Hospitality is one of the three pillars of fruitful worship. But the welcome spoken of by the Aparecida bishops goes beyond just the church building. They also seem dissatisfied with the more traditional way of “doing business,” of sitting back and waiting for the unwashed masses to arrive:
517. i) Promote the pastoral ministry of welcome to those who arrive in the city, and those already living in it, moving from passively waiting to actively seeking and reaching out to those who are distant, with new strategies such as home visits, the use of new media, and staying close to everyday situation of each person.
For deeper examination, an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference.
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