Lima, Peru, May 2, 2007 / 10:34 am
Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said this week the upcoming 5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council will be addressing some of the main challenges facing the region, including the family and the attacks against it, priestly vocations and the need for renewed catechesis.
In an interview with CNA, Cardinal Medina Estevez said the family “is very threatened in Latin America by the existence of divorce laws, by cultural customs, in conflict with Christian morality, such as cohabitation outside marriage” and the legalization of such unions, “including between persons of the same sex.”
The cardinal also underscored the importance of the family in promoting priestly vocations. “If the family structure is not sound, it is much more difficult for priestly vocations to come about.”
Referring to the issues to be discussed at the 5th CELAM conference, Cardinal Medina said, “There is a need for strong emphasis on catechesis, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, either in its abbreviated form or in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which are both high quality pastoral tools.”