Archbishop of San Juan, Robert Gonzalez NevesToday, Sunday, he admitted that the dismissal of Ms Daniel Fernandez Torres As bishop of the Diocese of Arecibo, he has been “tested, and perhaps in peril” of Puerto Rican Catholicism, but has asked congregants to remain “united as one family.”
“Puerto Rico is a people who love the Holy Father. There are three characteristics of Puerto Rican Catholicism: love of the Eucharist, love of the Virgin Mary, and love of the Holy Father, and they have been going on for centuries and are clearly tested, perhaps in danger, during this situation, but mainly We trust in Jesus”Monsignor said.
I saved this “Love and devotion to the Holy Father must be unquestioned, though (the process) is painful.” He realized that the church exists “You are living a moment of great sadness and complexity and, for many, a moment of great misunderstanding.”
“Let us always remain as one Catholic family, devoted to Jesus, devoted to Mary and devoted to the Holy Father, and may this moment be our strength.”To grow in unity,” he emphasized when asking them to continue to pray for Fernandez Torres and his family.
Supporters of Monsignor Daniel Fernandez Torres demonstrated in front of Old San Juan Cathedral. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Pope Francis excommunicates Fernandez Torres on March 9, 2022. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Organizers invited supporters to attend with banners, pools and dressed in white. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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The faithful expressed their rejection of Pope Francis’ decision. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Since the news was published, groups have been created on social networks and comments by parishioners in defense of religious people abound. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Demonstration in support of the expelled Bishop of Arecibo, Monsignor Daniel Fernandez Torres, in front of Old San Juan Cathedral. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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A poster with the message: “We want Archbishop Daniel back!” (Ramon “Tonito” Zayas)
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According to the Vatican, the dismissal of Monsignor due to his refusal to vaccinate against COVID-19 (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Monsignor Fernandez, in written statements sent to El Nuevo Día, expressed the feeling that he was “blessed by the suffering of persecution and slander”. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Before his removal, the Vatican asked the Bishop of Arecibo to resign. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Monsignor Fernández Torres refused to resign because he was convinced of his positions. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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During his 11-year career before the Diocese of Arecibo, Fernández Torres has been outspoken in articulating the most conservative positions within the Catholic Church. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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On August 17, 2021, the outgoing Bishop of Arecibo published a press release urging “Catholic believers in the Diocese of Arecibo to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church” and “a note on the ethics of using certain vaccines against COVID-19.” (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
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Another alleged reason for the dismissal is that Fernández Torres refused to transfer the schools of his diocese to a new seminary as approved by the Vatican a year earlier. (Ramon “Tonito” Zeas)
The expressions of the Commander in Chief came this afternoon when he arrived at a call made by members of the Catholic Church, in front of the Old Cathedral of San Juan, in a clamor for unity after the dismissal of Fernández Torres, the decision being questioned and rejected by a part of the parishioners, especially from the Diocese of Arecibo.
“I understand that your presence is a salve for Monsignor Daniel and It is important to feel his closeness, that love, because it is a very painful moment, not only for him, but also for the Diocese of Arecibo, for the Church of Puerto Rico.Because when one member feels hurt, we all feel hurt.”
The activity, led mostly by young people, included songs and testimonies from parishioners whose lives, they said, had been influenced by the work of Fernandez Torres.
“We cried and we need solace”
Marian Navarroone of the young women who did the activity, couldn’t keep her voice from breaking when she started talking about Fernandez Torres.
“We wept and we need consolation. Thank you Holy Spirit, thank you that in pain and suffering we receive consolation, a united Church. We ask you our Lord, Monsignor Daniel, to give him the strength, the strength he needs,” Navarro said.
The leaders of the group – which met in front of the historic chapel – insisted that this was not a protest against the pontiff and that although they hoped the Pope would reverse his decision, they would respect the decision if they did not. “If it is your holy will that we can take it back, and if not, then we understand the Lord,” cried the young woman, as a guitar could be heard in the background.
Emmanuel Montañez ColazoFor his part, he reiterated that the Pope is the “authority” of the Catholic Church and they recognize him as such and will continue to recognize him. “This is beyond a demonstration, what we want is a moment of union,” he said, noting that the pontiff marked the lives of many young people.
He admitted that the Archdiocese of Arecibo was going through a moment of suffering, because the dismissal of Fernández Torres was “something unexpected”. He insisted that the activism was not intended to “promote” Fernandez-Torres’ return to power.
Joanna OrtizFernandez, who is part of the “Luz de María” choir for the parish of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Arecibo, described Fernández Torres as a “special person”. “What you will see here is the fruit of what he planted, in other words, by the grace of God. You will see young people from other denominations, because here, we encourage unity, which was what he most promoted,” he said.
Although he stated that they were in “mourning”, Ortiz maintained that his message was not against the Church. “We lost our father…but we are generally happy because this has led to our unity as a church,” he said.
During the activity, a group of people – pre-authorized by the organizers – collected signatures from among those present with the intent that the Holy See in Rome would hear the voice of the “wounded and the angry,” he said. Jorge Luis Perez Perez, Faith, Life and Society Commission of the Diocese of Arecibo. “We understand that what happened inside our church was unfair,” Peres said.
He explained that the resolve on Fernandez Torres was the result of “bad information” sent by other Puerto Rican bishops. “He fought for the morals of our country,” Perez added, noting that the aim of the initiative was to ensure “the return of the bishop always of our Catholic Church, the Diocese of Arecibo.”