| 20 - 17.10.2012 SUMMARY
- FIFTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 2012 - MORNING)
- AUDIENCES
- NOTICES
- ERRATA CORRIGE
FIFTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 2012 - MORNING)
- INTERVENTIONS IN THE HALL (CONTINUATION)
- AUDITIO AUDITORUM (II)
Today, Wednesday, October 17, 2012, Memory of Saint Ignatius of Antiochia, Bishop and martyr, at 9:00 a.m, with the chant of the Hour of Terce, the Fifteenth General Congregation began for the continuation of the interventions by the Synodal Fathers in the Hall on the Synodal theme: «The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith».
President delegate on duty H. Em. Card. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO).
Some auditors also intervened.
At this General Congregation, which ended at 12:35 am with the prayer of Angelus Domini 253 Fathers were present.
INTERVENTIONS IN THE HALL (CONTINUATION)
The following Fathers intervened:
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Thomas Luke MSUSA, S.M.M., Bishop of Zomba (MALAWI)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Edouard MATHOS, Bishop of Bambari, President of the Episcopal Conference (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Stanislav ZVOLENSKÝ, Archbishop of Bratislava, President of the Episcopal Conference (SLOVAKIA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Marcellin Yao KOUADIO, Bishop of Yamoussoukro (IVORY COAST)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Charles Edward DRENNAN, Bishop of Palmerston North (NEW ZELAND)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Tarcisio BERTONE, S.D.B., Secretary of State (VATICAN CITY)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Marc OUELLET, P.S.S., Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (VATICAN CITY)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jean Damascène BIMENYIMANA, Bishop of Cyangugu (RWANDA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Julian Winston Sebastian FERNANDO, S.S.S., Bishop of Badulla (SRI LANKA)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Agostino VALLINI, General Vicar of the Holy Father for the Diocese of Rome (ITALY)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Zbigņev STANKEVIČS, Archbishop of Riga (LETTONIA)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. George PELL, Archbishop of Sydney (AUSTRALIA)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Oswald GRACIAS, Archbishop of Bombay, General Secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) (INDIA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Mathieu MADEGA LEBOUAKEHAN, Bishop of Port-Gentil (GABON)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Martin SU YAO-WEN, Bishop of Taichung (CHINA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Michel AOUN, Bishop of Jbeil of the Maronites (LEBANON)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jose S. PALMA, Archbishop of Cebu, President of the Episcopal Conference (PHILIPPINES)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Soane Patita Paini MAFI, Bishop of Tonga, President of the Episcopal Conference (C.E.P.A.C.) (TONGA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Matthew Hassan KUKAH, Bishop of Sokoto (NIGERIA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Raphaël Balla GUILAVOGUI, Bishop of N'Zérékoré (GUINEA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Kyrillos WILLIAM, Bishop of Assiut of the Copts (ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Janusz Wiesław KALETA, Bishop of Karaganda, Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau (KAZAKHSTAN)
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Domenico CALCAGNO, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (VATICAN CITY)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Juan NSUE EDJANG MAYÉ, Bishop of Ebebiyin, Vice President of the Episcopal Conference (EQUATORIAL GUINEA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Petro Herkulan MALCHUK, O.F.M., Archbishop-Bishop of Kyiv-Zhytomyr (UKRAINE)
The summaries of the interventions are published below:
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Thomas Luke MSUSA, S.M.M., Bishop of Zomba (MALAWI)
There is a growing impact of secularism and globalization which is driven by the culture of
profits and production at the detriment of the promotion the dignity of the human person. This results in negative effects such as the moral values, the issue of family, the increase in the abuse of drugs, increased poverty, loss of sense of community, and questions surrounding the value of human life. Linked to this social phenomenon is the reality of immigration. Many people are migrating from the rural to the urban areas or from one country to another, usually in search of a better life, employment opportunities and other services. This situation is causing extreme cultural liquidity, breakdown of family bonds, less room to maintain traditional values and identity.
The way forward for the Church, the light of New Evangelization, is for her to be prepared for these rapidly changing trends and be able to collaborate with the entire stakeholders in an effort to understanding its impact on the life of the people. There is a need to promote programs that can strengthen the family; to address the impact of globalization; to organize apostolates to migrants (local and international); to promote cultural identity and to ensure that in every circumstance, the fundamental human rights are respected.
In the face of the growing globalization and secularism, necessary renewal and change of models of evangelization should be initiated through an appropriate formation of all the members of the Church. All the Christian faithful need to be helped to be conscious that they are partners in the mission of Christ and they are true agents of evangelization in the world of today.
[00267-02.03] [IN201] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Edouard MATHOS, Bishop of Bambari, President of the Episcopal Conference (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC)
The Good News of Christ arrived in 1894 on the banks of the Oubangui, brought by convinced men, dedicated to its cause. This is the place for us to thank, after the first Special Synod for Africa, all our elders in the faith.
Very early on, evangelization in this country took on different faces with different actors. But the first to walk the paths of our savannas and forests proclaiming the God News to our people were the catechists. They opened up the road of Evangelization.
Today, what do the people of Central Africa expect from the new evangelization for the transmission of her Christian faith? The Central African bishops asked the following question in 1991 in a pastoral letter on the Word of God in daily life: How does out Church proclaim the Word of God to men and women, to adults, to children and to the youths of our country? Do we the Central Africans have the possibility to understand in an authentic way the Word of God that we wish to transmit?
The new Evangelization understood here, as defined by the Fathers of the SCEAM in these terms: It is merely a question of evangelizing in another way, in a more complete and more credible manner for the men and the women of this continent; or as the Blessed Pope John Paul II said to the Latin American bishops, taken up in no. 45 of the Instrumentum laboris: the new evangelization is not a re-evangelization. She is new because of her ardor, by her methods, in her expression.
The Central African Christian people ardently wish for all these dimensions of their daily lives to truly become filled with the impetus of the Good News.
[00269-02.02] [IN203] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Stanislav ZVOLENSKÝ, Archbishop of Bratislava, President of the Episcopal Conference (SLOVAKIA)
The explicit and implicit call to conversion that touches mans conscience contains transforming power based on the fact that it corresponds to the word of the Word Incarnate, to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, when, at the beginning of his public life, he proclaimed: Repent, and believe the Gospel (cf. Mk 1:15). The call to conversion can be effective in virtue of the sacramentality of Sacred Scripture (cf. VD, no.56) independent of the motivations or personal qualities of the specific individual proclaiming.
