Friday March 19, 2010
7000 Youth Rally for Chastity in Guatemala City
By Hilary White
GUATEMALA CITY, March 19, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – More than 7,000 young people between 12 and 25 participated in a rally in Guatemala City and pledged themselves to chastity this week. The rally was part of the first National Congress of Catholic Youth, an event organised by the Augustinian Recollect Youth (JAR), March 13-14.
The group said that it wanted to promote the message: “Be purified. If you purify yourself and allow only good things to enter within you then you can decide and have the power to do so through the Grace of Christ.”
A highlight of the rally was the presence of Mexican actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui, the star of the award-winning pro-life film Bella, who shared his conversion story. Verastegui was honoured recently by the Italian government with the Mother Teresa of Calcutta European Award for Life for his efforts to defend the right to life.
The Congress filled the Dome in Guatemala City, where young people heard the testimony of a former soap opera Mexican actress, Karyme Lozano, who abandoned a successful career in order to live according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. This was followed by a conference on Eucharistic Miracles by a Bolivian scientist, Dr. Ricardo Castañon, who presented evidence for Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist.
The Vatican representative, the Nuncio of Guatemala, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, delivered a message from Pope Benedict XVI.