The patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Valério, appealed this Thursday that “no one remains indifferent to the current state of high fragility” in the country, which, although it can be considered “merely conjunctural (…), for real life is synonymous of more poverty and greater difficulties”.
In his homily at the Chrism Mass, before the priests of the Patriarchate of Lisbon, Rui Valério urged them to share “the poverty of the poor” and to share in the “suffering of victims of all forms of abuse”.
“I only propose to you that we together be the force of ‘hope that saves’, insofar as we carry out our priesthood in the spirit of closeness and participation in the vicissitudes of humanity”, added the bishop of the diocese of Lisbon.
For the cleric, “sharing each person’s situation, in the reality of their existence, is (…) the most pertinent way of shedding the balm of hope to heal the wounds of disillusionment, despair, tiredness and discouragement that affect many people today.”
In his homily, the Patriarch of Lisbon also wanted to “get down to the concrete” and spoke about the “drama of war”, namely that which has been ravaging Ukraine for more than two years, “barbarically attacked by Russia”, and the “bad news of the War in the Holy Land.”
“We cannot, nor, ignore the suffering and helplessness of so many people who, in their status as refugees and migrants, are victims of exploitation and various discrimination, even among us”, he added.
And he also referred to “recent sociological indices”, which “reveal that real poverty continues to increase, and is already affecting not only the most disadvantaged classes, but also the middle class”.
For Rui Valério, this “is a deep bitterness, which clouds the horizon of the world”.
The Chrism Mass is celebrated on Maundy Thursday in the cathedral of each diocese, in which holy oils are blessed and priests renew their priestly promises before their respective bishop.
This morning’s celebration at the Lisbon Cathedral was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal, Ivo Scapolo, and Cardinal Manuel Clemente, patriarch emeritus of Lisbon.
According to information from the Patriarchate, 284 diocesan priests and 248 religious priests live and serve the diocese of Lisbon.