Saint Paul mentioned in the Letter to the Philippians that some preached out of envy or a competitive spirit but then rejoiced because in any case, whether it was out of convenience or sincerity, the content of the Gospel message was being proclaimed (cf. Ph 1:15-18).
Many invitations to conversion accompany us, expressed sincerely or out of a competitive spirit, but the desired effect remains the same, authentic and effective conversion, a spiritual relaunching which becomes witness to the living presence of God among us: [...] nor any of the things I can possess constitute the essential, or reality. The reality of realities is God. [...] This is the criterion, God, the criterion of all that I do. This really is conversion if my concept of reality is changed [...] (cf. Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina on Ac 20:17-38, March 11 2011).
[00270-02.04] [IN204] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Marcellin Yao KOUADIO, Bishop of Yamoussoukro (IVORY COAST)
Chapter IV of the Instrumentum laboris deals with the first proclamation in nos. 138-146. The subtitle of these paragraphs, I would like to underline, is rather significant: The Demands of Initial Proclamation. I would therefore like to take the opportunity of this setting to emphasize that the reality of the first proclamation is the one imposed on the Catholic Church in the Ivory Coast. The Instrumentum laboris, with the concern of clarity, knew how to mark out the path; the first proclamation is addressed to, so to speak: pagans, that is to say those who do not know Christ; non-believers and those who are indifferent towards religion and are looking for conversion.
Today in Sub-Saharan Africa, evangelization in terms of the main challenges presents itself as follows: inculturation, interreligious dialogue and integrated promotion of the human being. Strengthened by what preceded, I would like to wish that the impulse of the new evangelization, at the end of this Synod, does not break the impulse from the first proclamation. To bolster my proposition, the missionary situation in the Ivory Coast is rather symptomatic and could be worthy seen as an example: what does this mean? The Catholic Church in the Ivory Coast is only 117 years old; the diocese of Yamoussoukro is 20; the parish of Tiebissou 42; 114 villages have a chapel. This just to say the villages and localities in the Ivory Coast who still live in the ignorance of Christ is still an important number; they also are in need of a special missionary attention. Therefore I hope, and this in the perspective of new evangelization, that we distinguish clearly between two realities: on one hand, the evangelizing mission and on the other the pastoral. For this to occur, I believe that speaking in terms of a targeted evangelization would be very appropriate. Because beyond the concept, targeted evangelization would have the same quality of taking into consideration the specific context of each country, of local cultures, languages and the new human spaces of incredulity, to borrow a term so dear to the Blessed John Paul II. May this Synod, starting with the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio by the Blessed John Paul II, be a cry in favor of the mission.
[00271-02.02] [IN205] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Charles Edward DRENNAN, Bishop of Palmerston North (NEW ZELAND)
In dioceses of secular countries with a network of Catholic schools and Colleges, the primary community of faith has become the school. There the majority of the baptized encounter for the first time, in any systematic way, the person of Jesus Christ, prayer, liturgy and the Church's sacramental life. Teachers rather than parents have become in many instances the first formators in faith of our young.
Catholic schools are not products but agents of the Church's mission. Among the various pillars of a school committed to the New Evangelization, are the following:
1. The encounter with Jesus Christ: befriending the Risen Lord, will see our schools animate with prayer, liturgy, the respect that stems from relating to others as brothers and sisters in Christ, and charitable service.
2. The diakonia of truth: in societies where the winds of relativism and individualism leave the tragic debris of moral confusion and crushed aspiration, our schools stand out as beacons of hope. Knowing the loving truth of Jesus and his Gospel - creative and life-changing, performative not just informative (cf. Spe Salvi, 2) - leads our young to discover the good: the path of inner peace, inner beauty and respect of self and other.
3. The spirit of wisdom: an antidote to the superficiality and triviality which can entrap the young and a foundation from which to strengthen the art of discernment and critique.
4. The sense of belonging to God's people: identity and conviction are galvanized when the school reverberates with the Church's ecclesial life of faith. Essential, is a manifest appreciation of the significance of the Day of the Lord and participation at Holy Mass.
When the faith leadership found among school staff and pupils is given ample resonance and responsibility in our parishes, the school communities themselves will do much to bring renewal to parishes.
Indeed, young people touched by the wonders of God's life of truth, goodness and beauty, become powerful witness in their own families to the life in Christ that the New Evangelization proposes afresh to each and everyone of us.
[00327-02.03] [IN229] [Original text: English]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Tarcisio BERTONE, S.D.B., Secretary of State (VATICAN CITY)
The transmission of the faith is a very fundamental task of the Church in being able to represent a description of her very own essence: she is in fact a community since always composed of the double movement of receiving and transmitting the precious treasure of the faith. This task is declined in a different way according to the situations and historical eras and today has taken on the profile of new evangelization in an ever growing way, that is to say the renewed announcement addressed to those who, while already being in contact, in different ways, with the Christian message, found themselves in being, to use the images of an evangelical parable, like the rocky terrain, or the one infested by briars, or even like the road, where the evil steals the good seed of the Word (cf. Mt 13:18-22).
In this intervention I would like to underline the contribution that the Pontifical Representatives and the whole of the structures of the Holy See, which coordinate the mission, hope to offer to the transmission of the faith in the context of the new evangelization.
In the first place, this is a specific service, which is that of watching over and protecting the libertas Ecclesiae. This is a service that is necessary for the mission of the Church, where the legal or social order is inspired by philosophical and political systems which call for strict control, if not a monopoly, of the state over society, as well as in countries which accord great importance to pluralism and tolerance, but where religion is increasingly being marginalized (Cf. Benedict XVI, Speech to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps to the Holy See, January 10 2011).
In these contexts, the action of the Pontifical Representatives, through the instruments of diplomatic dialogue with civic authorities and in accord with the episcopacy, aims not to seek anachronistic privileges, but to guarantee to the Church, in the best way possible, that freedom in the internal government and practice of ones mission that is legitimately claimed, and that, when present, is reflected in benefits to others and other religious traditions, and nurtures the harmony of all society. In a similar way, the work of the Observers and Representatives of the Holy See at International Organizations, along with the service of the cause of peace and the defense of fundamental human rights, turns to guaranteeing the right of citizenship to the Church, for her institutions and, I would say, for the Christian vision of the human person, today endangered by certain basic elements of the so-called dominant culture.
With this service, the Pontifical Representatives also are conscious of the direct responsibility they have, as members of the Episcopal College, as to the proclamation of the Gospel and thereby the promotion of new evangelization.
