VATICAN - "The PMS, concrete sign for the special attention to the young Churches," Cardinal Filoni at the audience with Pope Francis

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On May 17, Pope Francis received the participants of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies. Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, addressed his greetings to the Pope presenting the Assembly as a moment of reflection and fraternal sharing to raise missionary awareness in the Dioceses around the world.
"The Pontifical Mission Societies are the most concrete sign that Your Holiness has at your disposal, thanks to the generosity of the faithful, in support of young Churches and universal solidarity. After the II Vatican Council, the sensitivity and responsibility with regards to the cooperation between the Churches of ancient and new evangelization has grown tremendously; this is a beautiful fruit of the Council because it manifests live sensitivity that exists among the Churches. This aspect, however, cannot replace the inalienable solicitude of the Holy Father to all the particular Churches and in particular to the missionary world: that is the raison d'être of the Pontifical Mission Societies. As a result, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Societies feel the duty to relaunch with more enthusiasm and ardor their commitment to make the missionary mandate that Jesus left the Church to reach the ends of the earth," the Cardinal said to the Holy Father. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 18/05/2013)