“The Aparecida document does not end in itself, it does not close, it is not the last step, because the final opening is about its mission. To remain faithful you have to go out. This is basically Aparecida, which is the heart of the mission ”. With these words Jorge Bergoglio defined the book he had written in 2007 at the end of the General Conference of the Latin American Bishops in Aparecida, Brazil. He was then a cardinal and archbishop of Buenos Aires and had been appointed coordinator of the drafting of the final text.
Pope Francis always has a copy of the Aparecida Document with him. He gives it as a tribute to the heads of state and government he meets in the Vatican and for this reason many Vaticanists consider the Aparecida Document as the political synthesis of his Pontificate.
HOPE AND CONCERN
In an article published by the Argentine newspaper El Clarin, Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez said that Bergogliohe had arrived in Aparecida with hope and concern. Many said that the conference could renew enthusiasm but above all “the dream of a Latin American Church with its own identity and a historical project marked by the beauty of the Gospel and love for the poor. Some said that in the previous conference in Santo Domingo the interference of the Vatican Curia had been excessive and that the Latin American fervor had been lost, ”wrote Fernandez .
THE HUMAN PERIPHERIES
Thus, on May 15 the bishops chose Bergoglio as president of the Commission responsible for drafting the final document. Many felt motivated by his suggestive language, full of hope, security and desire to work. The day afterBergoglio confirmed his commitment to “avoid a self-referential Church” and work “for a Church that reaches all human peripheries”. It was the beginning of a revolution.
FREE PARTICIPATION
Pope Francis had invited to participate freely in the drafting of the final document. He did not want the imposition of a basic text but the collection of spontaneous thoughts and feelings. “He told me that we must always act like this and that in any case the effort to direct the work towards a concrete result had to be done at the end”, said Fernandez . The exchange and discussions were fruitful, without tension. A very different environment to that of Santo Domingo.
THE PATIENCE OF BERGOGLIO
The final document of the Conference of the “continent of hope”, as the Latin American one has been defined, has a significant value because it reflects the idea of evangelization that Pope Francis has . Bergoglio
‘s challenge was to give space to all ideas and thus produce a strong text with great themes of interest. According to the participants, Bergoglio ‘s work of patience was almost imperceptible but effective. A MESSAGE OF HOPE
The word that is repeated most in the document is “life” (more than 600 times). The aim of the text was to present the evangelization activity as an offering of a worthy and full life for individuals. And the document insists on an enthusiastic and generous mission, which reaches the peripheries thanks to the truths of the Gospel. Bergoglio ‘s language is felt in every single part of the text.
According to Vatican Insider reports, Bergoglio indicated that in the document “there is a point on popular piety. They are very beautiful pages. And I believe, indeed, I’m sure – he said – that they were inspired by that. After those of Evangelii nuntiandi are the most beautiful pages that have been written on popular piety in a document of the Church. I would say that Aparecida and theEvangelii nuntiandi from Latin America ”.
THE SANCTUARY OF APARECIDA
During the World Youth Day, Pope Francishas decided to include another event in the program: the pilgrimage to the shrine of Aparecida. In an interview published on 30Giorni in November 2007, Bergoglio said: “The place itself expresses all the meaning. Mass is celebrated with pilgrims every morning. Celebrating the Eucharist together with the people is different than doing it only among bishops. This gives the living feeling of belonging of the people, of the Church that walks as God’s people, of us bishops as servants. And afterwards, the work of the Conference (of Aparecida in 2007, ed) took place in an environment close to the sanctuary. From there we could hear the prayers and songs of the faithful… ”, Bergoglio said .
With more than 11 million visits every year, Aparecida is one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world. With numbers that exceed those of Lourdes and Fatima. The story says that a group of fishermen asked the Madonna for a good catch and, among the loaded nets, the image of a black Madonna appeared. In 1834 the first basilica was built and in 1946 the current construction of 18 thousand square meters. But today in the world of the Church, and in the heart of Pope Francis and the faithful, Aparecida is not just a place, but something greater.
