Beyond Rio By Juan L. Mercado Amidst the sea of flags, waved at Pope Francis’ first public Mass for World Youth Day rites, was the Philippine tricolor. Youngsters had come to Rio de Janeiro from Slovakia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Uganda. Time Magazine, this week, had the first pope from Latin America, on its cover. WYD ends Sunday. Will Copacabana, morphing into a seaside cathedral, blur the message to the young: “You are called to form a new generation that lives the faith and passes it on to the next generation.” The nitty-gritty of WFD are attention-grabbing: 60,000 volunteers, 273 catechesis events in 26 languages, 8,000 priests and 4 million communion hosts. And 6,000 journalists covered “the first Latin-American pope, on his first foreign visit to South America’s largest nation, addressing a massive assembly of young people, at a time of social ferment in the continent. This journey began with what is now a Francis trademark. He carried his own bag onto the plane. In flight, he scrubbed usual interview with prepared questions. Instead, he asked reports about their families—and gave a story. He clobbered a throw away culture in which the jobless young are set aside. “We are running the risk of having a generation that does not work. From work comes a person’s dignity.” Once at Rio airport he climbed into an ordinary silver Fiat, and shook hands with warm greeters after his entourage made a “wrong turn”. The security men were not amused. The first major event was a Mass at Our Lady of Aparecida. It houses the centuries-old black Mary icon that fishermen found three centuries ago and draws 11 million pilgrims yearly. Francis prayed and later carried a replica of icon. That gesture phrase echoed the Document of Aparecida which then-Cardinal Jorge Borgolio wrote. It sees Marian devotion binding an increasingly diverse and globalized people… that merges different histories into a shared one that leads to Christ.” “Young people are a powerful engine for the Church and for society. They do not need material things alone. Above all, they need to have held up to them those non-material values which are, the memory of a people.” “Every papal trip is a journey into the unknown, writes John Allen who covers the Vatican. Even before this trip, ”Francis already achieved iconic moral status that surrounds someone like Nelson Mandela”. “Probably the most serious risk Francis faces is that his trip will be a short-term triumph, but without the long-term consequences he’d undoubtedly wish it to have”. Brazil is a good bellwether for broader trends The Pew Religious Forum reports that Brazil’s Catholic share of the population has slumped a quarter-century ago, more than 90 percent of Brazil was Catholic. Today, it’s 65 percent. “It doesn’t require a great imagination to envision a situation not too far down the line, in which Catholics in Brazil represent a statistical minority”. Gainers have been Protestants, mainly evangelicals and Pentecostals. They’re now 42 million, More significant is the growing number of Latinos with no religious affiliation or “secularists.” They now include 15 million people, more than 8 percent of Brazil’s total. The Pew data suggest Catholicism is having an especially hard time among the young and among city-dwellers—Brazil is transitioning from a religiously homogenous society to an eclectic mix of different affiliations. Relations among evangelicals, Pentecostals and Catholics in Brazil are a mixed bag. Some perceive common cause is the increasing tug of secularism. Others are stuck in confessional rivalries. During his 15 years as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and since becoming pope, Francis has repeatedly articulated his vision of a more evangelical church—a church that gets “out of the sacristy and into the streets.” Francis will put a distinctive stamp on World Youth Day by including the elderly. He previewed this theme two days before leaving for Rio and in his talk with reporters on the papal plane, WYD 2013 should address broader “social fabric.” He wanted to emphasize concern for elderly people, too, often victims to a “throw-away culture.” “We do an injustice to the elderly by setting them aside,” Francis said, “as if they don’t have anything to give us. But they can give us wisdom of life, wisdom of country and our family. We need this. So, I’m going [to Brazil] to meet the youth, yes, but within their social fabric, principally with the elderly.” Beyond Rio is where the final test lurks. juan_mercado77@yahoo
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 06:50:43 +0000