Evangelize: For pope, to know Gospel means to know Christ personally

Published: 2007-12-21

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a year-end meeting with the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI looked back on 2007 and identified a crucial theme: the need to evangelize. Rather than simply hitting the highlights of his ministry over the previous 12 months, the pope answered objections from those who see the church's missionary task as too marginal to today's problems or too problematic for interreligious dialogue. The pope's speech Dec. 21 focused in large part on his trip last May to Brazil, where he inaugurated a major meeting of Latin American bishops. The theme of that encounter was "Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ." The pope said some might object that the topic was too inward-looking in a world full of urgent injustices that need righting. In response, he emphasized a point that has become a touchstone of his pontificate: the Gospel cannot be implemented without a personal encounter with Christ.

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