Dhaka (AsiaNews) - More space for the laity and more autonomous parishes: these are the most important fruits of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council to have matured in the Church in Bangladesh. According to the directions of Benedict XVI, the Bishops' Conference of the country and the Major Seminary in Dhaka organized a meeting (4-7 June) to celebrate 50 years since the opening of the meeting. The program - with the theme "The Second Vatican Council" - involvied six bishops, 40 priests and 73 lay people.
During the three days the participants re-read some documents of the Council and discussed how they helped the Catholic community in Bangladesh, a minority of just 0.3% in a country with a Muslim majority (89.5%).
"The documents that emerged from the Second Vatican Council - explains Fr. Murmu William, chancellor of the Diocese of Rajshahi to AsiaNews - have helped us to improve our individual communities and parishes, transforming them into more autonomous and independent communities. But even lay participation in the activities of Church was crucial. "The main example, he adds, "is that of Caritas, which is run by lay people and whose work is fundamental to society."