VATICAN - PMS General Assembly: the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies reflect on the proclamation of the Gospel in a multicultural society

Friday, 5 May 2006

Rome (Fides Agency) - The proclamation of the Gospel in a multicultural society was the theme faced by the 114 National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), representing as many countries in the world, on the first day of their Yearly General Assembly, which is held in the Congress Centre of Ciampino, close to Rome. The Assembly works started yesterday, on Thursday 4 May, and will continue until 12 May.
After the greeting of Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (see Fides 4/5/2006), Fr. Jan-Claude Veder, Liturgy Professor at the Inter-diocesan Seminary on the Mauritius Islands, presented his opening remarks on “Plurality of Cultures and Religions, an obvious fact”. Fr. Veder, who graduated at the Pontifical Athenaeum of St Anselmo, in Rome, started his speech by explaining how, as a person born in the Mauritius Islands, he lived and lives in a nation where different religions coexist (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity) and where people are from different cultures, explaining that cultures are not monolithic, but rather pluralistic, and in this environment the Church is called to evangelise. This is a reality today in nearly all the nations of the world: due to globalisation and the worldwide scope of migratory movements, we now live in intercultural societies.
“We live in a fragmented world, Fr Veder explained, where, after the end of the ideologies of the past, at the end of the cold war we see a “relativism of thoughts”. This situation has caused the development of two phenomena: fundamentalism (whether religious, nationalistic, etc) and cosmopolitan tolerance. The sorrowful events of the last few years, in different nations, show us that it is not easy to find a solution, so plurality is lived as a curse, but I believe it can be positive and fruitful”.
In the afternoon, all the National Directors, distributed in smaller language groups, gathered to analyse how this situation of “intercultural enculturation” is lived out in the different nations, and then they shared their experiences and ideas on the topic. The singing of the Vespers, presided over by Msgr Henryk Hoser, President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, concluded this first pastoral day of the Assembly with communion and praise. (G.R.) (Fides Agency 5/5/2006)


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