In May 2007, Bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean region voted
overwhelmingly (127-2) to approve a final document calling the region's
Catholics to renew their commitment to discipleship and mission and
setting directions for the church in the region for the next 10 to 15
years. The document, more than 100 pages long, was then sent to Pope
Benedict XVI, who approved the text now known as the "Aparecida
Document," the master plan for the New Evangelization in Latin America.
The experience of Aparecida offers a powerful message of hope and some
best practices to pastoral ministers and church leaders.
...
The Aparecida document has a strong evangelical thrust. It says that
everyone in the Church is baptized to be a missionary. No one comes
out of the baptismal font without a job! Furthermore, there is no place
that is not mission territory. Everything in the Church must be
mission-driven.
The Aparecida document also speaks clearly and positively about the
person and role of Jesus Christ. One can see and hear the person of
Pope Benedict XVI on nearly every page of the document. The raison
d'etre of evangelization is to foster friendship with Jesus Christ, the
Son of God who reveals both the face of the merciful Father and the
truth about our humanity.
The Aparecida document is not a defensive document. If Catholics are
leaving the Church and finding a spiritual home in Pentecostal
communities, it is not the fault of those individual Catholics but of
the Church. The Catholic Church must honestly ask herself what is
missing in her presentation of the Gospel and the authentic, full living
of the Gospel. Unless we are blatantly honest without our past errors,
current malaise, lack of creativity and inability to connect with the
modern world, and without a willingness to fill those gaps, we will
continue to witness massive departures of the faithful from the Catholic
Church. The old adage "build it and they will come" must be taken to
heart. Because if we don't build new structures and welcoming places,
the people will simply go elsewhere, and those "elsewheres" are often
not the most lifegiving places for our people.
The antidotes to our pastoral failures are what the bishops gathered
in Aparecida call the necessity of "permanent catechesis": an ongoing
encounter with the Lord Jesus, deepened spiritually through Word and
Sacrament, the Bible and the Eucharist.
...
At Aparecida and in the document that now bears the name of that
hallowed shrine, bishops promised to defend the poor and excluded,
including children, people who are ill or have disabilities, at-risk
youths, the elderly, prisoners and migrants. They also pledged to
promote formation for Christian politicians and legislators "so they
contribute to the building of a just and fraternal society."
Bishops promised that the church will work to ensure "health, food,
education, housing and work for all" and to combat the ills of society
such as abortion, war, kidnapping, armed violence, terrorism, sexual
exploitation, drug trafficking and corruption.
Bishops also affirmed several key elements of liberation theology,
even though those two words never appear in the official documents.
After nearly thirty years of confusion and controversy, in Aparecida
liberation theology's authentic, lasting legacy begins to emerge.
But perhaps the most visible fruit of the Aparecida document was
made known to the world on the night of March 13, 2013, when one of the
participants in the Aparecida Conference, who was himself one of the
architects of the masterful, pastoral teaching, appeared on the loggia
of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and was presented to the world with a
new name: "Francis." If you wish to understand what Aparecida was all
about, listen to Francis and watch his profound simple gestures. But
more than simply listening and watching, imitate them. For in the
person of Pope Francis, millions who flock to Brazil will have an
opportunity to see and hear the message of Aparecida in the flesh.
from Zenit
7/14/2013
The Message of Aparecida
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