His name is Pedro. He is a Spanish seminarian, who belongs to a Neocatechumenal Way family of 14 children. His parents were on mission in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and thanks to this, he has now taken up the baton as a missionary.
PEDRO MENDOZA
Seminarian on mission
I grew up always listening to my parents and my siblings talk about the wonders of the mission and their time of living there. This instilled in me a desire to go on mission to evangelize and proclaim the good news of the faith I received from my parents.
As part of his priestly formation, he is currently on mission in the Middle East. For two years, his pastoral mission has been working with Christians in Muslim lands in the Middle East.
PEDRO MENDOZA
Seminarian on mission
For me, it was an enriching experience that allowed me to get to know the Church better. Why? Because in the Persian Gulf, there is a Christian presence from nearly all the countries of the world and there are many Christians of different rites.
Pedro's work has, above all, been ecumenical—a value that Pope Francis insists on. Together with his team, Pedro has succeeded in forming a community of Arabic-speaking Christians belonging to different rites: Byzantine, Maronite, Orthodox and Latin.
PEDRO MENDOZA
Seminarian on mission
In this small community, love and communion are evident among the brothers in an embryonic state. Like a small seed, the future unity of all the churches is present.
A few months ago, Pope Francis invited Pedro and members of his family to Casa Santa Marta for a private audience. In this meeting, he was able to share his testimony:
PEDRO MENDOZA
Seminarian on mission
To my surprise, Pope Francis showed great interest in the activity that we carry out in the Persian Gulf.
Pope Francis was very aware of everything that was happening. He reminded me of the visit he made in 2019 to Abu Dhabi, where the signing of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti took place.
In his farewell, Pope Francis thanked him for the mission that this ecclesial body carries out in a territory where a lot of work must be done to establish an ecumencial relationship between the Church and Muslims.
In June, the Pope sent 430 Neocatechumenal families on mission to evangelize. Young people like Pedro are the fruit of the Neocatechumenal mission. They accomplish the work that Pope Francis calls for in the encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti.'
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