Pope Francis met with the leadership of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean, CELAM, which is holding its general coordinating meeting this week. The meeting was one of two appointments expressly desired by the Holy Father outside the context of World Youth Day, during his week-long visit to Rio for the World Youth Day celebrations. The first was a visit to the Marian shrine at Aparecida.
It was in Aparecida in 2007 that the CELAM bishops held their 5th General Conference, which produced a major three-part document outlining a plan for assessment of the situation of the Church in Latin America and implementing pastoral strategies to renew and revitalize the faith in the region. In his remarks to the CELAM leadership, Pope Francis said that the desired renewal is already underway in many particular Churches. His prepared address focused on the legacy of CELAM 5.
Please find the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks, below: