| 32 - 27.10.2012 SUMMARY
- TWENTY-SECOND GENERAL CONGREGATION (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 2012 - MORNING)
- IN SCRIPTIS INTERVENTIONS BY AUDITORS
TWENTY-SECOND GENERAL CONGREGATION (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 2012 - MORNING)
- PRESENTATION OF THE FINAL LIST OF PROPOSITIONS - CONTINUATION
- FINAL SALUTATION BY THE PRESIDENT DELEGATE
- INTERVENTION BY THE HOLY FATHER
- VOTING FOR THE FINAL LIST OF PROPOSITIONS
- AUDITIO AUDITORUM (VI)
Today, Saturday, October 27 2012, at 9:05 a.m, in the presence of the Holy Father, with the chant of the Hour of Terce, the Twenty-second General Congregation began for the presentation and voting on the Final list of Propositions.
President delegate on duty H. Em. Card. Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, Archbishop of Guadalajara (MEXICO).
The President Delegate, His Em. Card. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO) addressed a Salutation to the Holy Father. The text is published in this Bulletin.
Then, the Holy Father spoke. A summary of this intervention is published in this Bulletin. The integral text in italian can be found in the Plurilingual and Italian version of this Bulletin.
Some Auditors also intervened.
At the conclusion of the work, the Secretary General communicated that todays was the last Congregation of this Synodal Assembly. Therefore the Twenty-third General Congregation foreseen for this afternoon will not take place.
At this General Congregation, which ended at 12:40 am with the prayer of \pard plain Te lodiamo, Trinità 252 Fathers were present.
PRESENTATION OF THE FINAL LIST OF PROPOSITIONS - CONTINUATION
The General Relator His Em. Card. Donald William WUERL, Archbishop of Washington (USA) and the Special Secretary His Exc. Msgr. Pierre-Marie CARRÉ, Archbishop of Montpellier (FRANCE) finished reading the Final List of Propositions in Latin, which began during the General Congregation yesterday afternoon.
The non official version in English of the Final List of Propositions is published in Bulletin no. 33.
FINAL SALUTATION BY THE PRESIDENT DELEGATE
Most Holy Father,
At the end of the beautiful stay that the XIII Assembly of the Synod of Bishops allowed us to spend in Rome, I was asked to thank you on behalf of the participants to this Synodal Assembly. And I do this very willingly.
Before doing this, with Your Holiness and the entire Assembly, let us give thanks to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the source of evangelization, for having given us the necessary strength to productively progress in the Synodal work, because from the start, the theme of New Evangelization was enough to put us off. Tomorrows Eucharist will be the opportunity to give the fruits of our reflections and our exchanges to the Lord. Thus it will be the apex of the Synod, inasmuch as the departure point for the work of New Evangelization and for the Year of the Faith.
Now, we would like to turn to you, Most Holy Father, to tell you how thankful we are in several ways. First of all, for having allowed us to join in your concern for evangelization in our world, which God loves so much, a world that believes it can do without this Love of God. You also decided to associate the examination of New Evangelization with that of faith in Jesus Christ, the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever (Heb 13:8).
We are also thankful, Most Holy Father, for having taken the time to come and participate at the General Congregations, and especially in the free interventions, by listening to all and sharing our concerns. You, thus, held [us] firm by the faith (Col 2:7). This Petrine presence in the midst of the other successors of the Apostles gave a family feeling to our assemblies. This was truly the Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum habitare fratres in unum (How good, how delightful it is to live as brothers all together!) (Psa 133:1).
What to say about the precious indications you gave us in your homilies, your initial meditation, your instructions during the public audiences and the Angelus. This is how, little by little, some key words began to appear and would be used as orientations and indications for the path of New Evangelization: evangelization starts with Trinitarian love, faith - confession - profession - charity- witness and martyrdom - suffering - persecution - conversions and holiness of all, especially the agents of evangelization - family, the first school of evangelization - parish, liturgy, movements, schools, monasteries, seminaries - culture - sacraments, especially penance and reconciliation - the desertification and the desire of God - sacraments of initiation - the New Evangelization is the concern of all - the migrants - continuous formation - the discernment of the signs of our times - the demon as an obstacle to evangelization. Briefly, the New Evangelization is to announce Jesus Christ to the man of our times, through dialogue, recalling that the Church does not begin with our making, but with the making and speaking of God (Benedict XVI) and that the aggiornamento (update) wished for by Vatican Council II is the challenge of New Evangelization for today. This is what we wished to say to you in thanks and to tell you of our firm commitment for the Year of the Faith and the New Evangelization.
Most Holy Father please bless us.
[00373-02.03] [NNNNN] [Original text: French]
INTERVENTION BY THE HOLY FATHER
The thanks, but also the announcement. After the reading of the Final List of Propositions for the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father Benedict XVI communicated his wish to transfer the competence for seminaries from the Congregation for Catholic Education to the Congregation for the Clergy and the competence for catechesis from the Congregation for the Clergy to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization.
