ASIA/MACAO – To reaffirm the Christian identity of the laity in order to carry out the mission of Christ

Friday, 31 October 2014

Macau (Agenzia Fides) – To reaffirm the Christian identity in order to fulfill the mission of Christ: this was the aim of the Forum on "Continuity and development of the laity of the Catholic community in Macao in the twentieth century", recommended by His Exc. Mgr. José Lai Hung-seng, Bishop of Macao.
According to information sent to Agenzia Fides, the Forum was recently organized by the Diocese of Macau, in collaboration with the Macao Polytechnic Institute and was attended by more than 200 priests, religious men and women, laity of various parishes in Macau, experts, academics and researchers, Catholics and non-Catholics. An exhibition was also dedicated to the seven Bishops of Macau in the last 100 years, since the forum is part of the initiatives that aims to re-write the "history of the diocese" with more historical details and more accurate information.
The lively debate that characterized the work of the Forum covered three major topics: pastoral care, charity service and faith formation. What was highlighted was the great urgency to help the lay faithful of today to become aware of their Christian identity and of the mission that it entails. Tracing the history, analyzing current events and trying to identify the future, the lay faithful "who live in today's world where values are put into serious doubt and where there is great social instability, must be given the opportunity to reaffirm their faith and walk the path of truth", said Mgr. Lai. The Bishop of Macau also stressed multiculturalism and multilingualism, which characterize the social composition of the Diocese of Macau, and urged "the maximum commitment of the laity to continue to give their contribution to society". (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 31/10/2014)


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