Fr. Luis Espinal, who preached the Gospel, the Gospel that brings us freedom,   
   that sets us free. Like every child of God, Jesus brought us this freedom, and   
   he preached this Gospel. May Jesus keep him with Him. May the Lord grant him   
   eternal repose and may endless light shine for him. May he rest in peace".   
    "And to all of you, dear brothers, May the Lord Almighty, the Father, the Son   
   and the Holy Spirit, bless you. And please, I ask you, do not forget to pray   
   for   
   me. Thank you".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the civil authorities of Bolivia: Francis calls for an integral ecology   
    Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis arrived at the archbishop's   
   residence at La Paz, surrounded by the thousands of people who followed him   
   from   
   the airport to the Bolivian capital. Following a brief rest, the Holy Father   
   transferred by popemobile to the seat of the government where he paid a   
   courtesy   
   visit to President Evo Morales, who introduced his family and colleagues.   
    The Pope then walked from the government building to the Cathedral of Our Lady   
   of Peace, an imposing structure built in the mid-nineteenth century, whose   
   facade blends neo-Classical and Baroque elements and which is able to hold a   
   thousand people. There, he met with the civil authorities and the Pope   
   pronounced a discourse, published below, in which he focused on the importance   
   of an integral ecology, of the participation of all social strata for the   
   common   
   good, and the family, reiterating the need to "build bridges rather than erect   
   walls".   
    "I am pleased to meet you, the political and civil authorities of Bolivia, the   
   members of the Diplomatic Corps and representatives of the nation's cultural   
   institutions and volunteer organisations. I am grateful to Archbishop Edmundo   
   Abastoflor of La Paz for his kind welcome. With your permission, I would like   
   to   
   offer a few words of encouragement in support of your work.   
    "Each of us here shares a calling to work for the common good. Fifty years   
   ago,   
   Vatican Council II defined the common good as the sum of those conditions of   
   social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively   
   thorough and ready access to their own fulfilment. I thank you for striving -   
   in   
   your work and your mission - to enable individuals and society to develop and   
   find fulfilment. I am certain that you seek what is beautiful, true and good in   
   your service of the common good. May your efforts contribute to the growth of   
   greater respect for the human person, endowed with basic and inalienable rights   
   ordered to his or her integral development, and social peace, namely, the   
   stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved   
   without particular concern for distributive justice. Put simply, wealth is to   
   be   
   distributed.   
    "On the way to this Cathedral I was able to admire the peaks of Hayna Potosi,   
   the 'young mountain', and Illimani, the mountain which shows 'the place where   
   the sun rises'. I also saw the ingenious way in which many houses and   
   neighbourhoods blend with the hillsides, and was struck by the architecture of   
   some of these structures. The natural environment is closely related to social,   
   political and economic environment. It is urgent for all of us to lay the   
   foundations of an integral ecology, one capable of respecting all these human   
   dimensions in resolving the grave social and environmental issues of our time.   
   Otherwise, the glaciers of those mountains will continue to recede, and our   
   sense of gratitude and responsibility with regard to these gifts, our concern   
   for the world we want to leave to future generations, for its meaning and   
   values, will melt just like those glaciers.   
    "Because everything is related, we need one another. If politics is dominated   
   by financial speculation, or if the economy is ruled solely by a technocratic   
   and utilitarian paradigm concerned with maximum production, we will not grasp,   
   much less resolve, the great problems of humanity. Cultural life has an   
   important role to play in this regard, for it has to do not only with the   
   development of the mind through the sciences and the creation of beauty through   
   the arts, but also esteem for the local traditions of a people, which are so   
   expressive of the milieu in which they arose and to which they give meaning.   
   There is also need for an ethical and moral education which can cultivate   
   solidarity and shared responsibility between individuals. We should acknowledge   
   the specific role of the religions in the development of culture and the   
   benefits which can they can bring to society. Christians in particular, as   
   disciples of the Good News, are bearers of a message of salvation which has the   
   ability to ennoble and to inspire great ideals. In this way it leads to ways of   
   acting which transcend individual interest, readiness to make sacrifices for   
   the   
   sake of others, sobriety and other virtues which develop in us the ability to   
   live as one. These virtues are expressed very simply in your culture as three   
   commandments: do not lie, do not steal, and do not be lazy.   
    "It is so easy for us to become accustomed to the atmosphere of inequality all   
   around us, with the result that we take it for granted. Without even being   
   conscious of it, we confuse the 'common good' with 'prosperity', especially   
   when   
   we are the ones who enjoy that prosperity. Prosperity understood only in terms   
   of material wealth has a tendency to become selfish, to defend private   
   interests, to be unconcerned about others, and to give free rein to   
   consumerism.   
