Chile: Lay Catholics called to share in evangelization

Santiago, Chile, Oct 25, 2011 / 11:57 am

Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati of Santiago, Chile urged Catholics to share in the new evangelization, explaining that they are called to make the message of Christ present in the public life.
 
The Chilean archbishop noted that every Catholic receives this mission at the moment of baptism. “As the Church we are called to experience the changes of today’s world with great discernment in order to differentiate between what is permanent and what is passing.” He added that Catholics must discover everything “in the daily life that leads us to Jesus Christ.”

Archbishop Ezzati spoke at the Fourth International Congress on Catholics and the Public Life held Oct. 21 in Chile.
 
Other speakers at the event included philosopher Joaquin Garcia-Huidobro, who spoke on the secularization of society. “The hearts of many people are empty and unsatisfied, and for this reason they are indignant,” he said. 

He called for a strengthening of faith because “when Christianity is weakened, so is everything else because of the lack of morality.”
 
The director of CNA, Alejandro Bermudez, also spoke at the event on “the fears of Catholics.”  He noted that this issue does not get enough attention and is manifested in the presumption that Catholics are the ones who must defend themselves. However, he added, they are not sufficiently prepared to proclaim Christ. 

Bermudez recalled the pontificate of John Paul II and said his papacy could be summed up with the phrase, “Be not afraid.”
 
Also speaking at the event was Ronald Brown. Brown organized a recent march in Santiago on the “joy of being Catholic” that brought out more than 50,000 young people.