The bishops of Latin
America and the Caribbean have gathered for the 40th Ordinary General Assembly
of CELAM
CELAM celebrates 70 years with a telegram from Pope Leo
XIV
The bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean gather for
the 40th Ordinary General Assembly of CELAM, marking 70 years since the first
General Conference of the Episcopate was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1955.
By Sebastián Sansón Ferrari
In a spirit of gratitude, living memory, and renewed
commitment, the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean have gathered for
the 40th Ordinary General Assembly of the Latin American and Caribbean
Episcopal Council (CELAM), marking 70 years since the first General Conference
of the Episcopate, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1955.
To commemorate this occasion, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram
to Cardinal Jaime Spengler, Archbishop of Porto Alegre and president of CELAM,
warmly greeting the Council and emphasizing the continuing importance of
ecclesial communion.
The Pope’s message summarizes the role CELAM has played in
the life of the Church on the American continents: an expression of episcopal
collegiality, an instrument of pastoral coordination, and a driving force for
evangelization in diverse and often painful contexts.
“I join you all in giving thanks to the Lord,” the Holy
Father states, “for this joyful anniversary, which reminds us how the Latin
American and Caribbean Episcopal Council is a sign of collegiality […] at the
service of the holy and faithful People of God who journey on that beloved
continent.”
A direct message
The message does not shy away from the painful reality
facing Latin America where “a great number of men and women are suffering
tribulation and poverty caused by ongoing crises at both the continental and
global levels.”
In the face of these challenges, the Pope encourages the
bishops not to lose sight of the centrality of the Risen Christ, who “protects
and guides the Church, rekindling hope within her.” His call is clear: go out
and meet those who dwell in the peripheries, wounded by injustice, and proclaim
to them the Gospel with “the joy that springs from a personal encounter with
Him.”
Both witness and participant
Since its foundation seven decades ago, CELAM has been both
witness to and participant in crucial ecclesial conferences: Medellín in 1968,
Puebla in 1979, Santo Domingo in 1992, and Aparecida in 2007. Each of these was
an expression of communal discernment in light of the signs of the times.
Today, in the era of synodality, this path takes on new dimensions and new
challenges.
From Bogotá, Colombia—where CELAM is headquartered—the
assembly not only looked back on its past, but projected itself forward with a
missionary spirit. As Pope Leo noted, the aim is to “seek, in true and
effective communion, pastoral initiatives that offer solutions grounded in the
criteria of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.”
At the close of his telegram, the Pope entrusts the bishops
to the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, mother of the peoples of the
Americas. He asks them to pray for him and imparts his apostolic blessing as a
“pledge of abundant heavenly gifts.”
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