Pope tells Brazil's bishops to be clear on family, faith, justice

Published: 2007-05-11

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Brazilian bishops to resist attacks on marriage and the family, seek out fallen-away Catholics and defend the rights and dignity of the poor. In a lengthy speech May 11, the pope laid out guidelines for what he termed a "methodical evangelization aimed at personal and communal fidelity to Christ." What is needed in Brazil, he said, is a "leap forward in the quality of people's Christian lives ... so that they can bear witness to their faith in a clear and transparent way." Brazil's 446 bishops constitute the largest episcopate in the world. The papal encounter in the Sao Paulo cathedral came two days before the pope was to inaugurate a Latin American-wide conference to deal with similar pastoral challenges. The pope rode in a popemobile from his monastic residence to the cathedral, a 20th-century Gothic structure in the heart of the city. Tens of thousands of onlookers lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the pontiff, who was to leave Sao Paulo for Aparecida later in the day.

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