| 24 - 15.10.2008 SUMMARY
- SEVENTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (WEDNESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2008 - AFTERNOON)
- NOTICES
SEVENTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (WEDNESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2008 - AFTERNOON)
- REPORT AFTER THE DISCUSSION
Today at 16:30, Wednesday 15 October 2008, with the prayer of the Adsumus, the Seventeenth General Congregation began, for the Report after the Discussion (Relatio post disceptationem).
The President Delegate was H. Em.Card. Odilo Pedro SCHERER, Archbishop of São Paulo (BRAZIL).
At the opening of the XVII General Congregation, H. E. Most Rev. Nicola ETEROVIĆ, Titular Archbishop of Sisak, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, thanked the Pontifical Salesian University who have offered an interconfessional translation of the Bible in various language.
This General Congregation ended at 19:00 with the prayer of the Angelus Domini and 236 Fathers were present.
In the past General Congregation, 229 Synod father have spoken. Othr 3 further interventions of Synod Fathers will be published in in scriptis. Also 9 Fraterlnal Delegates and 22 Auditors have spoken.
REPORT AFTER THE DISCUSSION
During this Seventeenth General Congregation, the Relator General, H. Em. Card. Marc OUELLET, P.S.S., Archbishop of Québec (CANADA), presented the Report after the Discussion (Relatio post disceptationem), which was in Latin. In his second report, at the end of the general discussion on the theme of the Synod in the Hall, the Relator General synthesized the various interventions that were given during these days in the General Congregations and offered some guidelines to facilitate the work of the Small Groups.
A presentation of the Report after the Discussion in English is published below. In the other language editions, the original Latin version; the French translation of the presentation and the entire text, the Italian, French, Spanish and German translations of the presentation of the Report are published in the respective language editions.
Presentation
The Report after the Discussion (Relatio post disceptationem), presented by the Relator General H. Em. Card. Marc OUELLET, opened by underlining how the initial discussion in the Synod Hall on the theme The Word of God in the Life and in the Mission of the Church was done in a brotherly climate of listening to the Word of God and of attention to the presence of the Lord in the midst of His disciples, an atmosphere facilitated by the Inaugural Mass in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, by the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the death of the Servant of God and Supreme Pontiff Pius XII and by the Canonization of four new saints, which drew a framework of privileged prayer for the Synod works and expressed the life itself of the Church.
According to the Ordo Synodi Epsicoporum, the Relator General explained, the role of the Report after the Discussion is to present a synthesis of the discussion held in the Hall, because the main elements to be discussed in the Working Groups will emerge. Therefore, the Report offers the Synod Fathers a framework to simplify the studies of the theme and the preparation of the pastoral propositions to be presented to the Holy Father. This synthesis emerges from the interventions made in the Hall after the Report before the Discussion (Relatio ante disceptationem) and is elaborated from the general outline in ten chapters, chosen by the Relator General and developed with the help of the Special Secretary and the Experts. Following the division used in the Instrumentum laboris, the material is presented in three parts.
The first part is entitled God speaks and hears and contains three points: 1 - Revelation, creation, the history of salvation; 2 - Christ, the Spirit and the Church; 3 - the Word of God, liturgy, listening.
The first point begins with a consideration on the reflection of the Holy Father Benedict XVI who, commenting on Psalm 18, recalled that the Word of God is solid, it is reality, it is the stable and lasting foundation of every thing. Beginning with this invitation to a new realism based on the Word of God, the Synodal Assembly - the Relator General explained - led to a very worthwhile discussion. The synthesis continues dealing with the topic of Revelation and Intra-Trinitarian Dialogue, the dialogic characteristic of the Word, whose foundations can be found in the Mystery of the Trinity and which calls man to dialogue; the Word of God and the history of salvation, the revelation as a dialogical movement in which God addresses His creature and leads it to the fullness of salvation; finally, the history of salvation, achieved in the incarnation, death and resurrection of the Word and in the definitive gift of the Holy Spirit.
The second point presents Christ, the fullness and achievement of the Trinitarian revelation; Christ, the sole mediator, and dialogue; the Mystery of the Church, the action of the Holy Spirit and the interpretation of the Scriptures.
