The Diocese of Algarve has just denied, in a statement, that Bishop D. Manuel Neto Quintas had suggested to Father José Afonso Cunha, parish priest of São Brás de Alportel, that he advise the Scouts Group to wait for the collection of food to be carried out by the parish in December, therefore not participating in the collection promoted over the weekend by the Food Bank against Hunger.
The Diocese thus responds to a news item in the Correio da Manhã newspaper yesterday about this controversy.
The Diocese affirms that the Bishop of Algarve “sent to all the parish priests, on November 18, an official letter he received from the Food Bank and accompanied this sending with a personal message, in which he asked the Parishes to provide all possible help, to spread the word the initiative, and collaborate in the food collection promoted by the Food Bank against Hunger».
Furthermore, underlines the statement, «the Diocese of the Algarve is a partner of the Food Bank and in the situation of social crisis we are experiencing, it would make no sense if it did not support an initiative like this, which has a profound solidarity and concern for the very common".
The Diocese of Algarve also emphasizes that it has “always committed to helping the victims of the current social crisis”.
For this very reason, "it created a Social Relief Fund, which was largely constituted with donations from priests, who deducted a monthly salary for him."
He also emphasizes that, "whether in previous campaigns or in the present, hundreds of Catholics in the Algarve, including scouts, have collaborated with the Food Bank and will continue to do so in the future."
Therefore, concludes the statement from the Diocese, the situation described in the Correio da Manhã “will correspond to some misunderstanding and will certainly be a mistake”. However, in its edition today, Correio da Manhã has already clarified the Bishop's position in this controversy.
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