The Bishop of Málaga, José Antonio Satué, advocates for brotherhoods to welcome people of all backgrounds, including same-sex couples and divorced individuals.
José Antonio Satué, Bishop of Málaga, urged brotherhoods to be an open space for people of all backgrounds, without exclusions. He made this call during a conference held in Cádiz, invited by the Council of Brotherhoods and Cofradías of that city to open their training course. According to Diario Sur, the prelate presented a detailed vision of the role of brotherhoods within the Church.
Satué compared the work of brotherhoods to fishing. While the priest fishes with a rod, the brotherhood does so with a trawl net, and therefore must accept people of all kinds. According to his reasoning, the judgment of each person's heart belongs to God and not to the brotherhood.
“Everyone, everyone, everyone, is called to be in the brotherhood living stones of the Church”
In this vein, the bishop specifically mentioned same-sex couples, families with several children, university students, prostitutes, divorced individuals who have remarried, and those who pray the rosary before mass. He defended that brotherhoods should be “spaces of communion, not polarization.”
The prelate also warned against hypocrisy and rigorism. He stated that such attitudes can lead to inviting many people in and then burdening them with heavy loads. He added that he is not afraid of tensions between priests and brotherhood members, as he believes they indicate that both are fulfilling their mission.
Satué called on brotherhoods to work on training with more imagination, beyond just conferences. He proposed pilgrimages, video forums, discussions on current events, and religious photography contests using mobile phones. He also demanded that brotherhoods strengthen their social and charitable work, warning of the risk of becoming “an aesthetic and emotional refuge” if they forget the poor.
Finally, the bishop called for more coordination between parishes and brotherhoods. He indicated that they cannot operate separately, as the clash of egos prevents the construction of the Church.
You may also like
