Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - "That they may have life in abundance" is the title of a Pastoral Letter issued by the Bishops of Spain at the end of a plenary assembly held 19-22 November on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the encyclical Populorum Progressio of Paul VI and the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's encyclical Sollicitudo Rei socialis. After mentioning the "happy anniversaries", of the documents the bishops express gratitude for the rich Social Doctrine of the Church, a decisive commitment to facing the challenges of the present day, centred on ecclesial communion and dynamism in the evangelising mission and looking with confidence to the future in which they intend to "witness that Christian spirituality cannot be confused with superficial subjectivism of immanent spirituality, instead it strives to live an incarnated spirituality, in keeping with the Gospel".
To mark the 40th anniversary of Populorum Progressio encyclical, the Spanish Bishops' Commission for Social Pastoral organised an International Symposium of Catholic Social Doctrine "The right to integral development… development is another name for peace" (PP 86) 30 November and 1 December at the Paul VI Foundation in Madrid. Participants will include the president of Caritas Internationalis, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras).
The plenary assembly approved a document "The Church in Spain and Migration Pastoral Care", a theological/pastoral reflection and practical guidelines for migration pastoral care in Spain in the light of the Instruction ‘Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi’. The document, soon to be made public, has six chapters: the present situation of migration; emigration, complex phenomenon; its causes and consequences; emigration is a challenge and a grace; migration pastoral care; fundamental principles of migration pastoral care and practical consequences; persons, functions and structures in pastoral care of emigrants.
The Bishops also approved a proposal by the sub-commission for the Family and Defence of Life to establish a national Day for Life on March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation. Whereas the day of the family and life will continue to be in December as “Family Day”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 27/11/2007; righe 30, parole 393)