This responsibility, first of all, is aimed at favoring communion between the members of the Episcopal College and the Roman Pontiff. Making present the solicitude, proper to the Successor of Peter, for the whole Church, her representatives are by nature called to being the builders of communion, which in itself is a powerful factor of evangelization (cf. Jn 13:35). First of all, this is a gift that comes from above, a gift however that appeals to our collaboration and is translated into a committed and daily task, which allows our different sensibilities to be translated into wealth and not into antagonism.
I would like to assure, before this qualified assembly, the commitment that the Nuncios and the Apostolic Delegates mean to activate to favor, on one hand, the welcome at the episcopacies of the Pontifical Magisterium and the indications from the organisms of the Holy See, and on the other hand, in helping the Pope and his collaborators to always better know and understand the reality of the local Churches, their riches and their difficulties.
Then, we must not forget the more direct work of the service of evangelization performed by the Pontifical Representatives, when they are called to the various Dioceses for episcopal consecration, special occasions, or pastoral visits. Through this form of ministry they make present in a very special way, among the People of God, the person of the Pope, his care and solicitude for Christs whole flock, a presence that is especially felt by the faithful, and which contributes to making the Churchs Catholicity more visible.
Undoubtedly, the ministry of the Pontifical Representatives lives throughout history, walks with the Church and always needs to renew and perfect itself to be up to the needs of our times. For this reason, the Holy Father decided to call all the Nuncios, the Apostolic Delegates and the permanent Observers to a meeting for reflection in Rome next June, following on from the one held over ten years ago on the occasion of the Great Jubilee 2000. It will be an opportunity for an exchange of experiences and to deepen the feeling of mission for the Pontifical Representatives in todays circumstances. I am certain that I can count on your prayers for this.
[00330-02.06[IN237] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Marc OUELLET, P.S.S., Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (VATICAN CITY)
In response to section 37-40 of the Instrumentum laboris, I would assert that the new evangelization is inseparable from a renewal of ecclesial communion. This communion identifies the mission of the Church, that is, to be the sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race (LG 1), and becomes the most evocative part of the testimony that believers can offer to their peers.
One aspect of the renewal of communion in the Church relates to the relationship between its charismatic dimension and its hierarchical dimension. The charismatic dimension represents one of the most valuable acquisitions from the Catholic ecclesiology of the Vatican Council II, even if its ecclesiological statute still needs to be specified. This dimension is expressed in particular by the consecrated life, which represents for the Bishops a precious resource and a challenge.
In the relations between the hierarchy and consecrated life a certain unease has arisen: at times due to ignorance of the charismas and their role in the mission and in ecclesial communion: at other times due to the inclination of some religious to contest the Magisterium. For this reason I would like to draw attention to the document Mutuae Relationes, which has offered since the end of the 1970s a framework for dialogue for the relationships between Bishops and religious in the Church, and which would benefit from being updated, considering the extraordinary development in the charismatic element of the Church in the last decades. It would be a serious mistake to make the two realities - religious life and ecclesial structures - independent one of the other, or to oppose one to the other as if they could subsist as two distant entities, one charismatic, the other institutional. Both elements, namely the spiritual gifts and the ecclesial structures form one, even though complex reality (cf. LG 8) (MR 34).
The new evangelization, therefore, may find a further point of strength in the renewal of the relationships between bishops and religious.
[00329-02.03] [IN238] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jean Damascène BIMENYIMANA, Bishop of Cyangugu (RWANDA)
The Catholic Church in Rwanda continues to follow several initiatives, to help the people of this country that has been through a succession of tragic events, having taken many human lives leaving the survivors in situations of extreme fragility and vulnerability from many points of view. As to this, we made a new repartition, so that each base community is composed of twenty families close to each other. In this same framework, we organize sessions and retreats for families and we have debates on the challenges that face families today. We insist on responsible parenthood and on the role of the woman, especially for the numerous widowed women who are responsible for families.
This pastoral orientation implies a special attention focused on children. The great concern of the Catholic Church in Rwanda is to watch over these children so they may grow in years and in wisdom with a faith well- rooted in them. For this, we created base ecclesial communities for children, in the same measure as ordinary ecclesial communities. We usually call them clubs for children or evenings for children. For young students, we organize the week of Catholic education. Each year, at the beginning of the month of June, we organize a week called the week of Catholic education, this week is prepared much in advance by priests entrusted with Catholic education in each diocese. They choose the topic that the students, the teachers and the parents will have discussions on during this week with a view to establishing human and Christian values in the students and in the parents. Renewal of the pastoral does not put the parish aside. In effect, as we can see in no. 81 of the Instrumentum laboris, the parish is the place where we teach about searching for the truth, where each individuals faith is nurtured and reinforced. In all the dioceses of Rwanda, we are creating average sized parishes, able to support the faith of those who are members.
After the synod organized in all the dioceses, we also lean towards the peaceful resolution of conflicts through the Justice and Peace commission. Each base ecclesial community has a team of two or four individuals called the apostles of peace, who were initiated in the different methods of resolving conflicts. Their role is to maintain the peace in the base ecclesial communities by presenting above all Christ, our Peace and the social doctrine of the Church. On the diocesan level, the diocesan Justice and Peace commission undertakes actions of legal, psychological, social and counseling aid for the traumatized individuals.
Thanks to this Synod and to all that will come from it, the Catholic Church in Rwanda will continue in its surge of evangelization in depth and the Year of the Faith will maintain the flame of the Gospel.
[00272-02.02] [IN206] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Julian Winston Sebastian FERNANDO, S.S.S., Bishop of Badulla (SRI LANKA)
Blessed Cardinal Henry Newman once said: priests would look foolish without lay people. Our ministerial priesthood has meaning only in relation to the Common Priesthood of the faithful, though they differ essentially, and not only in degree as Lumen Gentium of Vatican II teaches (cf. LG. no.10).
The Church does not lack teaching and structures to involve the Laity in her mission, but often pastors do not seem to recognize the urgency and necessity of entrusting the Lay faithful, with love and confidence, their proper roles in evangelization. As the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes begins: the joy and hope, grief and anguish, of men and women of our time, especially of the poor and the afflicted must become ours as pastors and followers of Christ, in order for there to be a new evangelization.
The Church today needs a well-formed and well-informed laity who can renew and sanctify the temporal order. Therefore, formation of the laity should be on our high priority list. Six Sectors of the new evangelization are spelt out in Nos.51-62, and the need to respond adequately and convincingly are given in Nos. 68-71. Can the clergy and the religious effectively engage in these sectors that are mainly the domain of the Laity? Is it ever possible to penetrate these sectors without the lay faithful?
