.- The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, called on Venezuelans to imitate the evangelical zeal of St. John Bosco and strengthen the unity of the Church amidst the aggressive secularism that is expressed in religious intolerance and attacks on Pope Benedict XVI.
During the Mass which closed the tour of the relics of St. John Bosco around the country, the cardinal said that, amidst the attacks on the Church, religious confusion and the manipulation of the Gospel, Christians must be more and more united. He called on his listeners to “live our holy religion with pride in order to proclaim the authentic faith, to defend our rights and the ability of Christians to be active in political and social life, and to work without fear for freedom and justice within the bounds of the Constitution and the laws.”
The relics of Don Bosco visited Venezuela as part of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesians and in preparation for the bicentennial of the saint’s birth, which will take place in 2015.
Likewise, he called on the faithful to be “ambassadors of Christ,” imitating the evangelical zeal of the saint who founded the Salesian spiritual family. St. John Bosco, he recalled, “is an ambassador of Christ because he bears witness to the immense love of the Heart of Jesus by drawing close to young people and the poor with his words, his kindness and his joy, with his charisma of a father, teacher and friend.”
Cardinal Urosa also exhorted priests to follow Don Bosco’s example because, “like the Cure of Ars, he also taught us how a priest should be and act.” Don Bosco lived “as an authentic man of God, profoundly identified with Jesus Christ and animated by an intense filial love for Mary Most Holy, the Help of Christians,” which is the model priests today should follow.
Don Bosco was “a messenger of the Gospel, a tireless pastor always in search of the sheep and at the service of others,” said the cardinal. “He taught us that nothing is as important as the proclamation of Christ so that souls can go to Him.”
