Argentinean bishop says man is not to be object of consumption

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 22, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Bishop Juan Ruben Martinez of Posadas, Argentina, said this week human beings should not be considered “objects of consumption”.

“The inconsistency and lack of appreciation of the truth is manifested both in the marketing of products and in political campaigns, and even in religious proselytism,” the bishop said.

“We must recognized that we ourselves can fall into the consumption of TV and radio programs without any sense of critique, even when what we are being offered is pure sensationalism,” he added.  In this sense, human dignity is forgotten and people do not practice what they profess to believe.

Bishop Martinez exhorted the faithful to defend “the marvelous gift of human dignity” and to make the “coherency between what we say and what we do” a priority.

“Today more than ever,” he continued, “the witness of one’s life has become an essential condition for the effectiveness of one’s preaching.”  “We become responsible ourselves for the Gospel which we proclaim,” the bishop warned.