Denial of reality, self-defense or finding demographic reasons do not augur well to carry out the mission of the Church. We need to trust in Christ the Lord and re-commit ourselves to Him, together with our lay faithful, recalling the encouraging words of our Lord who repeatedly implored do not be afraid and urged His disciples to put out the nets into the deep - Duc in altum.
Therefore, let us entrust ourselves into the power of the Holy Spirit who transformed the disappointed, timid, disillusioned and helpless disciples into dynamic apostles who sacrificed their lives, one of whom opted to be crucified upside down.
[00294-02.03] [IN207] [Original text: English]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Agostino VALLINI, General Vicar of the Holy Father for the Diocese of Rome (ITALY)
Referring to the Instrumentum Laboris, nos. 80-84, I would like to present a few brief reflections on the subject - already mentioned in several interventions - on what constitutes the ecclesial place which is the most widespread, nearest, most accessible to the people, that is, the parish, which - as we know - of the Particular Church is "a kind of cell" (AA, 10) and in some manner they represent the visible Church constituted throughout the world (SC, 42).
I refer in particular to the parishes of the Churches of ancient tradition, in social contexts of growing urbanization and secularization, in particular those of large multiethnic and multireligious metropolises, cities that are often anonymous and disorganized, where, alongside those faithful who are participating and involved we find majorities who are baptized but whose faith is weak and anemic, who are indifferent to or distant from the Church, together with numerous men and women who belong to other religions or to no religion at all, who draw near to parish communities for various reasons, as well as the many anonymous seeking God.
The parish, despite having made much progress since Vatican Council II, apart from some worthy exceptions, is still involved mainly in cura gregis, offering religious services to those who ask for them, but struggling to open up to a pastoral of evangelization. A pastoral conversion of this sort is needed now more than ever, but it is not easy to bring about and must bear in mind several elements. I will try to list some of them:
1. The church began with the joyful and believable witness of the announcement of the Risen Lord. Saint Luke writes in Acts that upon hearing the preaching of the Apostle Peter after Pentecost, listeners were cut to the heart (Ac 2:37). The parish should first of all increase the joy of faith in its faithful - above all its pastoral workers -, accompanying them in discovering that within themselves Gods initiative, which precedes us, comes to us, and integrating us into his actions, calls us to cooperate with him and become evangelizers, professing the faith with heart and life. In this way, the faithful will render their witness believable and attractive, showing faith as desirable and the truth of Christianity as reasonable. With respect to this, I would state that it is necessary to develop a paradigm of first announcement which presents the Christian kerygma appropriately through the very instrument of evangelization.
2. To overcome religious illiteracy that is so widespread today, the parish should offer catechism tlineitineraries, using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Compendium, itineraries which are directed first of all at adults, and especially young families.
3. The Sunday Eucharist, which in every aspect must be attended to, should become a more heartfelt and sought-after experience of the faith which is believed, professed and announced, genuine praise of God and a school of holiness, from which radiates a joyful testimony of love.
4. I hope that the Synod will provide a vibrant encouragement to priests, especially to pastors, so that they will operate with conviction and passion to promote a new missionary impulse in their ministry, courageously rethinking - under the guidance of the Bishop - the organizational model of the parish pastoral. At the conclusion of the Synod of Rome, Blessed John Paul II, addressing the priests, said: Parish, look for yourself and find yourself outside yourself.
[00273-02.07] [IN208] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Zbigņev STANKEVIČS, Archbishop of Riga (LETTONIA)
This intervention is a response to the invitation addressed to the Synod in number 116 of the Instrumentum Laboris to investigate the problem of charisms and remove those obstacles which neglect the full integration of the charisms in support of the new evangelization.
The first obstacle is that a good number of priests do not wish to care for new groups and movements because they have not received adequate preparation for this type of pastoral work. Another obstacle consists in the fact that the majority of group leaders do not have a proper theological preparation and therefore easily make errors from a doctrinal point of view. Priests, on the other hand, tend to keep their distance from these groups. I thus appeal to the Bishops to encourage priests to attend to the care of these prayer groups and movements, called a gift of Divine Providence to the Church (cf. No. 115).
Another problem is the lack in our pastoral of the charisms and signs that Jesus promised to the Apostles that should accompany evangelization (cf. Mk 16:17). Saint Paul emphasizes that the kingdom of God consists not in spoken words but in power (1 Co 4:20) and that the marks characteristic of a true apostle consist in signs, marvels, demonstrations of power (2 Co 12:12). There is here an enormous resource for the new evangelization. When one sees Divine Power operating before ones eyes, faith is revived.
These signs are so rarely present during our preaching because we do not wait for God to intervene in such a way. Our preaching has become too rational and not sufficiently kerygmatic, whereas the very presence of kerygma releases the divine power during preaching.
These points are not taken into nearly enough consideration in our pastoral practices.
[00274-02.03] [IN209] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. George PELL, Archbishop of Sydney (AUSTRALIA)
Next year will be the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, when Emperor Constantine promulgated religious freedom in the Roman Empire.
In some European and English-speaking countries Christian religious liberties are being limited by the Courts, by regulations, sometimes by parliaments.
Much more seriously we see examples of violent persecution of Catholics in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia.
Religious liberty, as a basic human right for all law-abiding religious followers, should be a topic in the final message and in the small group discussions.
Recently I hosted a dinner to celebrate the breaking of the Ramadan fast. The Sunni mufti was on my left, the head of the Shiites on my right, with Jewish representatives adjacent. The topic of the night became fasting and penance.
It quickly emerged that the only group who fasted less than our Latin Church was some Protestants. It would be a break from Jewish and Christian tradition if this ancient practice disappeared. I commend the English bishops for reintroducing the traditional Friday abstinence.
It seems to me that we need a much more developed analysis and discussion of the consequences of the Islamic presence in the Western world for the Church and reevangelization.
At a minimum the efforts to develop local and national interfaith dialogues and friendships should be continued and broadened.
[00275-02.04] [IN210] [Original text: English]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Oswald GRACIAS, Archbishop of Bombay, General Secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) (INDIA)
What is new evangelization for a Church that is a small minority - just 2.3% - and yet listened to with attention.
The Church is presented by some opinion makers as retrograde, conservative, unwilling to change and meet the simple citizen in the market place. The Christian message and morality need to be presented as the sustainable way for the future of mankinds progress, development and happiness - for a fullness of life.
