ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 4, 2024 / 09:00 am
Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, the president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (CEC) and archbishop of Bogotá, opened the 117th Plenary Assembly of the conference on July 1 in Bogotá with a reflection on the role of a bishop.
The Christian, and even more so the bishop, who places his trust in the cross and resurrection of Christ can face the most adverse situations, Rueda said.
Referring to the beatitudes, the cardinal applied them to the mission of a bishop: “Blessed are the bishops who strive to live austerity,” he said, emphasizing that an austere life is “a powerful message and a great contribution to peace in Colombia,” as it is an example of the fight against corruption and greed.
The archbishop exhorted the prelates to live poverty and detachment, being “humble servants who do not live to have a good image but who, in their own conscience, know with sincerity who they are and put their hearts in the true treasure that is “Christ crucified and resurrected, alive and close to us every day.”