Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - CVS Centro Volontari della Sofferenza (Apostolate of the Suffering) is holding the 1st Meeting of International CVS Confederation 15-25 September in Rome and elsewhere in Italy. CVS was founded by Mgr. Novarese, together with the Marian League for Priests and Silent Workers of the Cross.
CVS is an association of laymen whose purpose is, ‘with combined efforts, the apostolate for a complete emancipation of suffering persons, through a work of evangelization and teaching of catechism directly carried out by the handicapped.’
Participants at the meeting include delegations from 14 countries mainly countries where CVS is active. The meeting is to launch CVS operations following official recognition by the Holy See in 21 January 2004 ..
The attention which the universal Church gives to the evangelisation of suffering and therefore to the work of CVS international, will be sanctioned on 21 September when participants at the meeting will attend the general Wednesday audience held by Pope Benedict XVI and in the afternoon when Bishop Josef Clemens, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and Bishop José Redrado, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care will address the meeting.
Rev. Armando Aufiero, CVS President said the CVS missionaries must ‘sow seeds of hope from the point of view of catechesis and spirit but also seeds of certainty for the sick and the suffering in general, listening to their needs without asking for a certificate of baptism, because the fact that they suffer shows the presence of God in the dimension of evangelising suffering.’
This is a totalising decision for individual CVS members and for the CVS organisation as a whole which promotes its work by sending programmes and activity reports and guidelines for the ‘mission’ to help the sick and the suffering in the respective dioceses to the various Bishops’ Conferences. In fact the great dream of Mgr. Novarese was “a world union of the sick for the salvation of the world”.
During the meeting the CVS will elect a new Council and visit places of pastoral intervention in various parts of Italy. (AP) (20/9/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:33; Parole:368)