He explained that all of this occurred in the synodal context and after a time of reflection and of prayer. For this, the Holy Father announced that the new pastoral competencies of the Dicasteries will be defined with a Motu Proprio Apostolic Letter.
At this time, the Holy Father wished to congratulate himself with the new Cardinals, after the announcement during last Wednesdays General Audience. The small Consistorium in November, he added, was called for with the intention of completing the one in February, in the context of New Evangelization and showing the universality of the Church, expression of the Pentecost.
The Holy Father added that this universality was seen clearly during this last Synodal Assembly. Despite the difficulties and the contrary winds, he explained, the Church is dominated by the wind of the Spirit; faith grows and is alive, this is demonstrated by the experiences in so many parts of the world, such as for example Cambodia and Norway. The last Synodal Assembly, he continued, shows the right path and offers new enthusiasm.
In thanking all the participants and the members of the Presidency, the Holy Father finally reminded of each ones constant commitment: to proclaim Christ and the Gospel. He concluded by saying, the Propositions, a gift offered to his attention, will also be useful for this, which will be transformed into a document that comes from life and that will generate life.
[00374-02.02] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian]
VOTING FOR THE FINAL LIST OF PROPOSITIONS
The voting on the Final List of Propositions took place during this General Congregation.
AUDITIO AUDITORUM (VI)
The following Auditors intervened:
- Bro. Emili TURÚ ROFES, F.M.S., General Superior of the Marist Brothers of the Schools (Little Brothers of Mary) (SPAIN)
- Dr. Peter MURPHY, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States of America (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
- Rev. Ari Luis DO VALE RIBEIRO, Professor at the Seminary of the Diocese of Santo Amaro, Diocesan Coordinator of Catechesis (BRAZIL)
The summaries of the interventions are published below:
- Bro. Emili TURÚ ROFES, F.M.S., General Superior of the Marist Brothers of the Schools (Little Brothers of Mary) (SPAIN)
The Church enjoys the privilege of having approximately 56 million children and youth in its educational structures. Might this not be a wonderful occasion for sharing the gifts of the Christian community with children and young people, as well as for welcoming the many gifts that they can bring to the Church?
It seems, therefore, to be just the right moment to emphasize the importance of Catholic educational institutions and to encourage them so that they might become even more centers of the New Evangelization. The Catholic school is right in the heart of the Church: it participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church and is the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out (The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millenium, 11).
In many countries, Catholic educational institutions are, in fact, courtyards of the Gentiles, a space in which faith, culture and life may give rise to a dialogue. Many families that are far from the faith and the Church entrust the education of their children to Catholic schools, which for many children and young people represents what is probably the only occasion in which they have any contact with the Church.
However, so that our educational institutions may be real centers of new evangelization and authentic courtyards of the Gentiles, it is essential to make the right people available for this effort. It is therefore important to invite teachers to take responsibility for this role inasmuch as they are baptized in the Church, through their vocation to education, and further, to encourage dioceses, religious families and all those who carry out this responsibility in the schools, to facilitate this exercise of co-responsibility, providing the necessary formation and accompaniment.
[00192-02.04] [UD013] [Original text: Spanish]
- Dr. Peter MURPHY, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States of America (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
Holy Father, Synod Fathers, Experts and fellow Auditors, I am honored and humbled to be with you on this blessed occasion of the XIII Ordinary Synod of Bishops. I will be addressing the role of the laity and parish life as seen in the Instrumentum Laboris no. 118 (81 and 107).
In my work at a national level for the United States episcopal conference, and in my previous work at the diocesan and parish level, I have found a desperate need for the laity to experience a genuine, personal encounter with Christ. Following a personal and powerful encounter with the Word of God, people often wish to deepen their faith, return to the Sacraments and feel a desire to share their experience with others.
A parish that is supportive fosters the seed of faith by teaching a person how to deepen their faith through prayer, the Sacraments and community life. Many of the laity are unaware that the Church exists to evangelize and that through their baptism, they share in this call. In the parish, particularly through the Sunday Eucharist, the laity's faith can mature and they can be formed as evangelizers.
The New Evangelization requires a Pentecost experience for the laity and families that will provide the courage and boldness needed to evangelize. Parishes must become centers of the New Evangelization that equip parishioners and families to know, articulate and share the faith. Catholic schools, religious education, youth and young adult ministry programs in the parish must continue to offer a systematic, comprehensive and authentic catechetical formation as well as offering concrete invitations for them to become Evangelizers. Enthusiastic evangelizing parishes will send forth the laity into the vineyard to transform the temporal order.
[00184-02.04] [UD005] [Original text: English]
- Rev. Ari Luis DO VALE RIBEIRO, Professor at the Seminary of the Diocese of Santo Amaro, Diocesan Coordinator of Catechesis (BRAZIL)
Blessed Pope John Paul II said that the future of evangelization largely depends on the family - the domestic Church (cf. Familiaris Consortio [FC], 56- 65), and that the Church is the large family formed of Christian families (FC, 69).
