Cardinal Rouco: abandonment of God is cause of crisis of loneliness

Madrid, Spain, Jan 21, 2008 / 19:36 pm

During the ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela said that the abandonment of God in today’s society is the reason for the “radical loneliness” that leads to crises in marriages and families.

During his homily at the Mass of ordination, the cardinal from Madrid stressed that “the idea that ‘God has died’ has left unequivocal signs in contemporary society, among others, that of loneliness in people.”

“There is no human power that can fill the space for God in the consciences of people and, consequently, in the heart and the interior of society,” he added.

“This radical loneliness is the typical malady of today’s society, and it is at the heart of the crises and breakups of marriages and families,” the cardinal said, pointing out that “only God can cure that loneliness.”

Faced with the contemporary situation, during which “times will come in which people will no longer tolerate sound doctrine,” Cardinal Rouco pointed out that “the mission of the bishop is that of proclaiming God, insisting in season and out of season, reprimanding, reproving and exhorting with all patience,” in a reference to the words of St. Paul.

“Only by being true and authentic witnesses of Jesus Christ,” the cardinal continued, and confronting the battle of ideas and the just ordering of society, with “apostolic service to the word of truth and a life a humble love for others can the bishop effectively contribute to making every community of the faithful ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’.” “Only in this way will hope again begin to flourish,” he said.