The archbishop of Braga, D. José Cordeiro, presided on Sunday over the 133rd annual pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Penha, where he presented forgiveness as an essential way to peace. In an intervention published by the Diário do Minho, the Catholic leader stated that "revenge may bring some momentary pleasure, but never brings peace," warning that forgiveness is not limited to a mathematical operation, but constitutes a lifestyle for the faithful in their relationship with society and with the Church.
The archpriestal pilgrimage from the 77 parishes of Guimarães and Vizela to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Penha marked the beginning of the Pastoral Visit that D. José Cordeiro and auxiliary bishops D. Delfim Gomes and D. Nélio Pita will carry out in the archpriestship until next December 20th.
The pastoral roadmap establishes three central axes of analysis and training, in the areas of charity, liturgy, and catechesis. The schedule is divided into five pastoral zones, beginning in Vizela-Lapinha and continuing through Pevidém, Ronfe, and Taipas-São Torcato, before concluding in the city of Guimarães.
The episcopal address also crossed the local status of European Green Capital with the concept of integral ecology, pointing to the need to combine the environmentalist sense with social friendship and the preservation of the Common Home. At the end of the Eucharist, the organization delivered a small olive tree to each parish, choosing the tree as a symbol of sustainability to be planted during the bishops' passage through the territory.