A restlessness is noticed in the world. The Arab Spring: a striving for freedom and opportunity; the climate change; the campaign against corruption, seeking probity in public life. The Gospel is not silent on these issues. It teaches us the dignity of the human person; the benefits of creation to be shared by all with justice and equity; all authority is for service, not dominion. The New Evangelization must proclaim this Gospel message loud and clear. The Gospel has answers to the questions of our time.
In some places, civil legislation limits the freedom of worship and proclamation. This is to be combated especially in the international arena as a violation of human rights and a limit to human freedom. It is not just a Church- problem, it is a human problem.
In a Church which is in a minority, there is even more urgency and necessity for the hierarchy, clergy and laity to be united and work together. The laity and youth in particular need to be trusted, trained and guided for an effective new evangelization. Openness and transparency in all Church administration will further strengthen this trust and harmony.
[00276-02.04] [IN211] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Mathieu MADEGA LEBOUAKEHAN, Bishop of Port-Gentil (GABON)
In No.51 of the Instrumentum Laboris, we find what we call the five sectors: - 1. The cultures sector; - 2. The society sector; - 3. The economics sector; - 4. The civic life sector; - 5. The religion sector. An unhappy crowd, faced with these sectors, that must choose one of them, would first enter into the economic sector in order to meet its basic needs, according to the famous: primum vivere deinde philosophari and we can mutatis mutandis add primum vivere deinde evangelizzari.
Evangelization - which has as its target the making of saints, sanctifying the Name of God the Father, building his Kingdom, doing His will (cf. Pater Noster) - is often hindered by basic needs which we call economy or bread. It is noted from original sin (Gn 3:1-24) to the first seven deacons (Ac 6:1), without forgetting other places of present and past history: the economy is present in all human activities.
For us, the present economic crisis is therefore for the Church a kairos of the new evangelization. We therefore propose - such as the Pontifical Academy for the political or diplomatic sector - the creation of a new Structure for the economic or finance sector. A structure based on ecclesial experience: monasticism, religious communities, prelatures, ecclesial movements, Focolari with the economy of communion, les Pèlerins de Saint Michel and Louis Even Institute with Social Credit: a financial system exempt from debts from service to man. This Structure, inspired by the Holy Spirit will help the Church and all of humanity. Give me neither poverty nor riches, grant me only my share of food, for fear that, surrounded by plenty, I should fall away and say, 'Yahweh - who is Yahweh?' or else, in destitution, take to stealing and profane the name of my God (Pr 30:8b-9).
[00277-02.04] [IN212] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Martin SU YAO-WEN, Bishop of Taichung (CHINA)
The Phenomenon of Migration is a great challenge as well as an advantage not only to the migrations contribution to the economic advancement of society but also to the religious and missionary aspect of migration. This is where cultures meet cultures, faith meets faith, and in these encounters both will experience the beauty of their cultures and faith that will rebuild their identity as persons which is founded on their dignity as the imago Dei.
The Church has her own culture that connects different cultures of the migrants and local people, she has her own language that unites all languages, a language that can be understood even if not spoken and that is the language of the heart and the culture of self-giving and self-sacrifice.True enough, as the Instrumentum Laboris states that In great part a direct cause of migration; the economy is highlighted for the tensions and forms of violence related to it, and the inequality it causes within and among nations. These things brought our people to the desert of confusions and emptiness. These can only be alleviated if the particular Churches will heed to the invitation to live the evangelical ideal of poverty and to do still more in terms of awareness and concrete activity in making migration as a sector of new evangelization.
Moreover, Migrants must be listened to, welcomed, and pastorally be taken cared of, because they have stories to tell that can quenched the thirst of those who journey with them in the desert. Migrants and local people are both wayfarers trying to find their way towards the new heaven and the new earth. Along the way, as one people journeying together, will find solace in God. Catholic migrants should be organized, trained in order to become sharers of faith to others. The sending and the receiving Churches, not only sustain and nurture the faith of the Catholic migrants, but must find ways and means to organize them to become partners in the task of new evangelization for the transmission of Christian faith especially in places where local vocation is so minimal. Migration is a potent force of the missionary activity of the Church in a concept of new evangelization.
[00278-02.04] [IN213] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Michel AOUN, Bishop of Jbeil of the Maronites (LEBANON)
New evangelization needs a witness of life that must accompany the evangelizing work. I think that the Church needs a new breath of the Spirit. She needs a movement of conversion where the bishops and priests are the main agents to find once again a spirituality that returns our life to holiness. Therefore we must encourage a Biblical spirituality in the formation of seminarians and a spirituality that favors love for the mission.
As for our pastoral activity as pastors, I think this Synod should encourage the new communities who contributed after Vatican Council II to the new evangelization and to the transmission of the faith. In fact, many of these communities, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, answer the expectations of our faithful in proposing to them pastoral itineraries that lead them to a mature faith.
Pope Benedict XVI never stops encouraging the charismas that the Spirit gives rise to in the new communities where the fruits are manifested. Sometimes the bishops object because they create a division in the one diocesan or parochial body. Faced with this objection, I cannot but present communion as the condition for pastoral achievement. In the name of this communion which is guaranteed by the bishops, I would like this Synod to encourage the pastors in discerning the fruits that these charismas contribute to the Church and to welcome them as a new spring for the new evangelization.
[00279-02.02] [IN214] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jose S. PALMA, Archbishop of Cebu, President of the Episcopal Conference (PHILIPPINES)
The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP H) was convoked in 1991 to effect renewal and revitalization in the spirit of Vatican II. We gathered again in 2001 for the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal (NPCCR) to assess how much of PCP II we have implemented. This year we launched the nine-year preparation for the 2021 celebration of the fifth centenary of the first baptism and first Mass in the Philippines in 152l. We adopted as our annual focus the nine pastoral priorities defined during the NPCCR.What is the sacramentum or blessing that PCP II can contribute to our new evangelization? It is both the process and the disposition that it invites us to:
a. Humbly and honestly assess our situation. What are the lights - the good traits and success stories we have to strengthen and replicate? What are the shadows - the failures or malpractices we have to stop or modify?
b. Prayerfully discern our vision of being church. We want to become a community of disciples and a church of the poor.
c. Boldly define our mission or outline what we have to do in order to achieve our vision. We resolved to embark on integral evangelization by renewing our catechesis, our sacramental life and our life of service or social action.
d. Appreciate and collaborate with the various agents of renewal.
