Montevideo, Uruguay, May 18, 2011 / 12:01 pm
The head of the Vatican's commission for Latin America called on the region's bishops to work for the sanctification of Catholics in their area.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet exhorted the bishops to follow the example of Christ, "in every concrete place where we have been called to exercise our ministry."
The cardinal spoke during the inaugural Mass of the 33rd General Assembly of the Latin American Bishops' Council on May 16.
"By saying yes to God's call, we have placed our freedom at the service of the abundance of divine grace, without which, as our Lord says in the Gospel of St. John, we could do nothing," the cardinal continued.
He went on to say that it is an illusion to think one can understand the reality of Latin America and the Caribbean without viewing it through the lens of the truth contained in the Gospel.
"We must always go to the Good Shepherd to find the clues that lead us to the truth about ourselves and about the history of man and his destiny," the cardinal said.
He concluded his remarks recalling Blessed John Paul II, "who was a disciple for us and an exemplary missionary of the Good Pastor."
"Words are not enough, as we have been witnesses of his firm conviction for the truth of the Gospel and of his continuous pilgrimages throughout the entire world, bringing that truth and making it comprehensible to people regardless of age or condition, with an extraordinary ability to communicate," Cardinal Ouellet said.
The 33rd General Assembly will end May 20.