AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Card. Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI closes plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Venezuela

Friday, 6 October 2006

Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - After six years of intense activity the Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Venezuela comes to a close on Saturday 7 October with a special Mass presided by Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, emeritus prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, appointed special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI for the occasion (see Fides 10/7/2006).
The closing open air Mass will be held at Il Paradiso United Nations Park in Caracas where the Council opened 6 years ago to reflect on New Evangelisation in the Third Millennium. After the presentation of the Council documents and resolutions followed by the reading of the final CPV message which will start the stage of implementation with a programme which gives special importance to the involvement of the laity. The Mass will be followed by a sending ceremony during which Bishop and Diocesan Delegation will receive a copy of the Council documents. In the afternoon there will be a festive reception.
In these six years the Church in Venezuela reflected on its present situation and what must be done to renew and update thought and activity in the next few years in order to acquire a new image, and be ready to face the challenges of an epoch of globalisation, regional integration, post-modernity and mingling of cultures.
The first session of the Council was held in 2000, to coincide with celebrations for the 5th centenary of the beginning of evangelisation in Venezuela (1498-1998). Since then every year there has been a week long session in various themes including: missionary proclamation, catechesis, liturgy, prayer, youth, family, vocations, communities, human promotion, new challenges: dialogue for communion and participation, social communications. The Council approved a total of 16 documents. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 6/10/2006; righe 27, parole 372)


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