On Saturday, the Bishop of Angra, Armando Esteves Domingues, began a pastoral visit to Flores, an island marked by a lack of commitment from young people and an aging population.
In the first pastoral visit of his episcopate, Archbishop Armando Esteves Rodrigues will visit the whole island until next Sunday to “take the pulse of the local reality of the Church.”
“I come not to solve problems, but to have an experience of communion with you. I come to be among you. The bishop needs prayer, but he also needs the will of the Christians of the diocese,” said the prelate at the Mass he presided over in the Mother Church of Santa Cruz, where he celebrated with the three priests who serve on the island.
“If I don’t learn from you and listen to you, this visit will be of little use,” he said.
The Eucharist, attended by members of the Pastoral Council, symbolically opened the visit, which was marked by the desertification of the island, the loss of population, and, above all, the lack of young people to help and renew the life of the Church.
Bishop Armando Esteves Domingues challenged the councilors to “be prophets” and to “creatively help the Church open up.”
“Let the gifts blossom, let us not close in on ourselves in our parish, let us not be the only holders of some power or importance or even knowledge. I invite you to be vigilant in the face of certain temptations,” he said.
“Everyone can give and be capable of giving. Let’s try to find new ways of calling and involving people, innovating so that we can gather around the Word of God so that Christian culture can enlighten the world,” he said, pointing out that today’s problems, such as the lack of priests, lay people and, above all, young people, ‘can get worse.’
“Let’s find new ways to involve the youngest, let’s take advantage of those who are involved in a specific project, let’s invite them to help, maybe this call will become a habit. Let’s help the brothers to build themselves up and together we can build the community, not just in the church, but on the whole island,” he said.


The Ouvidoria das Flores, with 11 parishes, is the westernmost in the diocese.
The Bishop of Angra began his pastoral visits to the Flores diocese, as Canon Law required.
In addition to Flores, visits are planned to São Jorge (later this year), Santa Maria, and Graciosa (in 2025).
“The word I take with me is that of hope. I already know all the islands and their geography in large community assemblies, but that’s not where you really get to know the communities,” the Bishop of Angra told the program Igreja Açores.
Bishop Armando Esteves Domingues explained that the bishop “makes pastoral visits for the sake of Christians” and that “bringing hope” means being with people “for a long time, with time” to understand the dynamics of each community.

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

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