AMERICA/BRAZIL - The Word of God at the center of the General Assembly of Bishops

Tuesday, 13 April 2021 episcopal conferences   bible   bishops   coronavirus  

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - With the Mass celebrated by Mgr. Joel Portella Amado, Auxiliary Bishop of Rio de Janeiro and Secretary General of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference (CNBB), in the chapel of the CNBB headquarters, broadcast by Brazilian Catholic TV channels and social networks, the 58th General Assembly of the Bishops' Conference of Brazil opened yesterday, April 12, which will close on April 16.
According to information released by the CNBB, sent to Agenzia Fides, the central theme of the works will be the Word of God, following the proposal of the General Guidelines for the Evangelizing Action of the Church in Brazil (DGAE 2019-2023). In addition, the Bishops will deepen 30 other topics related to the life of the Church and evangelization in Brazil.
The President of the CNBB, Mgr. Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, when opening the Assembly, welcomed those present, in particular the Bishops appointed in the last two years, and remembered the victims of the pandemic, asking for a moment of silence. Addressing the Brazilian Episcopate, he underlined the importance of technology "at the service of the courageous proclamation of the Word of God". The first session presented the 2019-2020 biennial report, the economic report and the central theme.
Mgr. José Antonio Peruzzo, Archbishop of Curitiba, stressed that "in the biblical tradition, the word is also a person". He then insisted that the word creates closeness between those who write it and those who read it, which shows the importance of the Word of God, of sharing that which is the source of life. Mgr. Paulo Jackson Nóbrega de Souza highlighted the "wonderful popular movement of Bible reading in Brazil and Latin America" that emerged thanks to the Dei Verbum, highlighting the importance of the Center for Biblical Studies - CEBI. The commitment must be aimed at ensuring that "the entire life of the people and of the ecclesial missionary communities, such as pastoral work and missionary work, are entirely animated by the power of the Word of God". The Bishop of Garanhuns spoke about the challenges of sowing the Word of God, emphasizing the need to discover the Bible as a source of structural change.
The goal to be achieved, according to Archbishop Armando Bucciol, Bishop of Livramento de Nossa Senhora, is that "people have a greater desire for the Word of God". The bishop spoke of the different spheres in which the Word of God should be sown: in the liturgy, highlighting the importance of the homily, in missionary action, in Christian initiation, in catechesis, in popular piety, in family, youth, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, in the media, in formation processes, among others. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 13/4/2021)


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