limina” visit, five of El Salvador’s bishops met with Pope Benedict XVI in a midday audience on Thursday. The Pontiff told the prelates that combating their country’s scourge of violence must be done at the material level and at the spiritual level, through “ambitious and audacious” evangelization.
Before speaking about the obstacles faced by Salvadorans, the Pope highlighted how most Salvadoran people "are characterized by their living faith and deep religious sentiment.” He also recalled the rich history of the faith in El Salvador. “The Gospel, taken there by the first missionaries and fervently preached by pastors full of love for God such as Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, has become deeply rooted in that beautiful land, bringing abundant fruits of Christian life and sanctity."
Benedict XVI remarked on the fact that poverty forces many people to emigrate "in search of better living conditions, often bringing negative consequences to the stability of marriage and the family." He also recognized the prelates' efforts "to promote reconciliation and peace in the country and so overcome the painful events of the past."
Referring to violence, which "is considered as your country's most serious problem, you recognize" the Pope told the bishops "that its increase is the direct consequence of other deeper social scourges such as poverty, a lack of education, the progressive loss of those values which have always forged the Salvadorian soul, and the break-up of families. The truth is that the family is a vital asset for the Church and for society, as well as being a basic factor in constructing peace."