Over 1 million attend papal Mass in Quito

July 07, 2015

Celebrating Mass in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, for a congregation of over one million people, Pope Francis called for unity among the people of South America.

In his homily the Pope observed that the Mass was celebrated in Bicentennial Park, which commemorates the movement toward independence in Latin America. “It was a cry which arose from being conscious of a lack of freedom, of exploitation and despoliation, of being "subject to the passing whims of the powers that be,” he said.

The Pope said that he longed to hear a similar cry, born of unity among the people of the continent: a call to evangelize.

Evangelization, the Pope continued, is done by communicating “the joy of the Gospel.” He cautioned that proselytism is quite different: “a caricature of evangelization.”

Unity among Christians is a necessity for the cause of evangelization, the Pope said. “Our unity can hardly shine forth if spiritual worldliness makes us feud among ourselves in a futile quest for power, prestige, pleasure, or economic security.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis at Quito cathedral: a pilgrim sharing the joy of the Gospel (Vatican Radio)
• Read Full Homily of the Pope's Tuesday Mass in Quito (Rome Reports)
• Pope Francis: greetings to faithful at Quito cathedral (Vatican Radio)
• Pope urges Latin Americans to unify, spread the faith (AP)