Cardinal inaugurates plenary assembly calling on Colombian bishops to be austere and dedicated to the mission

The Christian, and even more so the bishop, who puts his trust in the cross and resurrection of Christ can face the most adverse situations, assured the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC), Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio.

The cardinal assured this in the speech with which he opened yesterday Monday the 117th Plenary Assembly of the CEC that is taking place in Bogotá until Friday, July 5. The cardinal focused his reflection on the evangelical passage of the beatitudes to direct them to the mission of the bishops.

“Blessed are the bishops who strive to live austerity,” the Archbishop of Bogotá also expressed to them, and assured that an austere life is “a powerful message and a great contribution to peace in Colombia,” as it is an example of the fight against corruption and greed.

In that sense, he exhorted the prelates to live poverty and detachment, being “humble servants who do not live from the image, but who, in their own conscience, know with sincerity who they are, and put their hearts in the true treasure that is “Christ crucified and resurrected, alive and close every day.”

In his speech, Cardinal Rueda Aparicio also called on his brothers of the Episcopate to encourage with their lives the mission that has been entrusted to them, being grateful “for the small step that could be taken” and maintaining serenity despite the fact that “the wolf be on the lookout.”

Be “bishops who trust in the action of the Holy Spirit, and (who) are capable of falling silently and on their knees to give thanks before the tabernacle, after a day of apparent failures,” he added.

The main objective of the agenda of the plenary assembly is to elect the CEC board of directors for the 2024-2027 triennium.

In that sense, the cardinal also expressed his gratitude for the support received during the three years he served as president of the Episcopate, together with Mons. Omar Alberto Sánchez Cubillos as vice president and with Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera as secretary general.

In addition, he thanked Father Jorge Bustamante Mora, who assumed the general secretariat after Bishop Alí Herrera was appointed secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in March of this year.

The work of the first day

On its website, the CEC reported that the first day of the 117th Plenary Assembly also included a Mass presided by Mons. Omar Alberto Sánchez Cubillos, who in the homily “recalled the prominence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the need to invoke his presence to discern, guide and project, in unity, the decisions that will be made” during this week.

In addition to the new presidency, the nearly 90 prelates present will also elect 40 leadership positions.

In that sense, the Archbishop Emeritus of Bogotá, Cardinal Rubén Salazar, recalled that as pastors they must put themselves at the service of the infinite love of God; discern the signs of the times and keep in mind that the Church is a witness and instrument of salvation.

Yesterday, Monday, the prelates also analyzed the social reality of Colombia. To do this, they divided the country by regions.

The CEC explained that “three questions guided this space: What is the most deeply rooted social problem in the region? What are the characteristics of the country you want to help build? What are the main lines of action to confront the identified social problem?”

The closing of the plenary assembly will coincide with the opening of the XIII National Missionary Congress, which will take place from July 5 to 7 at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.