Latin American challenge: Bishops' plans must be creative, courageous

Published: 2007-05-25

APARECIDA, Brazil (CNS) -- The sweeping scope of Pope Benedict XVI's speech opening a major meeting of the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean left the prelates free to address the banes and blessings of the modern world. The question is whether the pastoral guidelines they are crafting will enable the church to confront the region's challenges prophetically, with creativity and courage. The first draft of the document that will be one legacy of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean is an encouraging, though disorganized, step in that direction. Distributed to the bishops May 24, it is still rough and is expected to undergo three more revisions. The bishops are grappling with the fundamental question of how to inspire Catholics to take ownership of their faith, seek a personal conversion that leads them to follow Jesus, and live out that commitment in the church and the world. The church leaders must candidly examine trends in both society and the church that lead some Catholics to join evangelical groups while a much larger number remain Catholic in name only.

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