Romana

On Friday, June 20, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, Archbishop of Santiago, gave an address at Aconcagua Cultural Center.

A large group of university students followed the cardinal's talk with lively interest. He spoke about the Christian roots of the country and the continent in the light of the conclusions of the Latin-American Bishops' Conference at the Shrine of Aparecida and the teachings of Benedict XVI. He encouraged the students to keep alive the valuable patrimony which has inspired the life and culture of Latin America and which arose from the meeting of the Catholic faith and the original ethnic groups. This patrimony is expressed in the local art, music, literature and, above all, in the religious traditions and the special characteristics of the people.

“Love for the suffering Christ,” he said, “love for our Lord present in the Eucharist, a God who is close to the poor and to those who are suffering, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, to the saints and their feastdays, veneration for the Pope and the other pastors, forms the great mosaic of popular religion which is the precious treasure of the Catholic Church in Latin America.” The Cardinal emphasized that “the Holy Father entrusted to us as a Church at Aparecida the great task of safe-guarding and nourishing the faith of the people of God.”

The Archbishop of Santiago concluded his talk by exhorting those present to become involved in the work of strengthening the country's Christian roots.