Pope Sends Message to Brazilian Ecological Group

“Digital Paths” Must Be Accompanied By True Encounter

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The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has sent a message on behalf of the Holy Father to the participants in the meeting of the Ecclesial Pan-Amazonian Network in Brasilia, Brazil, which concludes tomorrow. The message is addressed to Archbishop Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno S.J., of Huancayo, Colombia, president of the Department of Justice and Solidarity of the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council).

The Pope, referring to his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii gaudium”, remarks that the participants in the meeting respond to the crucial challenge of “living together, of mingling, of meeting, of taking each other’s hands, of supporting each other, of participating in this chaotic and high tide so that it may be transformed into a true experience of fraternity, a cavalcade of solidarity, a holy pilgrimage. In this way, the great potential of communication translates into greater possibilities for encounter and solidarity”.

Francis expresses his joy at seeing the results of his appeal for the creation of an innovative network dedicated specifically to ecological matters related to the Amazon and his hopes for the outcome of the initiative. He also takes the opportunity to remind those present that the network must be rich in humanity – a network not of threads, but of people. “It is not enough to circulate on digital ‘paths’”, he writes. “It is necessary for this connection to be accompanied by true encounter: we cannot live alone, closed up in ourselves; we need to love and be loved, and we need tenderness. Only in this way can Christian witness, thanks to this network, reach the existential peripheries of humanity, facilitating the work of Christian leaven and bringing progress to the living cultures of Amazonia and their values”.

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