Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Bishop of Santiago, Cardinal Dom Arlindo Furtado, today called on politicians to take decisions that help improve the situation of Cape Verdeans, making resources available to serve the common good and the well-being of communities.
After presenting New Year’s greetings to the President of the Republic, José Maria Neves, the cardinal recalled that Cape Verde is inserted in the global context and as such, does not escape the complexities and conflicts of inflation and transport, a clear sign of the “lack of understanding ” among decision makers.
In conversation with the head of state, he said that he presented a global analysis and the usual difficulties that the country faces, highlighting the contribution of the church as a “strong and rigorous” institution that provides, with people, mechanisms aimed at improving quality in relationships and “hope” for a better life.
In Dom Arlindo Furtado’s opinion, it is an “important” factor that the available resources are at the service of the common good of all, well-being and shared happiness.
“The church has a specific function, which is evangelization, but also the celebration of faith and accompaniment of people. After Covid-19, there was a strong impact on people’s balance and emotional stability at an individual and family level. The church has a very important role in providing individual and collective support, especially for people’s families,” she highlighted, adding that this helps in making the best decisions.
Asked about Pope Francis’ announcement to authorize the blessing of priests for homosexual couples, part of the statement “Fiducia supplicans” published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, he explained that the church has always been clear about the creation of man and woman.
He said that the announcement does not change the traditional doctrine of marriage defended by the Catholic Church, since God created this union to “generate and educate children” for society.
“(…) we know that when human beings are born, they need the stable contribution of their father and mother for their personal balance. The church is the mother of all, it welcomes everyone and just as in the family there are people with many qualities, there are people who are average in terms of human qualities and intellectual faculties and there are people who may have difficulties”, he clarified.
Dom Arlindo said that the church established “God’s will” as a parameter and Christ as a “good shepherd” goes in search of all the sheep, even those that were lost, to “help and protect” as much as possible.
As he assured, in all parishes, priests open “service days” to listen to people with a crisis and lack of relational trust, since “they have a lot to share and need, but with whom?”
“When it comes to the issue of family, the church has an essential and immeasurable role in reconciliation and dialogue for stability and the well-being of each person. In addition to material social work and training, but above all this fundamental role of humanization that belongs to the church and does so with all generosity and love,” he explained, highlighting that the goal is to obtain two priests for each parish.
According to him, the diaspora constantly requests the presence of Cape Verdean priests to accompany social changes, however it has not yet been possible to reach this level.
“Because if the role of the priest is essential here, in the diaspora it is no less so because the complexity is even greater. God has given some priests thanks to him, and thanks to the commitment of the church, but we need many more to cover our fundamental needs, whether in the archipelago or in our vast and beloved diaspora”, he maintained.
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