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Monday, October 13, 2008

TWELFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 13 OCT 2008 (VIS) - The Twelfth General Congregation of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops took place this morning. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

  Following are excerpts from the speeches given:

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL, ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. "Bishops are called to clear the way for the Spirit to work effectively when the Word of God encounters individuals and communities. Hence the following suggestions: (1) The formation of young adult lay teams to witness to Christ in youth groups, parishes, schools, and universities. (2) The development of contemporary equivalents of the medieval Mystery Plays to bring the Word of God to the people. The World Youth Day (WYD) Ways of the Cross at Sydney and Toronto are two examples; also Oberammergau and 'The Passion of the Christ' film. (3) Develop and support online Catholic social networks in cyberspace such as XT3, Christ for the Third Millennium (www.xt3.com), a Catholic 'facebook' with almost 40,000 members launched at Sydney WYD. ... (4) The development of a central Institute for Bible Translation so the Bible can be translated more quickly and accurately into local languages in Asia, Africa and Oceania. A collection to help finance the work of translation would be useful. (5) Request the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to produce guidelines on inerrancy in Scripture".

CARDINAL STANISLAW RYLKO, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LAITY. "One of the most precious fruits of Vatican Council II was undoubtedly the wider diffusion of Sacred Scripture and the greater knowledge the people of God acquired of it, according to the theological and pastoral indications provided in the Dogmatic Constitution 'Dei Verbum'. This also involved the rediscovery of the 'munus propheticum' as a substantial dimension of the identity of the lay faithful. The rediscovery of the place of the Word of God in the life of the baptised was then especially favoured by the ecclesial movements and new communities. ... For many lay people, movements and communities have become true 'laboratories of the Word of God' in which to acquire familiarity with Sacred Scripture, to learn to appreciate the Word of God and to live it in the ordinary conditions of lay life at the heart of the world. Another great sign of hope for the relationship of the baptised with the Word of God comes from the younger generations. The World Youth Days have given and continue to give a notable contribution to the spread of the knowledge of the Word of God among the young".

CARDINAL RENATO RAFFAELE MARTINO, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL "JUSTICE AND PEACE". "Faith which springs from the Word of God must establish, as is clearly seen in the first chapters of the Compendium of Social Doctrine, the ever-present and indispensable horizon of social doctrine. ... It must be remembered that the study of Sacred Scripture and that of social doctrine - though they use different conceptual and methodological instruments - nevertheless represent knowledge 'in faith'. ... In Sacred Scripture it is possible to discover the guiding principles of social doctrine, such as the preferential option for the poor, the commitment to the promotion of justice, and the principle of the universal destination of goods, which are clearly of biblical derivation".

CARDINAL JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE. "The Word has always had a decisive role in the understanding of religious phenomenon. ... All the great religions have their own Sacred Books. Islam, in particular, is considered by its followers as the 'Religion of the Book' par excellence. ... From these religions, Christians can learn much, even if Christianity would not be included in the 'religions of the Book'. It would be opportune for future priests, religious and pastoral workers to be formed in the direct reading of the founding texts of other religions rather than limiting themselves to a commentary on them. But it is just as important to proclaim the Bible to our partners in inter-religious dialogue, in particular our hermeneutic approach to the sacred text. In sharing our respective spiritual patrimonies, without Irenism or syncretism, we will be led to discover that we are all men and women who desire to be taught by God".

CARDINAL ODILO PEDRO SCHERER, ARCHBISHOP OF SAO PAULO, BRAZIL. "Immigrants should not be seen simply as an object of pastoral concern: they are, or can become, true missionaries. ... I believe that the Synod may make two particular recommendations: (1) Encourage those who find themselves in situations of migration or travelling to bring the Word of God with them, even the book of Sacred Scripture, knowing that they carry a priceless wealth which is not limited by geographical or cultural confines, but is a gift to be lived in the new country and to share with the host people. (2) To those who receive immigrants at their destination, a positive welcoming attitude toward these brothers is recommended, toward these who come from other nations bringing 'the good news' with them in their bags, facilitating their introduction into the local community and the sharing of faith experiences and Christian life which they bring with them".

ARCHBISHOP TOMAS MENAMPARAMPIL S.D.B., OF GUWAHATI, INDIA. "How do we bring the Word to those who do not come to church, those who have never heard the Gospel? ... I plead that where we are unable to reach ourselves, we do so through others; that we always remain pastorally creative so that where our members cannot reach, our ideas may reach; that we develop the skills and evolve strategies needed to persuade and convince, not refute and reject. ... The Word of God must be brought to situations of conflict, contexts of injustice and of absolute poverty. We do not win a hearing through self-righteous condemnations, truth claims and pretensions to a higher moral ground, but evident human concern, Gospel-inspired commitment to the suffering, attention to various cultural sensitivities. The 'Word' reveals its power in actual life-contexts: it challenges unjust societies, it reconciles, it uplifts the poor, it brings peace".
SE/TWELFTH CONGREGATION/...                VIS 20081013 (1030)


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