SIXTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - This morning at 9 in the Synod Hall, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, president delegate on duty for the Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, called the sixth congregation to order. The meeting, which concluded at 12:30, was held in the presence of the Holy Father and 168 synod fathers.

Following are selections from several of the morning's speakers:

ARCHBISHOP JULIAN HERRANZ, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATIVE TEXTS. "The sacrament of penance, instituted by Christ for the remission of sins and the reconciliation of the sinner with God and the Church, is undergoing a serious crisis. ... This crisis is due, on a philosophical and theological level, to widespread ethical relativism and the loss of the sense of personal sin. This requires lengthy commitment in the field of doctrinal formation. ... In the catechesis ... it is necessary to insist on the real and substantial, not symbolic, presence of Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Eucharistic. We must also recall that morality and canon law demand that those who have gravely violated the commandments of God must purify themselves through confession before taking communion. ... In the field of discipline, it is more than ever appropriate to call the attention of pastors to the following universal ruling of the Church: 'All to whom the care of souls is committed by reason of an office are obliged to provide that the confessions of the faithful entrusted to their care be heard when they reasonably ask to be heard and that the opportunity be given to them to come to individual confession on days and hours set for their convenience'."

BISHOP PETRU GHERGHEL OF IASI, ROMANIA. "For the Catholic Church in Romania, living in liberty is a cause for great joy in the Lord, because after so many years of deprivation of religious liberty, we can now build churches and other structures needed in pastoral life and all are free to choose a vocation and carry it to fulfillment. What is happening today in Church life was unthinkable just a short time ago ... We cannot forget the fear, frustration and persecutions of past times, nor can we interrupt our prayers of praise and thanks to the Lord for this climate of liberty. ... At the present moment we are faced with phenomena that weaken the force of the Church's evangelical message: ... The scandal of division between Christians; the shadows left by nationalistic movements, both at a political and social level; the length of economic reform which has led many families to poverty and, consequently, to temporary separation due to the demands of employment; the increasing phenomenon of violence; the falling birthrate and the corresponding increase in abortions; the unstoppable migration of people in search of work etc. I believe these phenomena constitute a pro-vocation, that is, a 'vocation for', where the Church must intensify her salvific response both in West and East."

BISHOP ZELIMIR PULJIC OF DUBROVNIK, CROATIA. "I had the fortune to participate in the first special synod for Europe, 8 years ago in December 1991. In the midst of the war, I was able to leave the besieged city. On that occasion I let out a cry of pain because my diocese, my city of Dubrovnik as well as a large part of Croatia were being fiercely attacked by the military and paramilitary Serbian and Montenegran forces. ... However, today I would like to give you ... some happy news: In Dubrovnik, in Croatia, democracy, liberty, cultural, human and religious values have been defended in the face of the barbarism of this century's end. ... One of social morality's most difficult problems is that of war and peace. ... For the Church, which of course has no 'armored divisions,' prayer, fasting and works of charity are the only 'arms,' and the strongest, she can or wants to use. The power of prayer and works of charity brought an end to war in my country."

FR. GIANFRANCO AGOSTINO GARDIN, O.F.M.CONV., SUPERIOR GENERAL, ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR CONVENTUAL. "Many consecrated men and women are rediscovering the value of fraternal life as a decisive dimension of their life-choice and as one of the ways to carry out their mission. It is necessary that the fraternal life of consecrated people, as a radical option of evangelical life, be significantly cultivated and also recognized for the precious gift it gives to the whole Church and its status as a valid instrument for proclaiming the Gospel. Sometimes there seems to be the impression that male religious communities are only 'reservoirs' of priests from which one can draw in time of need (now and then creating problems of identity for the religious brothers), losing sight of the indisputable fact that they belong to a life community and not merely to a profession. Mention must also be made of the problematic fact of ecclesial movements that tend, so to say, to spiritually and practically 'tear' religious from their respective institutes."

ARCHBISHOP SEAN B. BRADY OF ARMAGH, IRELAND, PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE. "The promotion of Christian unity is an essential part of the Church's life and work. This is important to remember at the end of a millennium marked by divisions, and at the end of a century which has seen the emergence of some hope of healing those divisions. ... The primary concern for the third millennium must be to reach out to all mankind. Work to achieve the visible unity of the Church must be part of that task. The Assisi meeting and the assembly at Graz were important prophetic gestures and milestones, hopefully on the way to shared prayerful humanity. The signing of the Belfast agreement on Good Friday 1998 gave hope to people of good will everywhere. ... Throughout the years of conflict, the Churches in Ireland have worked together in spite of many obstacles. They have done so out of a conviction that if they cannot build community with each other, they cannot build community with the Triune God."

BISHOP WILHELM EMIL EGGER, O.F.M. CAP., OF BOLZANO-BRESSANONE, ITALY. "Dioceses that are home to national Catholic minorities, have a specific vocation regarding those minorities. They are called to acceptance of justified differences and to construction of unity, emphasizing those aspects that unite. ... Among the structures that support the identity of linguistic groups, we must consider; the use of the mother tongue (the 'language of the heart') in liturgical celebrations; the right of people to use their mother tongue, even in the ecclesial field and the compilation of prayer books and books of formation in the respective languages. ... Among the structures that favor dialogue and collaboration between groups we may indicate the following; a certain level of representation of the various ethnic-linguistic groups in participative groups and in diocesan administration; uniting in the great celebrations of the diocese, celebrations in which the various languages are used; collaboration in the various diocesan organizations (such as Caritas, etc.); the formation of seminarians who have a knowledge of the language and culture of the minorities."

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