Nicaraguan bishop underscores duty of church leaders to evangelize

Bishop Jorge Solorzano of Granada, Nicaragua reminded Catholics that the Church must evangelize, by bringing “hope to all people.” The bishop made his comments on Oct 30, during the closing of the Month of the Missions in Nicaragua.

“The Church must be missionary, to bring the words of encouragement and hope to all people, alongside the laity. Although we also do social work, our main mission is to evangelize."

"The first missionary who needs to go knocking door to door is the bishop, then each priest in his parish," he stated according to Fides news agency.

He pointed to the Aparecida document, issued after the meeting of Latin American bishops in 2007, which states that "the encounter with Christ should give the joy of being disciples of the Lord and being sent with the treasure of Gospel. Being a Christian is not a burden, but a gift: God the Father has blessed us in Jesus Christ his Son, the Savior of the world."

The closing of the Month of Missions was held in the town of Diria, Nicaragua. Nearly 3,000 young people attended.