Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - The Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith distributed during the General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies PMS which today closes its annual meeting at Ciampino (Rome), the funds collected among Catholics all over the world on World Mission Sunday 2005, a sum which was slightly smaller compared with 2004. The continent which received the highest number of subsidies was Africa where wars, natural calamities, disease and general poverty, call for assistance from the whole People of God to enable the local Churches to carry forward their work of evangelisation. Africa however is not only a continent which receives aid, it also gives to others despite its poverty. Last year the Mission Collections in Africa amounted to almost 450,000 US dollars.
The second continent to benefit from the charity of the faithful was Asia, the continent with the lowest number of Catholics. Moreover for the rebuilding of churches, convents, chapels etc., in the 5 countries affected by the December 26, 2004 tsunami, the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, together with Caritas Internationalis and the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, sent abundant aid. Special help was given last year for earthquake victims in Pakistan and people affected by floods in Guatemala. South and Central America and Oceania, received numerous subsidies from the Universal Fund of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Secretary General of this Society Fr. Fernando Galbiati, PIME, told the PMS Superior Council that in 2005-2006 the offices in Rome received 5,900 requests for “extraordinary subsidies” for various needs in mission lands: building churches, religious houses, retreat houses, centres for social assistance; printing of biblical and liturgical material, projects for communications (radio, television,…), support for the formation of catechists, etc. Moreover the Society, founded by Pauline Jaricot, distributed a large sum in “ordinary subsidies” to dioceses ‘dependent’ on the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples to help local Bishops meet the needs of their respective Churches which in turn are called to render heroic testimony to the Gospel.
This year the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith opened a new Collegio San Francesco, to provide formation for catechists from mission territories, and it also supports Mater Ecclesiae, see of a pilot project for the formation and study of the Church’s Social Doctrine for lay Africans selected and sent by their respective Bishops. They may obtain from the Catholic University entrusted with the co-ordination of the courses an MA in Management for Development”. (G.R.) (Agenzia Fides 12/5/2006 - Righe 34; Parole
