Pope Francis has written a letter, dated June 24 and published July 12, to the president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) on the occasion of the inauguration of new CELAM headquarters in Colombia.

“Let us not forget that our material structures only have meaning when they are destined to serve, above all, our sisters and brothers who live on the most extreme peripheries of life,” Pope Francis wrote.

“And let us remember to be alert to the three idolatries that always threaten the progress of the faithful People of God: spiritual mediocrity, the pragmatism of numbers, and the functionalism that leads us to be enthusiastic about the road map rather than the road,” he added.