Spread the story of love to promote communion and participation in Church and society, said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, in his message to Indian Catholic bishops.
The cardinal led the inauguration of the 34th plenary assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in Bangalore on January 24,.
Cardinal Tagle told the gathering of bishops, priests, and nuns that the story of Jesus has been told again and again because it has the power to transform.
The gathering carries the theme “Telling the Story of Jesus in our Context: The Synoday Way.”
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, CCBI president and archbishop of Goa and Daman, decried what he described as the growing polarization in India.
“Our country is a loom holding diverse threads of religions, spiritualities, cultures, traditions, languages and social strata that blend together to form a complex and beautiful tapestry,” he said.
“Alongside a profound spirituality, social and economic disparities deeply fragment the fabric of this nation,” said the cardinal.
In his message to the gathering, Pope Francis expressed hope that the deliberations “will assist the local churches to journey together on the synodal path in a renewed spirit of missionary discipleship and in fraternal communion with the universal church.”
In a media statement, the CCBI earlier said the goal of this year’s meeting is to strengthen the faith and mission of the Church in India in the face of the challenges and opportunities facing the Catholic Church in the country.
