SUMMARY:
- HOLY
FATHER TO VISIT EMILIA ROMAGNA REGION FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE
-
INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS OF SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
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HOLY
FATHER TO VISIT EMILIA ROMAGNA REGION FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE
Vatican
City, 19 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today announced
that on Tuesday 26 June Benedict XVI will visit areas in the Italian
region of Emilia Romagna recently affected by an earthquake. The Holy
Father is scheduled to arrive by helicopter at the sports ground of
San Marino di Carpi at around 10 a.m. where he will be welcomed by
the head of the Italian Civil Protection Department. He will then
travel to Rovereto di Novi, crossing the "red zone" and
visiting the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria which was
seriously damaged by the earth tremor. Following a greeting from the
president of the region of Emilia Romagna, the Pope will make an
address to the local people. He is due to return to the Vatican at
around 1.15 p.m.
INSTRUMENTUM
LABORIS OF SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
Vatican
City, 19 June 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning
in the Holy See Press Office to present the "Instumentum
laboris" of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops, which is due to be held in the Vatican from 7 to 28
October on the theme: "The New Evangelisation for the
Transmission of the Christian Faith". The document was presented
by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic and Bishop Fortunato Frezza,
respectively secretary general and under secretary of the Synod of
Bishops.
The Synod
Fathers, Archbishop Eterovic said, "will reflect upon the
transmission of Christian faith, one of the great challenges facing
the Church which will be examined in the context of new
evangelisation. ... The work of the Synod will be enriched by its
association with the Year of Faith", which begins on 11 October.
The
secretary general of the Synod explained that the "Instumentum
laboris" includes a preface, an introduction, four chapters and
a conclusion. The Introduction brings together the views of episcopal
conferences, which concur "on the need for new tools and new
forms of expression to make the Word of God more understandable in
the life of modern man. The Synod will hopefully be an opportunity to
discuss and compare points of view and practical experiences, to be
shared in order to provide encouragement to pastors and particular
Churches".
The first
of the four chapters, entitled "Jesus Christ the Good News of
God to Humanity", reiterates "the central nucleus of
Christian faith, of which many people are unaware, and presents the
Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Good News for modern man. ... New
evangelisation is an expression of the internal dynamism of
Christianity, which wishes to make men and women of good will know
the 'depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge' of the mystery of
God revealed in Jesus Christ; it is not a weary response to the
crisis of faith and the challenges facing the Church in the modern
world".
Chapter
two is entitled: "Time for a New Evangelisation". It
focuses chiefly on "identifying the challenges evangelisation
currently faces", and on "describing the new
evangelisation. ... The new challenges to evangelisation in the
contemporary world are described in various different scenarios. The
Church is called to discern those scenarios, so 'that they might be
turned into places for proclaiming the Gospel and experiencing the
Church'. ...The work of new evangelisation aims at a renewal of the
ordinary pastoral activity of particular Churches while, at the same
time, seeking to arouse a new sensibility towards people who have
left the Church. This requires a measure of evangelical creativity
and boldness". The archbishop pointed out that almost all the
responses received when preparing the document "highlighted the
lack of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. This
requires, among other things, strong pastoral care of vocations",
he said.
Turning
then to consider Chapter three, "Transmitting the Faith",
Archbishop Eterovic noted that "the purpose of new
evangelisation is the transmission of faith. The Church transmits the
faith from which she herself lives, and all Christians are called to
make their contribution. ... The obstacles to the faith can be within
the Church (faith lived passively or privately, refusal to be
educated in one's faith, separation between life and faith) or
outside Christian life altogether (secularisation, nihilism
consumerism, hedonism). ... The Year of Faith is a pressing appeal to
conversion so that, transformed by grace, each individual Christian
and each community may produce abundant fruits. This may include
ecumenical commitment, the search for truth, inter-religious
dialogue, and the courage to denounce infidelity and scandals within
the Christian community".
The last
chapter of the "Instrumentum laboris" is entitled
"Revivifying Pastoral Activity" and focuses on "the
transmission of faith ... by again emphasising the instruments
developed through Tradition - in particular the first proclamation,
Christian initiation and education - while seeking to adapt them to
current cultural and social circumstances. ... From a theological
point of view, we must better understand the sequence of the
Sacraments of Christian initiation, which culminates in the
Eucharist, and reflect on models to be translated into deeply
meaningful pastoral practices".
The
Conclusion of the document reaffirms that "new evangelisation
means giving the reason for our faith, communicating the Logos of
hope to a world which seeks salvation".
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