Argentinean bishop calls on laity to work for common good

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 30, 2010 / 04:55 pm MT (CNA).-

During the Diocesan Assembly of the Laity, Bishop Jorge Jugones of Lomas de Zamora in Argentina stressed the need for more Catholics to be committed to the promotion of the human person and the common good of society.

Bishop Jugones said there is a disconnect between public officials at the local, regional and national level, and society. He called the situation troubling because people do not feel they are represented or understood. “The crises in our institutions have been long coming.  It is a crisis of meaning and of programs that have no benefit for the country,” he added.

For this reason, he continued, the laity must have a more “direct and specific presence” in society, in order to show “the face of the local Church: credible because of its closeness, open because of its hospitality and testimonial because of its spirit of sacrifice.”

Bishop Jugones urged lay Catholics to work together with all social, cultural and religious organizations to overcome social inequality and to reach out to those who feel marginalized.  They should be “artisans of dialogue, avoiding individualism.”

Holiness is essential, he added, “for the social action of the laity in the world to be effective.”