Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Plenary Session of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples opens Monday, November 16th at 9am, in the John Paul II Auditorium of the Pontifical University Urbaniana. Starting the sessions will be the Prefect of Propaganda Fide, Cardinal Ivan Dias, followed by a report on the activities carried out by the Missionary Congregation, presented by the Secretary of the Congregation, Archbishop Robert Sarah, followed by an address from Archbishop Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, Assistant Secretary of the Congregation and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The theme addressed by the Plenary is described in the Instrumentum laboris entitled "St. Paul and the new Areopagi.” The Presentation of the text reads: "The celebration of the jubilee year dedicated to St. Paul has certainly encouraged reflection on the 'new Areopagi' that the Church now has before her, recalling in particular, the permanent mandate of evangelization ad gentes. Discerning and taking note of these new Areopagi is essential for planning the implementation of the apostolic mandate." Among these new Areopagi, which represent challenges for the mission ad gentes, are: globalization, social communications, migration, inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, vocations to the missionary dimension of young people, families, poverty and new poor, of the New Evangelization, the persecuted Church ...
The speakers called upon to illustrate each part of the Instrumentum will be prof. Fr. Jan Gorski, Missiologist, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos (Nigeria) and Cardinal Theodore Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal). During the work, participants in the Plenary will be received in audience by Pope Benedict XVI. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/11/2009)
