Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cochabamba (Agenzia Fides) – At the close of the 16th Meeting of National Leaders of Youth Ministry in Latin America, which was held October 25-30 in Cochabamba, with a considerable number of representatives from the 20 countries of Latin America, the following Final Message was published.
“In the context of the continental mission in which our Catholic Church is called to respond to the time of grace that the Spirit is giving Latin America today, as pastoral workers – laity, religious, priests, and Bishops – we have been called together by the Latin American Youth Ministry Leaders and the Youth Section of CELAM, to reflect on the theme: 'The youth, disciples and missionaries for the life of our peoples.' We now share with you the fire that the Lord Jesus has placed in our hearts when he walked with us in these days of prayer, reflection, listening, work, and celebration.
We have seen the paths of life and the paths of death that exist in the three fundamental dimensions of our existence: the youth dimension, the ecclesial dimension, and the social dimension. Jesus continues to invite us to become his disciples, missionaries of real-life circumstances. At the close of our encounter, we feel the profound desire to rise and return to our people, return to the heart of the Church and meet with the youth to invite them to share their life with Jesus. Thus, we make our commitment before God and you, to continue fighting to renew our youth ministry on the Latin American continent. We thank our brethren from Bolivia, who have made us feel at home with their warmth and hospitality, and have enriched us with their culture and reminded us that we are all part of the same family, a great Latin-American family, working together in prayer for the good of this beautiful country and all Latin America and the Caribbean.” (CE) (Agenzia Fides 04/11/2009)