I suggest that this Synod exhort our lay faithful. Many of them are not just objects but are surely subjects of evangelization. Thanks to Vatican II, the universal call to communion and mission has taken root in the hearts of many of our laity. Our two saints, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod, are both laymen. We think of millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrants and the many more who are at home actively involved in various renewal groups, faith communities, lay associations and movements, diocesan and parish structures. They need our pastoral care so that they could become effective witnesses to faith, harbingers of hope and sharers of the joy that only the Lord can give.
[00280-02.03] [IN215] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Soane Patita Paini MAFI, Bishop of Tonga, President of the Episcopal Conference (C.E.P.A.C.) (TONGA)
I highlight two words-'intimate' and 'personal'. The first denotes depth and the second, real relationship.Oceania consists of small little island nations often referred to by early explorers as Paradise of the Pacific. Even the island of Tonga where I grew up is better known as the 'Friendly islands'. During the synod of Oceania in 1998 a slogan was used, the Islands of Humanity, pointing to the naturalness and humanness which these people were gifted with in their ordinary human relationships.
I propose that priests and bishops constantly examine their personal lives in light of this simple 'way of being' - namely, to be simple. Simplicity do away with self-pretenses and the putting on of false faces typical of being torn between the reality of being highly respected public figures and the reality of being supposedly ambassadors for the Kingdom. Why was Jesus so at home and well identified with most people in his time, even with sinners? It was simply because He was so at home with himself, so free as a person rooted in simple and humble upbringing. He was better known among his contemporaries as the son of the carpenter.
The people in our world today are scarred with deep wounds and hurts in their lives and thus they long for true compassionate pastors who can deeply touch and liberate their lives from their own miseries. That is, shepherds who could walk with them and 'wearing their own shoes'.
My recommendation can be summed-up with 3 Ss:
Seminary Formation: a formation that truly emphasizes the human aspect stressed in the Encyclical Exhortation, Pastoral DaboVorbis.
Self-reflection: consistency in self-reflection can avoid the tendency to be drowned unconsciously in the superficial world of the hero mentality and the attention-seeking of the celebrities.Silence: a love of silence leads to both depth of knowledge and sincerity in human relationships.
[00285-02.03] [IN216] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Matthew Hassan KUKAH, Bishop of Sokoto (NIGERIA)
For an effective program of evangelisation to take proper root today and for us to avoid the mistakes of the past, a proper reading of our collective national history is inevitable. This phase of history has been so distorted that this now has serious implications today in how Muslims and Christians see one another and read their histories. For example, many Islamic scholars have often created the impression that somehow, missionary activities had a direct connection with western imperialism since both missionaries and the colonialists were seen as speaking the same language, having the same culture, coming from the same lands and so on. I believe that we need to redress these mistakes by re-reading and rewriting our common history.
The return of democracy to a country like Nigeria now offers us a better platform to address the issues of constitutionalism and common citizenship. We now have opportunities to create greater harmony and a common vision based on the provisions of our Constitution. Our inability to resolve these issues accounts for why we continue to see one another as strangers and why religious identities have become walls rather than bridges. To reverse this, we need to take another look at a few issues. There is a need for our voice to be more heard in the public space in a more assertive and constructive way than mere condemnation of government policies. We must explore areas of engagement of Church and state so as to build greater confidence.
The Church must become more engaged in the issues of corruption and mismanagement of resources by the political, actions which continue to create the environment of violence in society. We need to expose our higher institutions and political elite to the Social Doctrines of the Church in areas such as the Common good and human solidarity.
I wish to appeal to the Holy Father to continue to raise his voice and appeal to the international community to address the issues of the excesses and corruption perpetrated by multinational corporations, again, actions that have kept our societies restive and violent.
[00284-02.03] [IN217] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Raphaël Balla GUILAVOGUI, Bishop of N'Zérékoré (GUINEA)
The Episcopal Conference of Guinea would like to make you part of its contribution to this Synod of Bishops.
The challenges and concerns of the Church in Guinea in this phase of New Evangelization are the following:
1) The creation of new ecclesiastical circumscriptions of a more human size
With the concern for a pastoral of proximity, the Conference of Bishops of Guinea asked the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for the creation of new dioceses in Guinea.
2) The New Evangelization equally concerns all the layers influenced by Western culture
During these Diocesan Days of Youth where even some Muslims are present, we help the young persons appreciate the great currents of thought today which move mass media in the light of the Gospel, of the social doctrine of the Church and the African values.
3) A deepened analysis of the different cultures for a deeper evangelization
The challenges come from all sides in all cases. Faced with Islam which in certain places blocks the evolution of the Church by not allowing the construction of chapels or Churches, for undisclosed reasons.
Faced with traditional African religions where most of our faithful come from. Several of them, even after having received the sacraments of Christian initiation, feel obliged to return to traditional initiation for reasons of security or social integration.
[00283-02.02] [IN218] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Kyrillos WILLIAM, Bishop of Assiut of the Copts (ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT)
LÉgypte se déclare comme un pays musulman. Larticle 2 de la constitution dit que lislam est la religion de lÉtat et que la Sharia est la source de sa législation. Chaque jour, depuis la montée des Frères Musulmans au pouvoir, nous assistons à une nouvelle procédure dislamisation des institutions de lÉtat. Comme auparavant, les chrétiens continuent à être considérés citoyens de 2ième catégorie, plusieurs droits ne leur sont pas reconnus. Dans les écoles et ailleurs, on continue à semer la haine envers eux.
LÉglise catholique en Égypte, qui ne compte pas plus de 250.000 fidèles sur une population de 90 millions, assure, à travers toutes ses institutions et différents rites, une présence très sentie dans la société civile et très estimée par les suprêmes autorités du pays: par les écoles suivies par de milliers délèves, dont la majorité sont des musulmans; par les hôpitaux et les dispensaires et dans le domaine du développement et de la promotion humaine.
Les commissions de Justice et Paix organisent régulièrement des rencontres culturelles, qui présentent la doctrine sociale de lÉglise. Et inspirées par les initiatives des Souverains Pontifes à Assise, elles ont organisé des veillées de prières pour la paix, avec la participation de chrétiens et non-chrétiens.
Un jour, un haut fonctionnaire de lÉtat, sadressant aux Évêques catholiques, leur confessa: mais lÉglise catholique montre une présence qui dépasse ses dimensions!
Certains extrémistes nous demandent de quitter le pays: allez-vous en au Canada et en Amérique, vous avez tous des visas, nous lui avons dit: non cest notre pays et nous y restons.
