The Holy See
back up
Search
riga

PONTIFICIUM OPUS A SANCTA INFANTIA

 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY MAY 2004

 

REPORT BY SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE
PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETY FOR MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD
TO THE SUPERIOR COUNCIL OF THE PMS

Rome, May 2004

Greetings to you all. I would like to start my report by quoting from “Small Steps of Love and of Sorrow” the booklet we prepared as a Way of the Cross for children. I quote from the second station: Jesus carries the cross “Jesus, when they presented the cross to you, you embraced it because love and compassion were helping you to carry that weight; love and compassion for those children who every day carry on their shoulders heavy loads of bricks; for those little ones who push heavy trolleys of coal in the mines. You thought of those who incessantly collect sugarcane under the burning sun; of the weavers of carpets, closed inside small and humid rooms; of the little girls who work in the toy and match factories; of the little tea pickers, of the little herdsmen, of the 250 million working children worn out with fatigue and very badly paid”.

Our children are afflicted by so many problems and especially great exploitation. According to the United Nations agency UN AIDS, 42,000,000 people have the HIV virus, among them 19,000,000 women and 3.2 million children under the age of 15.

More than 11,000,000 children in Africa under 15 have been orphaned by AIDS, according to the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF.

Catholic organizations are responsible for a quarter of all initiatives to help AIDS victims around the world. All of you who work for Holy Childhood are doing your part also to alleviate somewhat this terrible situation.

My last report was issued on the occasion of our November restricted meeting 2003. In that report I had commented on some pastoral visits leading up to July 2003.

I was invited to preach on Mission Sunday, October 19th, in the Cathedral of Cincinnati, USA, by the Diocesan Director for Pontifical Mission Societies. This was an interesting experience because I shared the pulpit with an Italian Comboni missionary, resident in the United States. This came about because on Sunday, October 5th, in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope canonized Arnold Janssen, founder of the Divine Word Missionaries and two Orders of Sisters, one active, the other contemplative; Joseph Freinademetz, the first Divine Word Missionary sent to China, and Daniel Comboni, founder of the Comboni Fathers and Sisters. The Diocesan Director in Cincinnati is an ex-seminarian of the SVD and the Comboni Missionaries have a well-established presence in Cincinnati.

Every two years, since the time of Msgr. Botía we have a meeting of Holy Childhood Animators from the Mediterranean and East European countries. The 2003 meeting was held in Malta from November 10th-12th and went very well. I thank Fr. Joe Bugeja and his Staff for their excellent organization.


© Copyright L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO

I was in Guatemala from November 25th-30th for CAM 2 “Second American Missionary Congress”. Among the 3.000 delegates, were 300 children from various American countries. Cardinal Sepe was there as the Pope’s Delegate. We must thank Fr. Antonio Bernasconi and his many collaborators for the quality of the organization. CAM 3 will take place in Ecuador in 2007.

I took part in the meeting of R.O.A.C.O. (Riunione Opere Aiuto Chiese Orientali) on Thursday, January 20th. The meeting was especially dedicated to the situation in Irak..

I was in India from February 12th-25th to participate in several rallies commemorating the 160 years of Holy Childhood. Msgr Kozar, National Director of the P.M.S. in U.S.A., was also present. I thank Msgr Siluvai for the excellent coordination of the trip.

We published the “ANNALES” of the Holy Childhood for 2000. It is important to remember that when I came to this job in 1999, the Annales for 1997 and 1998 had not yet been completed and therefore not published, so we have completed 4 editions in these five years. This year we will work on the Annales for 2001/2002.

For Lent we published the Way of the Cross for children entitled “SMALL STEPS OF LOVE AND OF SORROW”. Many Directors wrote to us asking for extra copies.
 

ECONOMIC REPORT
 

OFFERINGS RECEIVED IN 2004

As of May 3rd 2004, the P.M.S. National Directions placed at the disposal of the Universal Solidarity Fund of Missionary Childhood offerings in the amount of US$ 12.213.665,83.

The total offerings received are distributed by continent as follows:

  US $
Offerings from Africa 179.718,27
Offerings from North America (USA, English-speaking Canada) 2.002.610,60
Offerings from Latin America and the Caribbean 428.874,88
Offerings from Asia 854.250,12
Offerings from Europe 7.613.009,28
Offerings from Oceania 1.135.202,68
Total Offerings from the NATIONAL DIRECTIONS 12.213.665,83
Balance of the MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD SOLIDARITY FUND 5.597.245,56
TOTAL AMOUNT AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE MC SOLIDARITY FUND 17.810.911,39

 

 

 
top