Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – During an event held yesterday, September 21, organized by the magazine “Palabra” and Centro Accademico Romano Fundacion (CARF), a special issue on “The Church in Latin America, Two Hundred Years After Independence” was presented in Madrid. On the occasion, the Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas, Bishop Fernando José Castro Aguayo, showed that this special edition of the magazine offers insight into the situation of the Church in Latin America and also stressed the importance of the priest in the Church's evangelizing mission: "We should all be disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ. But the presence of the priest is irreplaceable. A parish without a priest is a tragedy. It should be against the mission of the Church think that the priest is not necessary."
According to information received by Fides, during the presentation Deacon Yosep Guzman, of the Diocese of Huancavelica (Peru), highlighted the shortage of priests in Latin America. In particular, in Huancavelica there is a priest for every 12,000 inhabitants. Despite the material poverty that exists in many places, "there is a strong desire for God and the Church," he added.
The editor of Palabra, Alfonso Riobó, said this is the first event organized jointly by the magazine and CARF, given the common interest of both entities for the training of priests. He also made an overview of the "special issues" of the magazine, which regularly appear in April and August/September.
Spain is the European country that has the highest number of missionary priests in America: in addition to various religious congregations that maintain missions in Latin America, there is also IEME (the Spanish Institute for Foreign Missions) that in over the course of its long missionary journey, with 100 years of history, has brought together diocesan priests who wish to participate in the missionary activity of the Church. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 09/22/2010)
