Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - After the meeting for Directors of Catholic Cultural Centres in India, the Pontifical Council for Culture en route towards the Far East in the footsteps of St Francis Xavier, went to Bali, Indonesia, where since the 26 November, a meeting is taking place for members and consultors of the Pontifical Council and presidents of national bishops’ commissions for culture, until 30 November.
Pope Benedict XVI sent a message for the occasion of the Pan-Asian meeting of Members and Consultors of the Pontifical Council for Culture and Presidents of the National Bishops’ Commissions for Culture.
“I am convinced that there is a great need for the whole Church to rediscover the joy of evangelization, to become a community inspired with missionary zeal to make Jesus better known and loved”, the Pope wrote.
“Naturally, such evangelization has to be accompanied by a commitment to sincere and authentic dialogue between cultures and between religions, marked by respect, reciprocity, openness and charity.”
Benedict XVI final exhortation was that “evangelization and inculturation constitute an inseparable pair, both elements of which must be present if the Gospel of Christ is truly to become incarnate in the lives of people of every race, nation, tribe and language.”
In his opening address Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, gave a theological introduction on the inseparable concepts of the inculturation of the Gospel and the evangelisation of culture. He then reflected on the main challenges to the evangelisation of culture posed by the continent of Asia with its great variety of cultures and religions: Christianity seen as a foreign religion; relativism; religious fundamentalism; violence and little religious freedom; the cultural impact of poverty, inequality, corruption; sects and new religious movements; Asian youth; the role of Catholic Cultural Centres; indigenous peoples; the media and communications.
(AP) (27/11/2006 Agenzia Fides; Righe:32; Parole:346)
