AMERICA/ARGENTINA - “ARGENTINA DURING THE CRISIS AND POST CRISIS: CHALLENGES FOR THE CHURCH”: ONE OF THE THEMES OF A MEETING FOR ITALIAN MISSIONARIES IN ARGENTINA PROMOTED BY THE RESPECTIVE BISHOPS’ CONFERENCES

Buenos Aires (Fides Service) – The Bishops’ Conferences of Italy CEI and Argentina have organised a meeting for Italian missionaries working in Argentina being held at the Centro Mariapolis in Buenos Aires, from 9 to 12 December. The meeting is attended by about 300 missionaries, priests, religious and laity, representing more than 1000 missionaries in Argentina.
The objectives of the meeting are varied: increase mutual knowledge; offer information on service rendered; identify existing problems; take stock of the progress in evangelisation of the Church in Argentina and the Church in Italy; support for Italian missionaries and exchange of missionaries.
The meeting opened on 9 December with a concelebrated Mass presided by Bishop José Luis Mollaghan of San Miguel, Argentina. The participants will listen to conferences, take part in debates work groups, common prayer and enjoy folklore performances. Daily Masses will be presided in turn by Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, Apostolic Nuncio in Argentina; Bishop Jorge Eduardo Lozzano, Auxiliary of Buenos Aires; Archbishop Andrea Mugione of Crotone in Italy, also Secretary of the CEI Commission for Evangelisation and Cooperation among Churches.
Themes addressed in the conferences will include important issues: Political, economic, social and cultural situation in Argentina; Argentina during the crisis and post crisis: challenges for the Church in Argentina. Pastoral Guidelines issued by the Church in Italy and the missionary destinations of the decade in a paper “Communicating the Gospel in a changing world” will be presented Mons. Domenico Mogavero, CEI under secretary and Mons. Giuseppe Andreozzi, national Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Italy and of the CEI National Office for Cooperation among Churches.
The meeting will close on 12 December with a summary of the fruit of work groups, indications for the future, final conclusions, as well as communications from the field of migrants and religious representatives. Archbishop Eduardo Vicente Miràs, of Rosario, President of the Argentinean Bishops’ Conference will preside the solemn closing Mass. (R.Z.) (Fides Service 11/12/2003; lines 28; words 337)