Donc, si, nous pouvons évangéliser dans un pays musulman, pleins de confiance en Dieu, Maître de lhistoire, et qui guide nos pas, et encouragés par le soutien et les prières de nos frères et surs oftlinedans le monde entier, nous allons continuer àexercer notre mission comme témoins du Christ dans notre pays, comme sel de la terre et lumière du monde, comme artisans de paix et de réconciliation et semeurs de la civilisation damour.
[00282-03.03] [IN219] [Texte original: français]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Janusz Wiesław KALETA, Bishop of Karaganda, Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau (KAZAKHSTAN)
Over twenty years ago, with the fall of the Soviet empire, the time of new evangelization started in Central Asia. Today, we can reflect on this period, and draw conclusions for the future. First, I would like to underline the fact that without financial help from the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and from Churches in Germany, Italy, USA and other countries it would not have been possible for us to establish Church structures, without which it would have been very difficult for us to do our work. Also, without solidarity in the form of the sending of priests, nuns, and lay volunteers from about 15 countries, in particular from Poland, Slovakia, Italy, and USA, it would not have been possible to start the process of evangelization in Central Asia. While expressing our gratitude for this solidarity, I would also request that such assistance continue.
In the context of Instrumentum Laboris, number 110, which describes the family as the model-place for witnessing to faith, I would like to take into consideration the phenomenon concerning the transmission of faith. Most people in post-Soviet countries seem to be religiously indifferent. To the relatively small group of those, who still retain their Catholic faith and tradition, their families are of fundamental significance. It cannot be ignored, however, that often - even in families where grandparents or parents are religious, and pray the Rosary, participate in liturgy - the younger generation is very distanced from religion and Church. Very often they consider the Church and faith as only something good enough for priests, old women and children.
Because of that, it seems that it is important to take two approaches:
First, the principle attention should be paid to the deepening of traditional religiousness, which has not been nourished by proper Catechism. The problem is to duly train our 'babushkas' (grandmothers) in Holy Scripture and Catechism in a popular and understandable way. This would be possible through the organizing of retreats, courses, conferences targeting mothers.
Secondly, just as with the mothers, we also need to properly train our young men and those who are already fathers of families, also to be agents for the transmission of faith. It is precisely this complementarity that is referred to in the instrumentum laboris (No.110). That men too can serve in this ministry of transmission of faith is often forgotten. As such, we ought to exhort the fathers of families, also, to take saintly family men of the Church as their models based on a sound spirituality for men.
[00299-02.03] [IN225] [Original text: English]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Domenico CALCAGNO, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (VATICAN CITY)
In the scenario of the new evangelization we have passed from resistance and opposition to God and the Church in a strong way to a weaker tone which though has influenced daily life giving rise to a mentality of hedonism and consumerism which has trivialized many values and has given precedence to that which makes it possible to achieve specific goals and, therefore, money.
If it is true that homo sine pecunia imago mortis, it is equally true that an abominable hunger for wealth has infected many Christians as well.
The Church has always faced the problem of the economy within the broadest view of human rights and peoples and the universal destination of goods. The first experiences of shared goods were enlightening for those in the original Christian community. It was not possible to progress in that experience, but even over the course of the following centuries more than once the initiatives of the Church in the economic and social realms have been very concrete and the Christian community was a promoter of human experiences and solidarity which went beyond the demands of witnessing to charity in that they influenced the area of justice as well.
Today we are living not only in the tsunami of secularization but also in the tsunami of an economic crisis which has at its roots behavior that is not consonant with the Gospel.
As in the past, so today the Church must discover a way to face the problems of the economy that are respectful of the human ecology as stated by Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical Caritas in veritate, no. 51.It is therefore primarily by her conduct and by her life that the Church will evangelize the world, in other words, by her living witness of fidelity to the Lord Jesus...of freedom in the face of the powers of this world, in short, the witness of sanctity. I.L.158 (Paul VI Ev. Nun.31-32). An undoubtedly provocative invitation that ought to convert some to our style of ecclesiastical life.
Those who seek meaning in their lives or are worried about these presently difficult times will be able to follow us only if they maintain the hope that, following our path, rooted in Christ, they will be on a path to Salvation.
[00301-02.04] [IN227] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Juan NSUE EDJANG MAYÉ, Bishop of Ebebiyin, Vice President of the Episcopal Conference (EQUATORIAL GUINEA)
Our Episcopal Conference has seen fit to emphasize the urgent need for the Churches to rediscover and learn the message and person of Jesus Christ, the first evangelizer par excellence, through a personal encounter with Him through: a rereading of Conciliar and Magisterial ecclesiastical Documents, the "escrutatio" of the Word of God, joyful presentation of the Christian message, the worthy celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments, charity, etc., etc.
The Christians of our local Ecuadoguinean community, the vast majority of whom declare themselves Catholics, are convinced that Jesus Christ, the Gospel of God for mankind, is the truth that is the key to life and the gift of God to all peoples, cultures, tribes and clans.
The Church, putting into effect the historical experience and the pastoral strength it possesses, will be able to again revive enthusiasm for the faith, which has been extinguished in the heart of Christians: and through its pastoral structure of media and people, must be present throughout society in order to testify to the charity of God.
Thanks to the Christological and spiritual catechesis and pastoral action, we appreciate, above all, results that certainly give cause for hope: the increase of new pastoral agents, the restoration and construction of new temples and other parish structures, such as the signing of the Agreement between the State of Ecuadorial Guinea and the Holy See; these are relevant facts which oftlineguarantee the exercise of religious freedom and favor the path to peace, justice and the full development of people.
[00328-02.00] [IN234] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Petro Herkulan MALCHUK, O.F.M., Archbishop-Bishop of Kyiv-Zhytomyr (UKRAINE)
There is an Eastern proverb that says, If you need to run, then you need to know two things: where to run to, and why you have to run.
But who is the Evangelizer? Why must he evangelize and what does he hope to achieve?
Saint John the Baptist, the Precursor who prepared the people for the encounter with the Messiah, shows us that such an encounter can take place only in a situation of Truth, the only truth which shows who the man without God is, who a population that abandons God and his commandments, is a perverse generation. And to the question of what we must do, John answered, repent and convert. Therefore, in a community that repents and seeks to convert itself, the Lord is revealed. Here is the lamb of God, the Savior of the world whose sandals I am not worthy of removing. And hearing these words, Andrew and John, disciples of the Baptist followed Jesus and to the question of the Messiah - what do you seek? - they answered by asking where he lived; the Lord invited them to follow him and that day they stayed with him.
