by Anthony Ozimic
A French bishop is recruiting future pro-life priests from the Americas in order to “re-evangelize Europe.” A new house of formation, named after St Alberto Hurtado, has been established in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon.
In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, the world’s leading pro-life news-agency, Monseigneur Dominique Rey, bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, told journalist Hilary White that the training aims to create: “a very strong foundation in the defense of life and family. Bioethics will have a special place in the formation of our seminarians. At the same time, they must have the courage to proclaim the truths about human life and natural family, even if these truths may be uncomfortable or may cause the incomprehension of many.” Bishop Rey’s initiative is in response to the crisis in the Church in Europe. He said: “During five centuries European missionaries (mainly Spanish and Portuguese but also many French among them) evangelized the Americas. Now we see that the faith in Europe in the last decades is in a frank decline, but, in many places of the Americas it stays strong. I think that, probably, it is the time to have those who were evangelized by Europe to come re-evangelize this continent.” The bishop added that the house of formation will emphasise traditional liturgical forms. He said: “The traditional liturgy, in its texts, expresses in a very solemn fashion both the dignity and sanctity of life and family ... In a very simple way, the ritual for marriage concentrates on the first and most important aim of this sacrament: transmission of life always oriented to sanctity. In this matter, the indispensable and central role of the future wife and mother are beautifully expressed.” Bishop Rey made similar remarks regarding the traditional form of Baptism. Many pro-lifers worldwide are devoted to the traditional Latin liturgy.
