Vatican City, Mar 9, 2006 / 22:00 pm
As leaders of new Catholic Communities and lay Movements meet in Bogotá, Colombia this week, Pope Benedict XVI has sent a special message--by way of his secretary of state--calling for a missionary spirit among the groups, that aims to reach out to a suffering world who may not knowJesus Christ.
The Pontifical Council for the Laity is sponsoring the first ever Meeting of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in Latin America, being held from March 9th through the 12th.
Through Cardinal Angelo Sodano’s letter, which was sent to Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko,president of the Pontifical Council, the Holy Father encouraged congress participants"to share fraternally the wealth of their spirituality and experience,with the aim of invigorating Christian life in that part ofthe world, in which the Church lays so much hope."
Calling to mind the theme of the meeting, "Disciples and missionaries today, "the cardinal wrote that "like good disciples, the Movements and Communities are called to be both witnesses to and missionaries of the message they have received.”