The Synod prays for peace in Syria
Vatican City
(AsiaNews) - The Synod prays for Syria. Today's
working session in fact opened with a meditation by Bishop Joseph Absi, titular
archbishop of the Greek Melkites in Syria, followed by the announcement from Msgr.
Nikola
Eterovic that the Fathers will pray for peace and reconciliation in the
country, at the request of the Syrian bishops.
Then
addressing the theme of the XIII General Assembly, "The New Evangelization
for the Transmission of the Christian faith", the need to witness to the
faith in daily life, of which the Pope spoke yesterday, found an echo today in
the Synod on the new evangelization in
the words of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and Secretary
General of the "Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences". In
Asian culture, "religion is discipleship to a person more than adherence
to a doctrine or obedience to a set of rules." "The
adherence to a doctrine - said Card. Gracias - is the result of being a
disciple of a master."
Looking
at the reality of the continent, the cardinal pointed out that "the
challenges we face are immense. But the possibilities are great. Young Asia is
blessed with an unprecedented explosion of communications networks. This should
not be seen as a threat, but rather as a
great gift from God to be used to spread the Good News. "
Difficulties,
but also the hopes of proclaiming the Gospel in the world today were the theme
of many interventions today, given by representatives of the various
continental realities.
"In
Africa - said Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania
and President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and
Madagascar - there are cultural elements that prevent a true evangelization.
Among these factors we can mention the perennial conflicts
based on tribal affliation, disease, corruption, trafficking in human beings,
the atrocity of child abuse and violence against children and women. " According
to the president of SECAM, "another hurdle that the New Evangelization in
Africa must not overlook is the reality of Islamic fundamentalism in the
continent. In this respect, evangelizers must face the difficulty to
communicate with the vast majority of good Muslims, who however
do not speak out, and with small groups of fundamentalists, who are not willing
to accept even the objective truth which is opposed to their preconceived
position. "
The
cardinal also highlighted the risk of impoverishing Africa by "exporting"
its clergy to other continents suffering a crisis of vocations: "The
Church in Africa is being deprived of the most qualified evangelizers, while
the Western Church, rich in material terms, receives evangelizers whose main
objective is material gain. "
In
Europe, "People today are hungry and thirsty for hope," noted
Cardinal Peter Erdo, president of the Council of European Bishops 'Conferences
(CCEE), though the continent appears weakened by three negative factors:
"the demographic decline and aging
population, the economic crisis and the weakening of cultural and religious identities". The Church has taken initiatives "to respond
to family crisis, including visits to all Catholic families in the name of the
parish, on the mandate of the bishop." "Many
lay people - he noted - now receive training for this mission."
"The
New Evangelization - according to the president of the Latin American Episcopal
Council (CELAM), Mexican Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes - requires ecclesial
communion to reach the New Evangelization and pass on the faith to new
generations, the Church must honestly examine its conscience on how to live the
faith". For this reason "even if necessary, the institutional
organization of the Church is not enough: most of today's humanity does not encounter
the Gospel in the permanent evangelization of the Church". "
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