I come from the city of Sao Paolo (Brazil), where I am the parish priest and the coordinator of the diocesan catechesis. In Sao Paolo one can see, among other things, cultural and religious plurality, just as in other large cities of the West. This plurality, we know well, reflects todays individualistic culture. In Sao Paolo, in some families, some of the members are Catholic but not practicing ones, and in other families there are members who belong to other religions. The catechistic reflection of the Brazilian Church has been greatly developed in the last few years. Today, in all of Brazil, one can see the effort made for the parochial Catechesis is not occasional, but permanent, according to an itinerary of catechumenal inspiration. At the same time, the expectations of individuals to participate in catechesis only for the preparation of the sacraments ineis maintained.
The Church states that the vocation of the family must be domestic Church, for evangelizing its members, especially referring to from the parents to the children and also to evangelize other families. Therefore, the Church understands that the family has an evangelizing potential, however often this potential is not being used. When a child or a young person goes to his parish for catechesis, the parochial community has the opportunity to evangelize not only the child or the young person, but the entire family, so that the Christian family may be evangelized and evangelizer. This way the members of the family participating in the parochial catechesis have the opportunity of evangelizing the other members of their family.
I suggest that this Assembly, in one of its final propositions, insist on the evangelization of the whole family, especially through parochial catechesis, in other words, the evangelization of all of its members through the person that attends parochial catechesis. Thus, catechesis, especially parochial catechesis, will be included not only as the evangelizer of the individual persons, but also as the evangelizer of families, of the cells of the tissue of our parishes, of the tissue of our societies, and this through the catechistic work of our parishes.
[00188-02.02] [UD009] [Original text: Italian]
IN SCRIPTIS INTERVENTIONS BY AUDITORS
The following Auditors delivered their interventions in writing only:
- Mrs. Marylee J. MEEHAN, former President of the International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medical-Social Assistants - CICIAMS (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
- Rev. Sister Nzenzili Lucie MBOMA, F.M.M., Executive Director of the Service of Documentation and Studies on the Mission S.E.D.O.S. (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)
Below are the summaries of the interventions not presented in the Hall, but delivered in writing by the Auditors:
- Mrs. Marylee J. MEEHAN, former President of the International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medical-Social Assistants - CICIAMS (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
The International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medico-Social Assistants, CICIAMS has been active since 1933. It is critical to our organization that we have the support and direction of the Mother Church to help us in keeping our Catholic nurses members free to promote the New Evangelization for the Transmission of Faith in our work place.
Nurses have direct contact to human beings who are in a vulnerable state when they are sick. These wonderful human beings trust nurses to care for them as total human beings including attending to their spiritual needs. As Catholics in the health care work place, we are being marginalized and denied the right to address spiritual needs.
Catholic nurses who defend life from conception to natural death are becoming a minority in the work place. The sacredness of human life needs to be defended by those who are committed to their Catholic faith, religion and the teaching of the Magisterium.
Daily our spiritual life as Catholic nurses needs evangelizing and the need to evangelize to all who come into our sacred space of our work place where we care for the sick.
[00369-02.03] [UD043] [Original text: English]
- Rev. Sister lain Nzenzili Lucie MBOMA, F.M.M., Executive Director of the Service of Documentation and Studies on the Mission S.E.D.O.S. (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)
THE PROPHETIC ROLE OF SEDOS IN THE MISSION OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.
What is SEDOS? The name stands for Service of Documentation and Study, and it is a forum open to Institutes of Consecrated Life, which commit themselves to deepening their understanding of global mission.
SEDOS came into being ín 1964 during the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. The nine founders were all Superiors General who made a significant contribution to the Decree Ad Gentes, which was greatly influenced by their deliberations with members of the Roman Curia. In 1968 nine societies decided to create a permanent secretariat. Fr Schutte, Superior General of the Divine Word Missionaries, generously made available the spacious offices in the grounds of the SVD College in Rome. These offices still house the SEDOS Secretariat today.
SEDOS encourages research on Global Mission and disseminates information through its bulletin and website, public conferences, working groups and its Annual Seminar.
The aim of SEDOS' activities is to enable its Membership to be prophetic and dialogical in participating in God's Mission. In recent years we planned the
- SEDOS is a source of strength to the Church, religious congregations. It gives us a good education and enlightenment on how to live our lives with our poor and marginalized. SEDOS also helps us to learn how to accompany suffering people in order to bring about Justice and Peace.
- I see SEDOS as a platform where many of us can come and share, listen and learn. SEDOS is a venue for sharing reflections, updating on the latest developments in Missiology, Theology. It helps religious Institutes to clarify their vision and evaluate their ministries to serve better. A great opportunity for conversion of mind and heart provided by the insightful Speakers, as well as by the small group sharing, plus Open Forum. SEDOS opens our vision to new areas; gives direction for mission and fosters relationships.
For the 50th Anniversary of SEDOS in 2014 we are planning to produce The second Index Book of all the Articles published by SEDOS since 1989 up to 2012 and a Mission Handbook to answer to the request from the Residential Seminar of 2012. The aim is to equip new Evangelizers with some concrete guidelines with regard to their formation for Mission.
[00371-02.03] [UD044] [Original text: English] |
