Bogotá, Colombia, Jul 2, 2007 / 07:32 am
The Bishops’ Conference of Colombia will reflect on the consecrated life as “a gift from God” during their upcoming 83rd Assembly, in order to encourage consecrated persons to assume their vocations “as disciples and missionaries of the Lord in each of the particular Churches.”
Church officials said the Colombian bishops want to “strengthen a spirituality of communion that motivates relations between pastors and those dedicated to the consecrated life for the building up of the local Church.”
Consequently, the bishops say it is important that the mission of religious life in the local Church be clearly recognized in order that it may be a “living testimony of passion for Jesus Christ and for humanity.”
The bishops hope to help improve collaboration between pastors and the members of religious communities “in order to respond with the courage of the Gospels to the challenges of both political and social relativism, indifference, violence and crisis, that Colombia is experiencing right now.”