Latin American Catholic bishops meeting in Cuba
HAVANA --
(AP) -- Roman Catholic bishops from across Latin America released a
blueprint on how they plan to reverse the exodus of members to
evangelical Protestant churches, a central theme of Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to the region in May.
To slow the tide of defectors, the 136-page declaration released
Wednesday said Catholic leaders must create ''a church full of
evangelical force and capability'' that is dynamic enough to win over
members who have let their faith lapse. It said it must also inspire
anew those who might consider jumping to another religion.
The bishops also criticized everyday Catholics, expressing concern about
the rise of ''individualism and a mentality of relativism in ethics and
religion,'' and denounced homosexuality.
The declaration was posted on the Web site of the Latin American
Bishops' Conference while 68 of its cardinals, priests, bishops,
religious leaders and special guests met behind closed doors in Cuba's
capital.
The Rev. David Gutierrez, a spokesman for the conference, said the final
version approved for publication by Pope Benedict XVI was virtually
identical to the draft posted on the Internet and needed only minor
grammatical changes.
''The wording will not change,'' Gutierrez said, adding the statement
would be published next week at the conference's headquarters in Bogota,
Colombia.
The statement did not mention evangelical churches specifically, but
recognized eroding membership throughout the region, saying ``a
significant number of Catholics are abandoning the Church to join other
religious groups.''
The bishops decried the ''insufficient number of priests'' in the region
and called on Catholic leaders to more energetically and effectively
spread their faith to the remote corners of their countries.
In a world made smaller by technology, the clerics said they embrace ``a
different globalization that is marked by solidarity, by justice and by
respect for human rights.''
The decree described homosexuality as a threat to family.
''Among those things that weaken and debilitate the family we find
gender ideology which allows anyone to choose their sexual orientation
without taking into account the differences in human nature,'' the
document states.
The conference also blasted widespread poverty, corruption and violence
fueled by drug trafficking throughout the region, blaming in part
''neopopulist-style regimes,'' without singling out a particular government.
Latin American bishops drafted an original version of the document
during a 19-day conference inaugurated by the pope in Brazil's holy
shrine city of Aparecida in May. In a brief letter approving the
statement's publication, Benedict said its conclusions constituted ``a
rich reflection in the light of the faith and the current social context.''
During his visit to Brazil in May, the pope acknowledged that the church
is rapidly losing ground to evangelical Protestant churches who have
been successful at attracting poor Latin Americans to their ranks.
Nearly half the world's one billion Catholics live in Latin America.
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