Thursday 14 August 2008

By John Newton with Eva-Maria Kolmann

Pope Benedict XVI is marking the launch of a continent-wide mission in Latin America by giving the national Churches a special picture of Christ.

The 24 Latin-American Churches taking place in the "grand continental mission" have each received a copy of the painting Cristo de la Misión (Christ of the Mission).

The mission, to be launched in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, on Sunday 17 August, will be the first time that such an initiative has been attempted.

Xavier Legorreta, head of Latin America projects for Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need described how the image, which ACN paid for at the Pope’s request, was a key part of the mission.

Mr Legorreta said: "This picture is a symbol of this historic mission – around the image of Our Lord it shows the continent’s 500-year history of evangelisation.

"With this mission the Church will once more reach out to the problems facing South America, following the example of St Paul in spreading the gospel."

The Latin American mission, which is receiving key funding from ACN, was agreed on in May 2007 by CELAM (Latin American Bishops’ Conference), during Pope Benedict’s trip to Brazil.
During his visit, the Holy Father presented the Churches of Latin America with the original of Cristo de la Misión – a triptych by Peruvian artist Eduardo Velasquez painted in the traditional Mestizo style, which blends Latin American and European influences.

At the time the bishops expressed their hope for a 'new Pentecost' in South America and renewed commitment to evangelisation throughout the continent.

The aim of the mission will be to deepen and strengthen people’s understanding of the Catholic Faith.

The bishops’ conference hoped the mission would reinforce ongoing efforts towards "renewing ecclesial communities and pastoral structures, to find ways to transmit faith in Christ."

It is also hoped that the mission will draw people back to the Church, which has lost members because of the missionary zeal of sects and increasing materialism.

Speaking to ACN in July, Archbishop José Antonio Eguren Anselmi of Piura, Peru, said that the challenge of the mission would be to reawaken people’s faith.

He said: "Faith is there in their hearts, but it sleeps. The challenge is to awaken the faith in their hearts, to bring back to the Church those who have gone."

The opening Mass will be attended by the presidents of all the bishops’ conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean.

[ACN]