CHICAGO, JUNE 17, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Latin American bishops’ council thanked the U.S. episcopal conference for its support, service and closeness.
Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz of Santiago, Chile, addressed the U.S. bishops’ conference meeting and thanked the prelates for, among other things, their support of projects of study, research and reflection carried out by the Latin American council, known by its acronym CELAM.
Projects have included the translation of the Bible for Hispanics in the United States.
The cardinal highlighted the collegial spirit that inspires the annual meetings of CELAM and the U.S. conference and, more recently, of the Canadian bishops’
conference.
CELAM’s president thanked the U.S. Church for its substantial financial aid to the Latin American Church.
«Our dioceses do not have the capacity to fund themselves,» he said. «The application of the social doctrine of the Church has resulted in aid from wealthy individuals and testaments in favor of the Catholic Church in our countries.»
Cardinal Errázuriz thanked the Church in the United States for the help of American priests and religious who have dedicated their lives to the poorest regions of Latin America, especially in the field of education.
The cardinal also thanked the U.S. bishops for their assistance to the immigrant community.
«It is not easy to accept the seeds of other cultures, not even for a country like the United States, a multicultural and multi-ethnic community,» he said.
