Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bogota (Fides Service) - “For a Church with an Indigenous face and the heart” is the theme of the 1st National Meeting for Indigenous Catholic priests, religious and lay leaders which will be held in Bogota 22 - 25 November. Bishops and experts in this field of pastoral will attend the meeting.
This is an important time in history for Colombia’s Indios peoples (about 1 million beloning to 84 different groups) which presents new opportunities but also new threats. The Colombian Bishops’ Department for pastoral care of Ethnic groups said these peoples on the one hand are more aware of their cultural identity and capacity to offer an alternative life style to a unifrmed world focused on economic profit. On the other they are in danger of being absorbed by globalising forces and of losing the identity they have maintained for centuries. Moreover they are killed, forced to move and subject to all kind of suffering by two guerrilla groups active in Colombia.
For all these reasons the localChurch strives to address this new situation. In fact in 2004 it organised in Bogota, 13 - 15 November, a National Meeting on Indigenous Pastoral (see Fides 31/11/2004), which stressed the need to help Indigenous Colombians play a leading role in the activity of the Church to assist these peoples. To implement this decision Indigenous priests, religious and laity have been convoked to attend the meeting in November this year.
The objectives are the following: promote encounter among Indigenous Catholics; strengthen Indigenous and Christian identity of priests, religous and lay leaders; reflect on the situation of Indigenous Colombians today, their place in the Church and how the Church can help improve their living conditions.
The meeting will be held at the St Anna Meeting House in Bogota with the following programme: 23 November theme “Indigenous identity” conference: “Where are the Indegenous peoples of Colombia and where are they going?”; 24 November: “A church with the face and the heart of the Indios” conference “Being Indigenous in the Church today”; 25 November theme: “What kind of Church, what kind of Indigenous peoples?”. For more information on the subject see Fides interview last year with Archbishop Iván Antonio Marín López Popayan recently elected Vice president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (see Fides 26/6/2004). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 26/7/2005 - Righe 31, Parole 405)
