FATIMA, Portugal, JULY 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Auxiliary Bishop João Miranda Teixeira of Oporto urged pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima this week to share what they have, and to ask God for the virtue of charity.
The bishop, who is leading a pilgrimage to the Fatima shrine, said this Monday in a homily in which he addressed the need «give with joy,» reported the press office of the Fatima Shrine.
«The first thing that has to be shared is what derives from justice: a just salary for those who work,» he said to 30 groups of pilgrims from 15 countries.
He said the second way of sharing «is to help the clamorous cases of those who hunger for bread, health, schooling, human dignity.» The third is «to eliminate envy from one’s heart,» added the prelate.
For the auxiliary bishop, the present crisis «is not primarily a financial or economic issue, but a moral crisis.»
A way of sharing, Bishop Miranda pointed out, is «to give with joy … bread, science, culture and wisdom of the spirit.»
«There has already been much talk about a new international order,» he explained.
«The powerful of the nations meet to see how it can be done, but agreements are difficult, because particular interests take precedence.»
For the prelate, Christians «have, should have something important to say, but it seems that they are enclosed in Parliaments, in their own interests, in their personal defense, in the networks of a decadent Europe, which needs to be put in order to give back hope and confidence to the countries.»
