In the midst of his homily for the 414th anniversary of the Holy Christ of La Grita, patron saint of the state of Táchira, the Bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal, Monsignor Mario Moronta, indicated this Tuesday, August 6, that “a true Catholic does not persecute his brothers because they think differently, inventing narratives that do not correspond to reality” and assured that many of the young people who have been taken to prison “are not terrorists.”
From the Sanctuary of the Holy Christ, located in La Grita, Jáuregui municipality, where hundreds of pilgrims have been meeting for days, walking from various places in Táchira and other areas of the country, as well as national, regional and municipal authorities, the ecclesiastical authority stressed that one cannot “pretend to impose peace with persecutions against those who think differently from us. That is not authentic peace, true peace comes from Christ to tear down every existing wall of division in order to achieve the fraternal union of all.”
Moronta stressed that terrible walls are built to separate those who think differently or fight for their rights, and regretted that young people are being persecuted for defending their rights and implementing justice.
“The Gospel is very clear when it states that we will be judged by love, manifested through our actions, and at the same time, whatever is done to a brother is being done to Christ himself,” he added.
Based on the word of God, the Bishop of San Cristóbal stressed that what is urgent is the meeting of brothers and not the persecution and revenge of any part of society. He pointed out that this is not a secret, nor is it love for Táchira and its people. He urged people to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them so that they may be children of their heavenly father.
“It is a commandment from our Lord Himself, which we must fulfill. We know well that it is not easy to love enemies, whoever they may be, of any kind. Being flesh and blood, we can all experience feelings of rage and resentment that lead us to vengeance and vindictiveness, clear doors to all kinds of violence,” said Moronta.
«Nobody owns democracy»
Monsignor Mario Moronta said that it is time to give way to the authority of the people, expressed in their concerns, their desires, their hopes and their votes. “Is it not time, once and for all, to understand that the only true protagonist of democracy is the people and that no one owns it? No one owns democracy, neither those in the government nor those in the opposition. We are collaborators and servants of it,” he stressed.
He said that instead of inventing false positives and promoting persecutions that put the future and life of young people at risk, we must commit to building the desired future together with them. “Isn’t it time to think about the refoundation of Venezuela? Why aren’t we pursuing the irregulars who invade our fields? Why aren’t we pursuing the mobsters who enslave so many adolescents, men and women, with drug trafficking and human trafficking?” he asked.
The Bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal invited us to build in Venezuela the kingdom of justice, peace, reconciliation, solidarity, love and freedom, and to make present the renewing force of the Holy Christ of La Grita in Táchira, in Venezuela and in the world.
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2024-08-09 18:44:11
