Our 2005 International Congress in Rougemont filled us with hope and joy. Never have we got so much hope from any of our congresses in the past for a better future for poor countries.
Just like last year, the five continents were well represented at our Congress this year, with high-ranking dignitaries from the Church, and sincere people who are keen to help their brothers and sisters in need.
From Africa; Benin: Most Rev. Marcel Agboton, Archbishop of Cotonou, and Father Pamphile Akplogan; from Ghana: Mr. Joseph Hooper, our representative in his native country since 1985, our top leaflet distributor for the whole world.
From Madagascar: Bishop Raymond Razakarivony, President of the Justice and Peace Commission; Father Venance Jaozandry, President of Caritas-Madagascar; Mr. Jean-Marie Rakotoarisoa, secretary of the Justice and Peace Episcopal Commission; Dina Razafimahatratra, holder of a degree in economics.
From the Philippines, Asia: Father Norberto Eyule (representing Bishop Benjamin Almoneda who came last year); Father Philip Alex Alcantara (representing Bishop Antonio Palang); Mr. Rudolfo Besinga (representing Bishop Antonio Tobias)..
From New Zealand, Oceania: Mr. Henry Raynel and Mr. Guy Steward, true Social Crediters of Major C. H. Douglas.
From Europe; France: Christian Burgaud, full-time Pilgrim; Renaud Laillier, of Toulon; from Switzerland: François de Siebenthal, economist and consul; from Poland: Mr. Janusz Lewicki, who is charge, with Jacek Morawa, of our edition in Polish; Father Jozef Jakubiec, of Krakow; Dr. Jan Wilk, President of Catholic Action for the Archdiocese of Krakow and holder of a doctorate in mathematics; Father Boguslaw Jaworowski, exorcist and professor in a seminary.
From Central and South America; Ecuador: Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Reyes; from Colombia: Mrs. Alba Salazar; from Mexico: our two fiery apostles and full-time missionaries, Nemiliz Gutierrez and Paola Santamaria; Mrs. Maria de Jesus Arroyo Gutierrez, economist and Nemiliz's mother; Miss Karina Cruz Fernandez; Mr. Noe Amezcua.
Many people from several states of the U.S.A. came, as well as people from various provinces of Canada, with Nova Scotia represented by Michael Arsenault, and Alberta represented by Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Parenteau; and a multitude from Ontario and Quebec.
Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Reyes work full-time for our Work in Ecuador. At our Congress, Mr. Reyes made an emotive call for more apostles. Here are excerpts from his address.
by Carlos Reyes
Every day in our planet, an estimated 40,000 children die of hunger or diseases that cannot be treated due to a lack of money. Now the questions arises: In front of poverty in the world, how can the Pilgrims of Saint Michael contribute? I am only going to quote a few lines from Mrs. Mercier's writings.
We all can contribute by loving our neighbor in a practical form. To love your neighbor is not a vain sentimental formula. It should mean something effective and fruitful. The Commandment of loving our neighbor was also given to us, the laity, the people of the world, as it was given to the religious. Who is my neighbor? My neighbor, the man of the 20th Century, is a prisoner of politics, where "the majesty of the State is degraded" (Pius XI), which permits the grave scandal of poverty.
Little by little, nations are falling into the materialistic slavery of full employment and generalized proletariat. Then the governments, gradually with their laws, or violently with revolutions, are, one after another, chaining people to a Communist tyranny.
Does not working to free your brother from the politics of today, which is working to assassinate the human person, mean that you truly love him? Does not the Christian of today see in political actions a great field of apostolate worthy of the highest Catholic ideal?
If God doesn't count, if there is a loss of the sense of God, there is also a loss of the sense of sin, and worse, to talk about the loss of the sense of justice. Unfortunately, the actual social situation in the world leans towards the logic of the evil one (cf. Evangelium Vitae, 8).
We need apostles of fire. In our personal experience, we have come to the understanding that not only do we need to change the structures of sin, as our beloved Holy Father John Paul II used to say, but we need to change the heart of man. This is possible with the grace of God, the help of our pastors, and through direct meetings with people, door to door, taking subscriptions to our journals, following the great example of saints like Saint Maximilian Kolbe and those of our brothers and sisters, the Pilgrims of Saint Michael. In other words, through evangelization. We can plant the seeds of the social teaching to the Church wherever we are so one day, not far away, we can all reap the fruits of Social Credit, that is to say, a true Christian society as wanted by God.
Louis Even knew very well all of this. He worked without rest so that the light of Social Credit would shine in every home in the world. His Work continues to form apostles, and thanks to the grace of God, it is producing fruits. And today, from what we can see in this Congress, we are already witnessing the beginning of a great harvest. Thank you for having invited us to participate in the privilege of serving, and to work for justice and for all our brothers in despair.
What has been accomplished in Ecuador, you might ask? Well, we have just finished an 80-hour course to a community of lay and religious people who, along with professional economists and engineers, will apply the social teachings of the Church through the Social Credit philosophy. We have implemented "popular" social doctrine and Social Credit teachings through Radio Maria in Ecuador. We are giving "intense" 20-hour social doctrine and Social Credit seminars on weekends in parishes and lay organizations. We have also distributed over 700,000 leaflets this year alone.
We will continue with our teaching of the social doctrine of the Church to the pastoral social office of the Archdioceses of Quito. Msgr. Jose Vicente Eguiguren, who is in charge of the lay movements in Quito, will start with the application of the principles of Social Credit. There is a great number of Bishops and priests who support our Work and who encourage us to continue and to expand to reach every corner of the country.
On August 5, 2005, the Minister of Finance of Ecuador quit after reading Louis Even's writings. He went to our religious bookstore in Quito and asked for a book on the social doctrine of the Church, in order to apply it. One of the employees of this bookstore is Alicia, who is also a Pilgrim of St. Michael. So she sold him the book "The Global Fraud", which includes Louis Even's three brochures. A few days later, the Minister said: "We must not pay the national debt, we do not owe it." He was forced to resign, because he did not agree with the policies of the International Monetary Fund and of his own Prime Minister who sides with the IMF.
We will send a container of leaflets to Paraguay and, with the grace of God and your help, travel to this country of 6 million people. A Venezuelan group has invited us to come. Brazil is awaiting, and Spain desires our coming. O dear Pilgrims of Saint Michael, dear Social Crediters, now we all understand that Social Credit can be implemented; that it is not an utopia; that a true Christian civilization, a civilization of love where fraternity is practiced, is possible. I address all of you, and I ask you to meditate on the contribution you can give with your prayers and actions to help us to evangelize. You know, you will not regret it! May Our Lord Jesus Christ give you a hundredfold. Thank you!
Carlos Armando Reyes
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