The News Agency FIDES published this interview with Fr. Carlos Buela on July 28, 2007. Recently, this interview also was carried in Spanish by the agency ZENIT (www.zenit.org) on September 1, 2007.  The text below is an editorial translation into English of the original Spanish text.

What moved you to launch this great adventure to found a new institute in the Church?

Fr. Buela: The only motive was the grace of God, indicating that He wanted a new institute to be founded.

How were the beginnings? What were the principle difficulties?

The beginnings were very beautiful: filled with much happiness, much poverty, many “dreams,” with great confidence in Divine Providence and many difficulties, which were unmistakably a great grace from God. Having many vocations, a gift from God, was, from what I saw, the principle cause of the biggest external difficulties we confronted.

In just a little time the Institute of the Incarnate Word has reached a large expansion. What do you think that this is due to, precisely at a time in which there seems to be a great crisis in vocations?

Yes, by the grace of God this is so. At this time we have about 1,500 members, (of whom there are more than 300 priests, with various doctorates and many licenses from the Pontifical Universities) and the female branch (also with many licenses). We are in 62 dioceses with 95 houses, in 30 countries. We have 177 major seminarians, 60 novices and 90 minor seminarians, 11 contemplative monasteries (5 for men and 6 for women), 5 Major Seminaries, a Center for Higher Studies (which in time, will perhaps be a university). We take care of more than 75 parishes, and we are on all 5 continents. The Sisters have a total of 703 members (226 perpetually professed members and 251 temporally professed). They are in 37 dioceses, 22 countries, with 82 houses. The priests breathe with both lungs: the Eastern and the Western Rites. I am convinced that this growth has come about due to a singular blessing from God and due to always presenting, without diminishing, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Also, the Virgin of Luján had a particular role in this.

What is it that properly defines the Institute of the Incarnate Word? What would be its specific charism?

Our charism is to bring to light for Jesus Christ all that is authentically human, seeking to evangelize the culture by means of study, teaching, the preaching of popular missions, spiritual exercises; taking care of parishes, schools, families, children, youth, the poor, and the sick…We have over 10 houses of mercy, with a special dedication to disabled people.

You are in many different countries of mission. What are the main challenges in these places?

The challenges are quite varied. Here in Europe we see the tyranny of relativism and of secular fundamentalism, with variants in Italy, Spain, France, Holland, Lithuania…In post-communist countries, like Russia (San Petersburg, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Omsk, soon in Jabarosk), Albania, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Tajikistan…we have the challenge of atheism that they have lived for many years. In the Holy Land, the tensions between Jews and Palestinians. In the places of the Chinese and Polynesian world, the pagan conception of life. In Muslim countries, many times, anti-Christian laws, as in Pakistan and Sudan, or in more moderate countries, such as Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, and Kenya. In the USA and in Canada, the rampant consumerism. In Latin America and Guyana, endemic poverty. In Africa, enslaving underdevelopment. In Iceland and Greenland, few Catholics; in Brazil and the Philippines, the enormous quantity of Catholics, etc. But, in the end, “Everything works for the good of those who love God” (Rom 8, 28).

You are also in countries where the Catholic religion is in the minority. How are your relations with the other religions? What is your main apostolate in such places?

We try to have good relations with all. In fact, we are all children of God and we must treat each other as brothers. The world is full of good people, what happens is that the bad people have done much more damage. Sometimes we can only give a silent witness, other times, it is possible to say a neighborly word, but always we can give the charity of Christ, which impels us.

What are the countries in which you have the greatest difficulties?

In the ones that do not respect religious liberty.

From your own experience of seeing the members of the IVE in the different countries of the five continents, where do you think there is the greatest need for missionary work in these times?

Certainly in Asia, without discounting the other continents.