The third point recalls the sacramental dimension inherent in the Word of God and the importance, underlined by many interventions by the Synod Fathers, that the relationship existing between the Word of God and the liturgy and, in particular, the Eucharistic Liturgy, should be reinforced; the anthropological dimension of Gods revelation in His Word, whereby man is a being called to hear the Word; the Church, mother and teacher of listening to the Word of God; finally, the relationship between the Word and vocation, the Word and the poor, Word, silence and prayer, the Word and faith, the Word and holiness.
The second part is entitled: The Word of God, Holy Scripture, Tradition and is developed in four points: 1 - Event, encounter, interpretation, 2 - Unity, primacy, circularity; 3 - Eucharist, homily, community; 4 - Exegesis, theology, lectio divina.
In the first point, Event, encounter, interpretation the Word of God is presented as an event in history. Many interventions underlined the fact that the Word of God as such cannot be merely identified with the Sacred Scripture, although the two terms are often believed to be synonymous. The expressed doctrine in fact in the Dei Verbum clearly states that the Word of God is transmitted inseparably in the inspired written Word (Holy Scriptures) and in the living Tradition of the Church. The synthesis continues dealing with the interpretation and the connection between Sacred Scripture and the life of the faithful in the Church; the Word of God and the cultural challenges of our times.
In the second point, called Unity, primacy, circularity, the themes of unity and the primacy of the Word of God are presented, as well as the unity of the relationship between Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium expressed by the Dei Verbum; the work of the Holy Spirit in the triple-connection Scripture-Tradition-Magisterium.
The third point, Eucharist, homily, community deals with the relationship between Scripture and the Eucharist, with the question, which emerged from the Synodal discussion, on how to privilege, among the faithful, a more unitary perception of this relationship; the sacramental dimension of the Word, the Word and eschatological dimension; the celebration of the Word; the importance of the homily; art as an analogical form of preaching; finally, the relationship between the Word of God, celebration and community.
The fourth point, Exegesis, theology, lectio divina, deals with the relationship between exegesis and theology and presents the Lectio Divina as the individual and community reading of a passage, recalling that the approach to the sacred text, when personally done by the faithful, cannot be separated from communion and from the ecclesial context.
Finally, the third part is called The Word of God, mission, dialogue and contains three points: 1 - Witness, kerygma, catechesis; 2- Culture, dialogue, commitment; 3 - Communication, proclamation, translations. In this part, under the second point Culture, dialogue, commitment, the Word of God is presented as an ecumenical bond and the source of dialogue between the faithful and Jews; the synthesis continues by presenting the Word of God in the sphere of inter-religious dialogue, in its relationship with cultures and as a call to commitment. Many Synod Fathers spoke about inculturation, and an intervention in the Hall pointed out the Christological foundation of this. The last point focuses on the urgency, expressed many times by the Synod Fathers, in making the Bible available in all languages, including the unwritten ones; deals with new possibilities of transmitting the Holy Scriptures through the modern means of communication, underlines the proposal mentioned by several Synodal Fathers to create a specific ministry or to enhance the lectorate in the Church.
In conclusion, the Relator General recalled how all the Synod Fathers feel the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel and how the new possibilities of communication invite one to take on the original initiative to spread the knowledge and to love Christ and the Scriptures, to favor the unity of Christians and to contribute to justice and peace in the world. At the end of the Report, some questions were listed that might be useful in the Working Groups.
[00291-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian]
Then free interventions followed.
NOTICES
- BULLETIN
- PRESS CONFERENCES
- BRIEFINGS FOR THE LANGUAGE GROUPS
- INFORMATION POOL FOR THE SYNOD HALL
- TELEPHONE NEWS-BULLETIN
- OPENING HOURS OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE
BULLETIN
The following Bulletin No. 25, regarding the in scriptis interventions, will be available for the accredited journalists tomorrow Thursday 16 October 2008. The next Bulletin, Bulletin No. 26, pn the work of the eighteenth General Congregation on Friday 17 October 2008, with the Reports from the Small Groups, will be available for the accredited journalists at the end of the General Congregation.
