Cape Verdean Diocese Allocates 2024 Lenten Collection to Violence Victims in Holy Land

Nearly 30,000 people — the vast majority of them in Gaza — have died in the conflict so far. 

In his Lenten message dated February 14, Bishop dos Santos invited the faithful to allow themselves to be “renewed by the Word of God, for a new direction in life during this Lenten journey.”

“The key word of this time is conversion; a serious transformation in us is possible because God is love in action and He can do anything. This season is a favorable door that opens before us,” the 59-year-old Catholic Bishop, who has been at the helm of Mindelo Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in April 2011 said.

He added, “Lent, as a path to Easter, is an entrance on the road to liberation. God persists in seeking us out, offering us the opportunity to be reintroduced to life. This is the time to refocus on the path of fraternity, true light and freedom.”

“This journey towards Easter is a personal and communal adventure achieved within the horizon of hope,” the Catholic Church leader said, and continued, “Hope must be discovered in the midst of our wars, among the rubble of the horrific, among the poor, the fragile and the unprotected who continue to be exploited by the powerful and by economic systems that mercilessly suffocate and kill.”

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Bishop dos Santos said, “The Church's proposal to us is clear: to turn from our bad ways: to sow the beauty that opens our imagination to the transcendent, the good and the truth, because this is the medicine that puts us back on the path to holiness.” 

He implored, “May the spirituality of our Lent infuse us with courage, light and strength to continue our journey, awaiting the new heavens and the new earth.”

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.