is when the Church perseveres in her efforts to be a house and a school of
communion, when we cultivate what I like to call "the culture of encounter"!
The
image of Our Lady's Presentation tells us that, after being blessed by the
priests, the child Mary began to dance at the foot of the altar. I think of the
joy expressed in the imagery of the wedding feast, of the friend of the
bridegroom, of the bride bedecked with her jewels. It is the happiness of all
those who have discovered a treasure and left everything behind in order to
gain
it. To find the Lord, to dwell in his house, to share in his life, commits us
to
proclaiming his Kingdom and bringing his salvation to all. Crossing the
threshold of the Temple means becoming, like Mary, temples of the Lord and
setting out to bring the good news to our brothers and sisters. Our Lady, as
the
first missionary disciple, once she had received the message of the angel, left
with haste to a town of Judah to share this incredible joy, which led St. John
the Baptist to leap in his mother's womb. The one who hears the Lord's voice
'leaps with joy' and becomes for his or her own time a herald of his joy. The
joy of evangelisation leads the Church to go forth, like Mary.
 "There are many reasons offered for the translation of the shrine from
Oyacachi
to this place. There is one which I find particularly convincing: 'for many
people, this place has always been easier to reach'. That was the idea of the
Archbishop of Quito, Fray Luis Lopez de Solis, when he ordered the building of
a
shrine capable of attracting and embracing everyone. A Church on the move is a
Church which is close to people, overcoming obstacles, leaving its own comfort
behind and daring to reach out to the peripheries which need the light of the
Gospel.
 "Let us now turn to the tasks which await us, urged on by the holy people
which
God has entrusted to our care. Among those tasks, let us not neglect to care
for, encourage and guide the popular devotions which are so powerfully felt in
this holy place and which are widespread in the countries of Latin America. The
faithful express the faith in their own language, and they show their deepest
feelings of sadness, uncertainty, joy, failure, and thanksgiving in various
devotions: processions, votive lights, flowers, and hymns. All of these are
beautiful expressions of their faith in the Lord and their love for his Mother,
who is also our Mother.
 "Here in Quinche, the story of God and man converge in the life of one woman,
Mary. They come together in one home, our common home, our sister, mother
earth.
The traditions of this devotion speak of cedar trees, bears, the crevasse in
the
rock which here became the first home of the Mother of God. They speak to us of
a 'yesterday' when birds surrounded this place, and of a 'today' of flowers
which adorn its surroundings. The origins of this devotion bring us back to a
time of simple and 'serene harmony with creation', when one could contemplate
'the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence ‘must not be
contrived but found, uncovered'. God's presence is revealed in the created
world, in his beloved Son, and in the Eucharist which enables each Christian to
know him or her self as living members of the Church and an active participant
in her mission. And it is present in Our Lady of Quinche, who from the first
proclamation of the faith until our own day has accompanied the indigenous
peoples. To her we entrust our vocation; may she make us a gift to our people;
may she grant us perseverance in our commitment and in the joy of going forth
to
bring the Gospel of her Son Jesus, together with our shepherds, to the fringes,
the peripheries of our beloved Ecuador".