PRESS CONFERENCES
At the Second Press Conference on the works of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of tomorrow, Thursday 16 October 2008 at 12:45, the following will intervene:
- H. Em. Card. William Joseph LEVADA, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (VATICAN CITY)President Delegate of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H. Em. Card. George PELL, Archbishop of Sydney (AUSTRALIA)President Delegate of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H. Em. Card. Odilo Pedro SCHERER, Archbishop of São Paulo (BRAZIL)President Delegate of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H. Em. Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, Archbishop of Cape Coast, President of the Association of the Episcopal Conference of West Africa (A.C.E.A.O.) (GHANA), President of the Commission for Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H.E. Most. Rev. Diarmuid MARTIN, Archbishop of Dublin (IRELAND) Member of the Commision for Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H.E. Most. Rev. Luis Antonio G. TAGLE, Bishop of Imus (PHILIPPINES) Member of the Commision for Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
At the Third Press Conference on the works of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of Friday, 24 October 2008 at 12:45, the following will intervene:
- H.E. Most. Rev. Gianfranco RAVASI, Titular Archbishop of Villamagna di Proconsolare, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (VATICAN CITY) President of the Commission for the Message of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H.E. Most. Rev. Santiago Jaime SILVA RETAMALES, Titular Bishop of Bela, Auxiliary Bishop of Valparaíso (CHILE)Vice President of the Commission for the Message of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
At the Fourth Press Conference on the works of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Saturday, 25 October 2008, at 12:45, the following will intervene:
- H. Em. Card. Marc OUELLET, P.S.S., Archbishop of Québec (CANADA), Relator General of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H.E. Most. Rev. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa, President of the Episcopal Conference (CONGO R.) Special Secretary of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- H.E. Most. Rev. Filippo SANTORO, Bishop of Petrópolis (BRAZIL), Member of the Commission for Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
BRIEFING FOR LANGUAGE GROUPS
Please note that there are changes regarding the briefing locations of the Press Officers indicated in Bulletin No 2: the French Language Group will meet at the Holy See Press Office, instead of at Vatican Radio. The precise location will be announced each time.
The ninth briefing for the language groups will take place on Friday 17 October 2008 at approximately 13:10.
We would like to remind the Audio-Visual Operators (cameramen and technicians) and photographers to request their access permits (very restricted) from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
On Tuesday, 21 October 2008, the Press Officers will be accompanied during the briefings by the following Synodal Fathers:
Italian Group:
- H. Em. Card. Angelo BAGNASCO, Archbishop of Genoa, President of the Episcopal Conference (ITALY)
English Group:
- H.E. Most. Rev. Terrence Thomas PRENDERGAST, S.I., Archbishop of Ottawa (CANADA), Member of Commission of Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
French Group:
- H.E. Most. Rev. Joseph AKÉ, Bishop of Yamoussoukro (IVORY COAST), Member of Commission of Information of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Spanish Group
- H. Em. Card. Oscar Andrés RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA, S.D.B., Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, President of the Episcopal Conference, President of the Episcopal Conference (HONDURAS)
German Group:
- H.E. Most. Rev. Kurt KOCH, Bishop of Basel, Bâle, Basilea (SWITZERLAND)
INFORMATION POOL FOR THE SYNOD HALL
The seventh Information Pool for the Synod Hall will be formed for the opening prayer of the Eighteenth General Congregation, on Friday morning, 17 October 2008.
The registration lists for the pool are available for the editors at the entrance (on the right) at the Information and Accreditation Office of the Holy See Press Office.
The audio-visual operators (cameramen and technicians) and photographers are kindly requested to apply to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications to participate in the Information Pool at the Synod Hall.
We would also like to remind the participants in the Information Pool that they are kindly requested to be at the Press Area at 8:30 am, outside the entrance of the Paul VI Hall, where they will be called by name to enter the Synod Hall, always accompanied by an officer of the Holy See Press Office or from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
TELEPHONE NEWS-BULLETIN
During the period of the Synod, a telephone news-bulletin will be available:
- +39-06-698.19 for the ordinary daily Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office;
- +39-06-698.84051 for the Bulletin of the Synod of Bishops - morning session;
- +39-06-698.84877 for the Bulletin of the Synod of Bishops - afternoon session.
OPENING HOURS OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE
During the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy See Press Office will observe the following opening hours:
- Thursday 16 October: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Friday 17 October: 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
- Saturday 18 October: 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
- Sunday 19 October: 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
- From Monday 20 October to Saturday 25 October: 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
- Sunday 26 October: 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
The staff of the Information and Accreditation Desk (to the right of the entrance hall) will be available:
- Monday-Friday: 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
- Saturday: 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Notice of any changes will be communicated as soon as possible and will be posted on the Bulletin board in the Journalists Area of the Holy See Press Office, published in the Bulletin of the Commission for Information on the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. |