   Understood in this way, prosperity, instead of helping, breeds conflict and   
   social disintegration; as it becomes more prevalent, it opens the door to the   
   evil of corruption, which brings so much discouragement and damage in its wake.   
   The common good, on the other hand, is much more than the sum of individual   
   interests. It moves from 'what is best for me' to 'what is best for everyone'.   
   It embraces everything which brings a people together: common purpose, shared   
   values, ideas which help us to look beyond our limited individual horizons.   
    "Different social groups have a responsibility to work for unity and the   
   development of society. Freedom is always the best environment for thinkers,   
   civic associations and the communications media to carry out their activities   
   with passion and creativity in service of the common good. Christians too, are   
   called to be a leaven within society, to bring it their message. The light of   
   Christ's Gospel is not the property of the Church; the Church is at the service   
   of the Gospel, so that it can reach the ends of the earth. Faith is a light   
   which does not blind or confuse, but one which illuminates and respectfully   
   guides the consciences and history of every person and society. Christianity   
   has   
   played an important role in shaping the identity of the Bolivian people.   
   Religious freedom - a phrase we often encounter in civil discourse - also   
   reminds us that faith cannot be restricted to a purely subjective experience.   
   It   
   also challenges us to help foster the growth of spirituality and Christian   
   commitment in social projects.   
    "Among the various social groups, I would like to mention in particular the   
   family, which is everywhere threatened by domestic violence, alcoholism,   
   sexism,   
   drug addiction, unemployment, urban unrest, the abandonment of the elderly, and   
   children left to the streets. These problems often meet with pseudo-solutions   
   which show the clear effects of an ideological colonisation. ... So many social   
   problems are quietly resolved in the family; the failure to assist families   
   would leave those who are most vulnerable without protection.   
    "A nation which seeks the common good cannot be closed in on itself; societies   
   are strengthened by networks of relationships. The current problem of   
   immigration makes this clear. These days it is essential to improve diplomatic   
   relations between the countries of the region, in order to avoid conflicts   
   between sister peoples and to advance frank and open dialogue about their   
   problems. Instead of raising walls, we need to be building bridges. All these   
   issues, thorny as they may be, can find solutions which are shared, reasonable,   
   equitable and lasting. And in any event, they should never be a cause for   
   aggressivity, resentment or enmity; these only worsen situations and stand in   
   the way of their resolution.   
    "Bolivia is at an historic crossroads: politics, the world of culture, the   
   religions are all part of this beautiful challenge to grow in unity. In this   
   land whose history has been marred by exploitation, greed and so many forms of   
   selfishness and sectarianism, now is the time for integration. Today Bolivia   
   can   
   'create new forms of cultural synthesis'. How beautiful are those cities which   
   overcome paralysing mistrust, integrate those who are different and make this   
   very integration a new factor of development! How attractive it is when those   
   cities are full of spaces which connect, relate and favour the recognition of   
   others!'. Bolivia in its process of integration and its search for unity, is   
   called to be an example of such 'multifaceted and inviting harmony'.   
    "I thank you for your attention. I pray to the Lord that Bolivia, 'this   
   innocent and beautiful land", may make ever greater progress towards being 'the   
   happy homeland whose people enjoy the blessings of good fortune and peace'. May   
   the Blessed Virgin watch over you, and the Lord bless you abundantly. Please   
   remember me in your prayers. Thank you".   
    The Pope then returned to El Alto airport, to continue his trip in Santa Cruz   
   de la Sierra where today, 9 July, he will preside at the Holy Mass for the   
   opening of the Fifth National Eucharistic Council, meet with priests, religious   
   and seminarians, and give an address to conclude the Second World Meeting of   
   Popular Movements.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Simon Poh   
   Hoon Seng as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Kuching (area 19,173, population   
   1,216,000, Catholics 192,569, priests 37, religious 82), Malaysia. The   
   bishop-elect was born in Sri Aman, Malaysia in 1963 and was ordained a priest   
   in   
   1988. He holds a licentiate in missiology from the Pontifical Urbanian   
   University, Rome, and has served in a number of roles in the archdiocese of   
   Kuching, including parish vicar, parish priest, director of the Commission for   
   Vocations and spiritual counsellor for the Commission for Youth. He is   
   currently   
   chancellor of the archdiocese and member of the college of consultors, lecturer   
   in missiology and spiritual director of the St. Peter's College major seminary   
   in Kuching, coordinator of the archdiocesan commission "Mission and   
   Evangelisation", coordinator of the Human Development Commission, and parish   
   priest of the Cathedral of Kuching.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
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   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)