Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug 6, 2012 / 15:06 pm
Pope Benedict XVI is calling on Argentineans to be generous during a special collection to be held in the country on Sept. 9.
Locals should "bring a word of encouragement and an effective display of charity to those most in need," he said in a message to the country's bishops.
The Pope's appeal was sent to the president of the Bishops' Committee on Aid to Regions Most in Need, Bishop Adolfo Uriona, who is organizing the collection that will be taken up in all parishes in Argentina on the second Sunday of September.
In his message, Pope Benedict XVI invited Argentineans to "intensify their love for Christ, so that by identifying themselves more and more with the one who, though he was rich, became poor for us, they may bring a word of encouragement and an effective display of charity to those most in need."
The Pope entrusted the fruits of the special collection to the intercession of Our Lady of Lujan – the patroness of Argentina – and he bestowed his apostolic blessing upon all those who participate in it.