Monsignor José Ornelas Expresses Communion and Adherence of Portuguese Church to the Service and Magisterium of Pope Francis

Monsignor José Ornelas Expresses Communion and Adherence of Portuguese Church to the Service and Magisterium of Pope Francis

He thanked the Pontiff for his presence at WYD, “a celebration of the Church, always renewed and always young”

The President of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, Mgr. José Ornelas, greeted Pope Francis today at the celebration of Vespers, an occasion for the whole Church in Portugal to “express its communion and adherence to the service and Magisterium” that the Supreme Pontiff “has been developing in the Church and projecting to the whole of society”.

In his greeting to the Pope before the celebration of Vespers at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, which brought together bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and lay people, the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima welcomed him “with deep joy”, on behalf of the Church and the crowd following the trip on social media.

“Thank you, Holy Father, for your presence at this World Youth Day, a celebration of the Church, always renewed and always young, which this year takes place in Lisbon. This afternoon, we pray with you that this gathering of young people, marked by the encounter with Christ, will lead them to understand and dream God's dream and to find ways of joyful, generous, and transforming participation in the Church and in all humanity,” he stressed.

Mgr. José Ornelas underlined that the Church in Portugal feels mobilised by the Pope's call for “an outgoing Church that offers evangelical signs of presence, attention, and care to all the excluded of the world, with particular attention to the drama of refugees,” beginning with the care of the earth, the common home of humanity.

“The defence of the good of children and the commitment to defend them against all forms of abuse also continue to demand our particular attention,” stressed the President of the Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Leiria-Fatima.

“We see all of this, Holy Father, in your invitation to the Church to embark on a synodal journey, which we are doing in harmony with the whole Church. We are committed to the path of pastoral transformation, guided by the Spirit of the Lord, in fraternal communion, in the active participation and missionary outreach of our communities,” he added.

“The prayer we are praying with you today, Holy Father, will remain in our hearts. We will always ask the Lord, under the inspiration of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Mother of the Church, to continue to give you health, light and joy of spirit for the service entrusted to you in the Church and in the world,” he added.

“We all invoke God's blessing upon you, so that you may continue to bless us in his name and be a blessing to our world. Thank you, Holy Father, in the heart of the Lord Jesus!”, he concluded.

The celebration of Vespers is the last official act of the first day of Pope Francis' visit to Portugal, which included meetings with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with the Prime Minister, António Costa, and with the authorities, civil society, and the Diplomatic Corps, at the Belém Cultural Centre.

PHOTOS: © Lusa | João Relvas and Manuel de Almeida