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Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Agenzia Fides) - The fifth American Missionary Congress (CAM V) will take place in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia from 10 to 14 July. This ecclesial event is part of a rich history that, from Latin America, has illuminated the missionary journey of the whole Church. The next will also be the tenth Continental Missionary Congress of a long series, and since 1977 these congresses have been held every four years in a different American country. (see Fides 14/2/2018).
With the slogan "America on mission, the Gospel is joy", this year's Congress will address the theme "The joy of the Gospel, the heart of the prophetic mission, source of reconciliation and communion". Its general objective will be to "strengthen Ad Gentes missionary identity and commitment of the Church in America, to announce the joy of the Gospel to all peoples, with particular attention to the peripheries of the world today and at the service of a society that is more just, supportive and fraternal".
CAM V will rotate around four themes. Gospel: because what the missionary announces is born from this first contact with the Gospel. Joy: fruit of the experience of personal encounter with Christ. Communion and reconciliation: the main purpose of evangelization and of the missionary action of the Church is to achieve the communion of man with God and of men among them. Mission and Prophecy: a mandate entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles to be his "witnesses".
"For those who work in the field of missionary formation, these themes speak of a profound spirituality and invite to promote processes of missionary transformation in our local Churches", reads a statement by Father Alejandro Marina, director of the Maryknoll Missionary Center in Latin America, sent to Fides.
"There are many realities of our times: ecological crisis, family violence, femicide, corruption, drugs, war, human trafficking - continues the Maryknoll missionary -. We have to reach the geographical and existential peripheries of these realities to bring the Good News. "How can we rekindle the prophetic dimension of our faith that we receive as a mission in baptism? How can every Christian be an operator of communion and reconciliation in a fragmented and broken world?", asks Father Alejandro, recalling the words of Pope Francis in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: "I dream of a missionary option capable of transforming everything ...". "The main objective of CAM V: To recover the joy of the Gospel, to revive prophecy, to be operators of communion and reconciliation Reclaim the joy of the Gospel, revive our prophecy and be operators of communion and reconciliation in today's world", he concludes. (LG) (Agenzia Fides 11/05/2018)
