Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tegucigalpa (Agenzia Fides) - The 10th Continental Meeting of RIIAL, the Latin American Church's computer network, held in Honduras in Valle de los Ángeles, near Tegucigalpa came to a close on Friday 21 September. The 86 participants included bishops, priests, men and women religious and lay people involved in pastoral care in the field of communications and IT (see Fides 18/9/2007).
Archbishop Claudio M. Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in Rome, present for the meeting, said "communication" must be 'missionary' and urged everyone to take part in the great Continental Mission launched by 5th General Conference of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida in May this year.
Leticia Soberón, RIIAL co-ordinator, said the goals of the Continental Meeting revealed a desire to create new forms of presence and new RIIAL services in Latin America, in the light of the Continental Mission. Special efforts will be made to "find ways to promote inclusion of communities which are remote and most in need". Archbishop Celli expressed joy for the results of the meeting, and its ecclesial spirit and he encouraged the participants to be missionaries, to become professional "deacons of the digital culture ”, keeping in mind the next Synod of Bishops in Rome in 2008, which will reflect on the Word of God in the Life of the Church.
The Meeting closed with a solemn Mass at the Marian Shrine of Suyapa presided by Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, during which special prayers were said in front of the venerated image of Our Lady of Suyapa, patroness of Honduras. At the end of Mass Archbishop Celli gave each delegate a Crucifix and a Rosary as a sign of commitment for the mission to evangelise and urged all those present to take and active part in the great continental mission called by the CELAM General Conference in Aparecida.
Resolutions reached after five days of discussion included concrete action for the pastoral use of new technology, and it emerged that RIIAL meets social-cultural and evangelising needs in every context of the present day and is a reality which builds networks in the Church in a spirit of solidarity, creating harmony among technicians, pastoral workers, clergy and bishops, so Church all realities may use RIIAL. A proposal was made to develop strategic alliances with social organisations and bodies similar to RIIAL; to build a bank of resources; to offer economic support to RIIAL projects by means of a Foundation. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 25/9/2007; righe 31, parole 416)
