VATICAN - PMS Annual General Assembly: Pontifical Mission Society of Holy Childhood receives more offerings to help children in need

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - After a day's rest on Sunday, the work of the Annual General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies at the Fraterna Domus in Sacrofano just outside Rome, resumed on Monday 7 May with a report given by Fr. Patrick Byrne, SVD, Secretary General of the Pontifical Mission Society of Holy Childhood on the activity of the past twelve months. After a brief presentation of the situation in the world, the many changes and dangers, Fr Byrne said “the Pontifical Mission Societies still have an important role to play in missionary education. We must be points of reference for the Churches in their missionary activities. We must be able to offer them new horizons and help the Churches become protagonists of evangelisation”.
Fr Byrne reported on the visits he made as secretary general and activities organised including a Holy Childhood Seminar as part of a Course in Missiology for priests from Latin America held in Rome at the International Centre for Mission Animation CIAM; from 1 to 4 February he was in Encarnación, Paraguay to attend the 5th National Holy Childhood Congress with the participation of 2,000 Holy Childhood children and their animators and a good part of the local clergy; from 5 to 9 March he was in a Sydney, Australia for an annual meeting of PMS diocesan directors during which he gave a talk on the main difficulties affecting children in the world. He also had a meeting with major seminarians and the Western Education Service Team.
With regard to financial aid, Fr. Patrick was happy to announce that offerings to Holy Childhood increased in the last 2-3 years and this enabled the Society's Universal Solidarity Fund to help alleviate the sufferings of more children.
In 2006 Holy Childhood supported projects for a total value of 12,156,152,76 $ (US) and 9,036,980,87 Euro distributed by continent as follows:
Africa 273,570,25 US$ and 50.724,45 Euro;
America 2,694,359,29 US$;
Asia 1,000,042,31 US $);
Europe 5,844,926,75 $ and 8,986,256,42;
Oceania 2,343,254,16 US $.
For 2007 the Universal Solidarity Fund will make available a total 11,468,622,32 US$ and 14,088,447,87 Euro. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 8/5/2007; righe 28, parole 382)