The Baptist who has carried out his mission says with profound satisfaction that his joy has been fulfilled. The encounter between groom and bride has occurred. The rest will be done by the Messiah - Christ.
Here is the reason for being for an evangelizer - to prepare and accompany he who seeks Jesus to the encounter with Him. This is exactly what Andrew did: he immediately led his brother to the Messiah, saying that he had encountered He whom we have awaited for centuries. An encounter with a living God, an entirely original and transforming experience which restores everything to its place, overturns from head to foot. Immediately, there is the need to proclaim a reality, which filled with joy, is liberating and salvific. John the Evangelist will remember about this his first encounter with the Master for his entire life: when he wrote the Gospel he was over ninety years old; this marked the beginning of a new day.
Since the new evangelization touches us directly, I propose underlining two aspects for any evangelizing activity:
- the Sacrament of Confession, as it is clearly obvious that where confession is lacking, spiritual life dies;
- the proper organization of the formation of candidates for the priesthood; it is necessary to separate them from the secular world, allowing them to stay together as at the Last Supper, until the Lord has completed his work in them.
[00326-02.04] [IN236] [Original text: Italian]
AUDITIO AUDITORUM (II)
The following Auditors intervened:
- Rev. Sister Mary Lou WIRTZ, F.C.J.M., President of the International Union of Superiors General UISG (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
- Dr. Maria VOCE, President of the Focolare Movement (ITALY)
The summaries of the interventions are published below:
- Rev. Sister Mary Lou WIRTZ, F.C.J.M., President of the International Union of Superiors General UISG (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
Today there are people of our Catholic faith and tradition who are hurting. Some have already left our institutional church because they cannot find a place to belong; others remain within the church but are struggling and searching for something that nourishes their soul. Families and individuals long to dialogue about their concerns in an atmosphere where they can share without judgment what is burdening their hearts. When Blessed Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council he said that the church was to become more pastoral and merciful. Yet today, some who when they turn to the church in the midst of their pain, are alienated by judgmental attitudes or issues of power and control. This only pushes them further away. Can we allow ourselves to enter into the pain of our people?
In the Instrumentum Laboris religious are referred to as a resource in the church. I firmly believe religious are more than a resource. For centuries, we religious have been a prophetic presence and witness in the church. This recognition seems to be minimized in the current conversations on evangelization. The demographics of religious life are shifting, but religious life as a witness within the church is alive and well and will continue to be so!
[00290-02.03] [UD024] [Original text: English]
- Dr. Maria VOCE, President of the Focolare Movement (ITALY)
The Focolari Movement - present in the 5 continents in 194 nations, in the different levels of the population, of all ages, in religious and lay environments, often in frontier areas - together with the whole Church has been involved in evangelization with new impulse and ardor.
Convinced of the importance of being evangelized to be able to evangelize, it pays attention to the formation of its members so they can be the light, the leaven, the salt. Environmental cells, made up of two or more in the same place, bring the living presence of the Risen One everywhere, in the housings, in the factories, in the places of public administration, in hospitals, in schools and in universities. On the territorial level, the relation of fraternity inspired by the Gospel are made visible in the areas and cities by the local communities.
For its own charisma, the unity invoked by Jesus in his testament (Jn 17:21), the Movement prefers forms of collective witness, such as the international days or gatherings, the Mariopolis and the Citadels, where the law of the inhabitants is the new commandment. It also uses the press, such as Citta Nuova, and the new media and social networks.
A privileged path is that of dialogue: ecumenical, interreligious, with those who do not recognize in themselves any sort of religious conviction or contemporary culture, where the Movement offers its contribution to enlighten with the Christian light the various cultural spheres of society.
[00180-02.02] [UD001] [Original text: Italian]
AUDIENCES
Last night, October 16, 2012, after the interventions by the Fraternal Delegates and by the Special Guest during the Fourteenth General Congregation, the Pope received in audience in the Study of the Synod H. Em. HILARION [Alfeyev], Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, President of the Department of Public Relations of the Church of Moscow. (Russian Federation).
At the end of the works of the Eleventh General Congregation on Monday morning, October 15, 2012, the Pope met in the Study of the Synod , a group of patriarchs and presules of the Middle East: His Beatitudes NERSES BEDROS XIX TARMOUNI, patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians; His Beatitude IGNACE YOUSSIF III YOUNAN, patriarch ofAntiochia of the Syrians; His Beatitude GREGORIOS III LAHAM, patriarch of Antiochia of the Greek- Melkites; His Beatitude BÉCHARA BOUTROS RAÏ, patriarch of Antiochia of the Maronites; SHLEMON WARDUNI, Auxiliary Bischop and Protosyncellus of Bagdad of the Chaldeans; KYRILLOS WILLIAM, Bishop of Assiut of the Copts.
NOTICES
- PRESS CONFERENCE
- BRIEFING
PRESS CONFERENCE
The second Press Conference on the Synod works (with simultaneous translations in Italian, English, French) will be held in the John Paul II Hall of the Holy See Press Office on Thursday October 18 2012 (after the Relatio post disceptationem), at 12:45 pm approximately.
Speakers:
- H. Em. Rev. Card. John TONG HON, Bishop of Hong Kong (Xianggang) (CHINA), President delegate
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, Archbishop of Guadalajara (MEXICO), President delegate
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO), President delegate
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Ján BABJAK, S.J., Metropolitan Archbishop of Preov of the Catholics of Byzantine Rite, President of the Council of the Slovak Church (SLOVAKIA), Vice President of the Commission for Information
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Horacio GÓMEZ, Archbishop of Los Angeles (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA), Member of the Commission for Information
- Rev. Fr. Federico LOMBARDI, S.J., Director of the Holy See Press Office (VATICAN CITY), Ex-ufficio Secretary of the Commission for Information
BRIEFING
Friday, October 19 2012 the usual Briefings for the Language Groups have been moved forward to 13:00. The Press Attaches will be accompanied by a Synodal Father, according to the following list:
Italian language group
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Felix GMÜR, Bishop of Basel (SWITZERLAND)
English language group
- H. Em. Rev. Card. George PELL, Archbishop of Sydney (AUSTRALIA)
French language group
- Bro. Enzo BIANCHI, Prior of the Monastic Community of Bose (ITALY)
Spanish language group
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid, President of the Episcopal Conference (SPAIN)
German language group
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Robert ZOLLITSCH, Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau, President of the Episcopal Conference (GERMANY)
ERRATA CORRIGE The corrections published in the Errata Corrige in Bulletin No.20 can be found in the specific Bulletins published in these Internet pages.
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