AMERICA/ARGENTINA - The Year of Faith and the defense of life, two central issues for the Assembly of Bishops

Buenos Aires (Agenzia Fides) - From now until April 28, at the house of spiritual retreat "El Cenaculo", in Buenos Aires, the 103rd Plenary Assembly of the Argentina Episcopal Conferencewill take place, the first of 2012. The note sent to Fides presents the issues on which the Bishops will have to work: the pastoral aspects of the document "Porta Fidei" and the Year of Faith; exchange of proposals on the new Argentine Civil Code (issues concerning the care and protection of life); the situation regarding the environment (draft prepared by the Episcopal Commission for Social Pastoral); the National Catechetical Congress and the upcoming National Missionary Congress. About a hundred bishops of the dioceses of Argentina will take part in this Assembly.
According to the local press, the Church is preparing to express its strong criticism regarding some aspects of the reform of the Civil Code, such as the manipulation of embryos, the so-called "surrogate womb", post-mortem donation of gametes and quick divorce . "We have to say what we think" said recently the President of the Episcopal Conference, His Exc. Mgr. Jose Maria Arancedo, confirming the verdict with respect to the bill that was presented last month by President Cristina Kirchner. The Church in this regard, asked several times for "a broad and inclusive debate" on the subject, without hurry. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 23/4/2012)