Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Guatemala City (Fides Service) – The Central American Missionary ad gentes Plan was presented to participants at CAM2 on Saturday 29 November, Europe Day, Father Victor Livori Fides correspondent in Guatemala reported. Presenting the Plan Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri, President of the Central American Bishops’ Office (SEDAC), said it had the approval of the Bishops of Central America. In January the Bishops will meet to discuss concrete details with regard the launching the Plan and the building of a Central American Centre for Mission Ad Gentes.
The Plan consists of four points: a Central American Centre for Mission Ad Gentes for local missionaries preparing to depart; consolidate existing centres of missionary animation (PMS, missionary institutes...); foster dialogue to increase solidarity among Sister Churches in America; encourage bishops and parish priests to promote missionary parishes.
Also on Saturday 29, 9 Theme Centres presented their findings, which included: foster the formation of small ecclesial communities … to help every baptised person to live the missionary vocation; increase social pastoral to enable baptised persons to take an active part in defending human life and dignity in front of a culture of death; promote solidarity and formation of a critical awareness; integral formation of pastoral agents, with priority for missionary spirituality which leads the baptised to infuse the values of the Kingdom of God in the world; form communities able to use the media to spread the values of the Gospel for integral evangelisation; promote dialogue among Sister Churches to share: experience of prophetic denouncement of policies which violate the dignity of the human person; spirituality incarnated in the historic reality of their people, experience of martyrdom; encourage meetings of solidarity and communion to nourish missionary exchange, supporting and accompanying members of the Church engaged in mission ad gentes; promote inculturated parish pastoral plans, to include the missionary dimension; from the testimony of martyrs and holiness of life promote greater communion among particular Churches on the continent, building communities of witnesses, strong in solidarity and brotherhood who announce, celebrate and live in Christ; promote and create the necessary instruments for missionary animation and formation at the parish, diocesan and national levels for all pastoral workers so that all the Church’s pastoral activity may be imbued with the missionary spirit; strengthen existing centres of on going formation and open new ones for mission ad gentes; inculturate the Gospel in the new forums of today and foster dialogue with cultures, with emphasis on minorities; train communicators to be effective announcers of the Gospel values and promote self supporting media; promote, through lively and open communities encourage more critical awareness with regard to globalisation, solidarity and collaboration with organisations which promote alternative life styles and fork for the integral growth of the person; “support every community with initiatives of formation, reflection and celebration to enhance their Christian identity and sense of belonging to the Church starting from a constant and lived experience of God.
On Saturday 29 November it was announced that CAM 3 would be held in Ecuador in 2007. Representatives of the Church in Ecuador present at CAM 2 warmly received the news. Waving their national flag they cried: “ Ecuador on mission!” and sung several national songs. On behalf of the Bishops of Ecuador, Cardinal Antonio Gonzalez Zumarraga, emeritus Archbishop of Quito, expressed the deep joy with which his country received “the torch of CAM from the hands of the historical Church in Guatemala”. (R.Z.) (Fides Service 1/12/2003; lines 38; words 492)
