“The Christian of the 21st century, or will be martyr or will not be a Christian,” said the archbishop of Santiago and Primado de Chile, Cardinal Fernando Chomali, reflecting on the role of faith in public life.
He did it during a presentation within the framework of the “and in all charity” Seminar, which had the purpose of reflecting on the role of faith in public life, on the occasion of the centenary of the encyclical Which the first of Pope Pius XI.
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Inspired by the phrase of San Agustín that gives title to the seminar, institutions such as the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Chile, Community and Justice, the Conboca Foundation, among others, organized this activity that sought to propose charity as an articulating axis of all social, cultural and political action.
Within that framework, the Archbishop of Santiago and Primado de Chile, Cardinal Fernando Chomali, addressed different themes, opening Your presentation With an affirmation about the current reality: “We are fed up with everything: words, speeches, freedom between quotes. But at the same time, we are full of anything.”
When referring to the role of faith in today’s society, and the need for solid spirituality, the purple considered that “today we need witnesses. More than teachers, people who know Jesus, who loves him, to follow him. Not for ideas, but for life.”
He also warned about two common temptations around faith: spiritualizing everything and retreating in small circles. “The Church cannot be locked. It is not about making missions from time to time, but about living with missionary attitude. What attracts are not the speeches, but the facts,” he observed.
Cardinal Chomali said that “the Christian of the 21st century, or will be a martyr or will not be a Christian,” clarifying that “it is not about seeking persecution, but about living with radicality. Obey God before men.”
“Evangelize is by nature a political act”
The Archbishop of Santiago deepened the importance of faith in social transformation, stating that “every human project without grace ends in frustration.”
In that line, he warned that charity cannot be reduced to cordiality or philanthropy, but that “it must be the soul of Christian politics,” and that requires “formation, prayer and coherence.”
Making a distinction about politics and ideology, the cardinal said that “evangelizing is by nature a political act, because it seeks the common good.”
As an example, he said: “To say ‘not kill’, ‘not lying’ is already a political intervention. Not from ideology, but from the Gospel,” he said.
The best thing that can be offered to society, he said, is to announce Christ, because “from him human dignity is understood. And only from him we can live with hope,” he concluded.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.