Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Buenos Aires (Agenzia Fides) – Last week, at the Assembly Residence of the Argentinian Bishops' Conference, the Bishops of the Church in America held their 34th Meeting.
The theme was “Personal relationship with Christ,” from the perspectives of the catechesis and evangelization. Under the guidance of the Latin American Bishops' Council, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Bishops' Conferences of Canada and the United States as well. There was one President of a Bishops' Conference for each one of the 4 regions in the area: Caribbean, Central America and Mexico; “Países Bolivarianos” and “Cono Sur” (Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha of Mariana, Brasil; Bishop Rubén González Medina of Caguas, Puerto Rico; Bishop Carlos Collazzi, SDB of Merdeces, Uruguay). The main objective of the Meeting was to exchange information on the Church's activity in the Americas, for a greater communion and mutual solidarity among the nations. They also hoped to coordinate pastoral initiatives, etc. The Meeting concluded with a Mass at the Shrine to Our Lady of Lujan, Patroness of Argentina.
“The idea of the discussion was to try to unite social, personal, and community responsibility, with the experience of Jesus Christ, for mutual enrichment” says the statement released by CELAM at the close of the Meeting. They also spoke on the present financial crisis, which is not only an economic crisis, but an ethical one in the management of funds, where profit – and not the needs of the people – rules the day.
The Canadian delegation shared their experiences regarding the Aboriginal peoples and the historic “boarding schools.” They also presented their recent initiatives in promotion of the Sacrament of Marriage and the declaration that the Bishops' Conference published on the anniversary of the Declaration Humanae Vitae. They also presented an analysis of the success of the International Eucharistic Congress, which took place in Quebec City in June 2008.
The US Bishops' delegation centered mainly on the reform of the immigration legislation in the country and the defense of marriage. They also presented their plan for restructuring of their Bishops' Conference.
The representatives from CELAM and the Presidents of Bishops' Conferences from Latin America presented information on the advances made in the diffusion of the conclusions from Aparecida, especially on the theme of the personal encounter with Christ, from a catechetical and evangelizational point of view. They also shared experiences from their own countries on the Continental Mission. Finally, they presented the general situations in their individual regions. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 17/2/2009)
