The ceremony, which marks the inaugural act of the courses for the Faculty of Theology, was attended by the Chancellor, the Salesian Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo; the Salesian Provincial Fr Nestor Castell, and the Provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Laura Guisado, as well as many Salesian priests and students and a large audience.
In his address, Cardinal Sturla said that "we want to be an outgoing Church, not standing still turning in on ourselves. (...) Often, this means being friends of sinners, not keeping to the group of the elect, but having the courage to go out towards those who are far away."
Then, after the introduction to the day and a hymn of praise by the students of the Christ the King Inter-diocesan Seminary, Fr Lezama gave his dissertation starting from the thesis for his Degree in Holy Scriptures which he completed recently at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.
"Being called a friend of sinners and a companion of those who are outside the law and the Covenant of God sounded like a grave insult to the ears of his contemporaries. This offence was not easily forgotten in the Christian tradition, because it referred to a very particular activity of Christ, eating with and keeping the company of inners. This is one of the most challenging aspects of Jesus," said Fr Lezama.
After his talk, Diplomas were conferred by the Dean of Faculty, Fr Antonio Bonzani, and the Chancellor on the graduate students who had completed three years of Theology for Laity. The event concluded with some words of Cardinal Sturla, who stressed the importance of training for evangelization, especially in the marginalized areas.
Source: Comunicación Salesiana Uruguay