___________________________________________________________

 "Jallalla Bolivia!"
 Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis began the second leg of his
trip
in Latin America yesterday, as he arrived at El Alto airport, the highest on
the
planet, situated at more than four thousand metres above sea level, in La Paz,
Bolivia, where he was awaited by the president of the Plurinational State of
Bolivia, Evo Morales, the country's first leader to come from the indigenous
population (Wru-Aimara), whom the Holy Father met in the Vatican during the
First World Meeting of Popular Movements, organised by the Pontifical Council
"Justice and Peace" in October 2014.
 In his first discourse in Bolivia, the Holy Father affirmed that he came "as a
guest and a pilgrim ... to confirm the faith of those who believe in the Risen
Christ, so that, during our pilgrimage on earth, we believers may be witnesses
of his love, leaven for a better world and co-operators in the building of a
more just and fraternal society". After thanking President Morales for his
"warm
and fraternal welcome", he greeted the religious and civil authorities, adding,
"I think in a special way of the sons and daughters of this land who for a
variety of reasons have had to seek 'another land' to shelter them; another
place where this earth can allow them to be fruitful and find possibilities in
life".
 The Pope also expressed his joy in encountering a land of such singular
beauty,
as declared in the preamble of its Constitution: "In ancient times the
mountains
arose, rivers changed course and lakes were formed. Our Amazonia, our wetlands
and our highlands, and our plains and valleys were decked with greenery and
flowers". "It makes me realise once again that 'rather than a problem to be
solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and
praise'. But above all, Bolivia is a land blessed in its people. It is home to
a
great cultural and ethnic variety, which is at once a great source of
enrichment
and a constant summons to mutual respect and dialogue. There are the ancient
aboriginal peoples and the more recent native peoples. The Spanish language
brought to this land now happily co-exists with thirty-six native languages,
which come together - like the red and yellow in the national flowers of
Kantuta
and Patuju - to create beauty and unity in diversity. In this land and people,
the proclamation of the Gospel took deep root, and through the years it has
continued to shed its light upon society, contributing to the development of
the
nation and shaping its culture".
 "Bolivia is making important steps towards including broad sectors in the
country's economic, social and political life. Your constitution recognises the
rights of individuals, minorities and the natural environment, and provides for
institutions to promote them. To achieve these goals a spirit of civic
cooperation and dialogue is required, as well as the participation of
individuals and social groups in issues of interest to everyone. The integral
advancement of a nation demands an ever greater appreciation of values by
individuals and their growing convergence with regard to common ideals to which
all can work together, no one being excluded or overlooked. A growth which is
merely material will always run the risk of creating new divisions, of the
wealth of some being built on the poverty of others. Hence, in addition to
institutional transparency, social unity requires efforts to promote the
education of citizens.
 "In days to come, I would like to encourage the vocation of Christ's disciples
to share the joy of the Gospel, to be salt for the earth and light to the
world.
The voice of the bishops, which must be prophetic, speaks to society in the
name
of the Church, our Mother, from her preferential, evangelical option for the
poor. Fraternal charity, the living expression of the new commandment of Jesus,
is expressed in programs, works and institutions which work for the integral
development of the person, as well as for the care and protection of those who
are most vulnerable. We cannot believe in God the Father without seeing a
brother or sister in every person, and we cannot follow Jesus without giving
our
lives for those for whom he died on the cross.
 The Pope also touched on the theme of the family in his first discourse,
emphasising that "in an age when basic values are often neglected or distorted,
the family merits special attention on the part of those responsible for the
common good, since it is the basic cell of society. Families foster the solid
bonds of unity on which human coexistence is based, and, through the bearing
and
education of children, they ensure the renewal of society".
 He continued, "the Church also feels a special concern for young people who,
committed to their faith and cherishing great ideals, are the promise of the
future, 'watchmen to proclaim the light of dawn and the new springtime of the
Gospel'. To care for children, and to help young people to embrace noble
ideals,
is a guarantee of the future of society. A society discovers renewed strength
when it values, respects and cares for its elderly, when it chooses to foster a
'culture of remembrance' capable of ensuring that the elderly not only enjoy
quality of life in their final years but also affection, as your Constitution
puts it so well".
 Addressing those present, he added, "in these days we can look forward to
moments of encounter, dialogue and the celebration of faith. I am pleased to be
here, in a country which calls itself pacifist, a country which promotes the
culture of peace and the right to peace".
 Finally, he entrusted his visit to the protection of the Blessed Virgin of
Copacabana, Queen of Bolivia, and concluded by exclaiming "Jallalla Bolivia!",
an Aimara word meaning "life" and "hope".

___________________________________________________________

 The Pope prays at the site of Fr. Luis Espinal's assassination
 Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - During his trip from the El Alto airport to
the archbishopìs residence at La Paz, the Pope paused to bless the place where
on 21 March 1980 the Spanish Jesuit Luis Espinal Camps, poet, journalist and
filmmaker, was assassinated. Fr. Espinal, who lived alongside the families of
miners during their struggle under the dictatorship of Luis Garcia Meza, one of
the bloodiest periods in Bolivia's history, was arrested by paramilitaries, the
armed wing of power, on 21 March 1980. His body was discovered the following
day
on the path to Chacaltaya. His murder caused profound shock throughout the
country and his funeral, on 24 March in La Paz, was attended by multitudes. In
2007 President Evo Morales declared 21 March "Bolivian Cinema Day", to
commemorate the assassination of Fr. Espinal, in homage to his struggle in
favour of human rights and democracy and to acknowledge his contribution to
Bolivian cinematography.
 Upon reaching the eighth kilometre of the Chacaltaya highway, where a number
of
people were gathered, the Holy Father left the car and said: "Good afternoon,
dear sisters and brothers. I stop here to greet you and, above all, to
remember.
To remember a brother of ours, the victim of those who did not want him to
fight
for freedom in Bolivia. Fr. Espinal preached the Gospel, and this Gospel
troubled them, so they eliminated him. Let us spend a moment in silent prayer,
and then let us pray together".
 After a moment's silence, the Pope added, "May the Lord receive in His glory

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