Pope: Catholics must bring Gospel to world debased by poverty, abuses

Published: 2007-05-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The primary task of every Catholic is to bring the Gospel message to a world debased by poverty, violence and human rights abuses, Pope Benedict XVI said. Through its missionary action, the pope said, the church can "guide and evangelize cultural, social and ethical transformations and offer Christ's salvation to modern humankind, debased and oppressed in so many parts of the world because of endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial of human rights." While renewed efforts for evangelization have proven fruitful, there is "still more to be done to answer the missionary call the Lord tirelessly makes to every baptized person," he said in his message for World Mission Sunday 2007. The Vatican released this year's message May 29, ahead of World Mission Sunday, to be celebrated Oct. 21 in most dioceses. Addressing this year's theme, "All the Churches for All the World," the pope focused on the need for every local church to breathe new life into its missionary mandate.

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