TENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 1999 (VIS) - In the presence of John Paul II and 162 synod fathers, Cardinal Paul Poupard, president delegate on duty for the Special Assembly for Europe, convened the tenth congregation at 5 p.m. today in the synod hall. Speeches on the synod theme continued until the meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m.

Each synod father makes public a one-page summary of his speech in the original language. Following are excerpts from several of the summaries published today:

FR. ALDO GIORDANO, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES. "In the reason for Christ on the Cross we can find all the questions of man. I believe that this is the most breathtaking point in the encounter between Christian proclamation and our European culture. Out of love, Jesus took negativity upon Himself and thus the negative was redeemed. I am very moved by the fact that the Gospel of the Crucified and Risen God listens to and understands the questions of man, even the darkest ones and answers then from within. The age of the fear of culture has ended. ... To be the transparent and credible witness of Christ, the Church - the place where the Risen One is present - is called upon to courageously adopt the path of dialogue and reconciliation within herself, in the ecumenical process and in the encounter with other religions and cultures."

BISHOP JUAN MARIA URIARTE GOIRICELAYA OF ZAMORA, SPAIN. "Strengthening the basic processes of Christian initiation is vital for the active endurance of evangelizing groups in Europe. This task falls particularly to the parish and the diocese. It should not fall wholly or mainly upon other ecclesial institutions such as Catholic schools or the new movements. In this task, the parish must allow itself to be helped by these institutions, taking advantage of their rich experience in directing Christians, incorporating their greatest innovations and compensating for their most evident shortcomings. With this help, the diocese must draw up its own plans for diocesan or inter-diocesan initiation. In the same way, it must prepare its priests, religious and selected lay persons to assimilate the main axiological and educational aspects of this project. Step by step, it must implant this process, with quasi binding force, in the whole diocese. This process must begin during youth."

ARCHBISHOP PAUL JOSEF CORDES, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL "COR UNUM". "Solicitude for our neighbors is not a one-way missionary path. Altruistic service brings one closer to God. ... Consequently, Caritas cannot limit itself to a type of immanent humanism. It must not be confused with sums of money, technical support and administration. The Gospel demands something more than a commitment to the minimum necessary for existence. The Word of God announces victory over sin, the root of all ills. Thus, Caritas will become a school of faith and a path for new evangelization. The Church's priests must take advantage of this opportunity."
MSGR. ANTON COSA, APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR "AD NUTUM SANCTAE SEDIS" FOR THE MOLDAVIANS, MOLDAVIA. "In Moldavia, a small country in the former Soviet Union still struggling with great difficulty to assert its own identity, the Catholic community is a small minority (only 0.5 percent) - nonetheless it has a specific identity. I would like my witness to stand as witness for this small community that continued to believe in Christ even when, during the age of communism, the Catholic Church was sorely tried. Our priests and lay faithful were often put in prison. To be Catholic then meant to be the biggest enemy of the State; yet under these circumstances, our people preserved, intact, fundamental Christian values. ... We are convinced that, the greater the number of inspired, sincere faces we see looking towards us, the more clearly will we contemplate the face of Christ, who makes us strong and courageous in faith, in hope, in love. ... Because the Catholic Church is a minority in our country, our concern is to be ever stronger and firmer in faith. We are trying to have mature and well-formed lay people who can work for the common good of the country. ... Yet, the irreplaceable duty of lay people always remains to bring the Gospel into those circles of social, economic and political life, not normally reached by the clergy. In this important mission, they enjoy the support of the entire community."

BISHOP VINCENT NICHOLS, AUXILIARY OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND. "In Europe today people are in search of meaning and hope, even if, from day to day, they live 'as if there were no God'. Preaching about the 'four last things' can address some of the deepest questions and anxieties which are faced today: doubt and fear about death; puzzlement over judgement; fascination with heaven; dread of hell. ... The true meaning of death is a meeting with God which can be faced without fear. In that meeting, there is judgement. ... The judgement of God is a gift we are to receive. This understanding of judgement can guide everyday living: what is most important is our readiness to give, and to receive. Day by day, the key to true judgement is always mercy. Can the Church proclaim and practice this judgement, especially towards those whose lives are wounded and broken? Heaven fascinates people today. They search out opportunities to be with their loved ones in peace and happiness. This longing is fertile soil for the Gospel. Can we again affirm that we are made, ultimately, for happiness, and that this final happiness is indeed attainable? A true vision of heaven can also guide our way on earth in our commitment to justice. As the Holy Father said in his recent discourses: 'We should await the final event with serene hope as we build in our time that kingdom which, at the end, Christ will hand over to the Father.' We need to speak least of all about hell. We Europeans are experts in the systematic construction of hell on earth, in wars and concentration camps. Our fear of hell is real and profound. ... Can we also remember that forgotten Article of the Creed: 'He descended into Hell', and include in our preaching the truth that the self-emptying of God, in Christ's descent into hell, is the core of the Gospel of Hope?"

BISHOP EGON KAPELLARI OF GURK, AUSTRIA. "On October 1st, the Holy Father proclaimed co-patronesses of our continent three great saints belonging to different eras of European ecclesial history. This is a prophetic sign at the threshold of the third millennium. The contribution given by women to the prosperity of the Church and society is great and has earned explicit thanks from this Synod. Since Vatican Council II, many doors have been opened to greater responsibility for the women of our Church. The women present at this Synod, among them Chiara Lubich, have many roles of great responsibility in important areas of ecclesial life. They offer a contribution to this Synod, a contribution with great spiritual competence and solidarity. They support the local European Church in their desire not to seek individual ways, divergent from those of the universal Church, to resolve the question of women. They proceed on a common path, within the boundaries of Catholic identity, in common dialogue between men and women, priests and lay persons. However, everyone must understand clearly that the Church and European society cannot prosper without finding a deep and ample consensus among women. Without them one cannot overcome the demographic, cultural and spiritual crisis existing in many European countries. However, the Church and society must understand the essence and the work of women, and the difficulties that many of them face."

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTOPH SCHONBORN O.P., OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA. "The 'Europeanization' of the European Union can be achieved only if integration is supported by spiritual renewal, and Jesus Christ is the key to this. ... The Holy Father always speaks about the two lungs of Europe and of the Church: the Eastern and the Western Church. The tradition of the Eastern Church has been, I must personally acknowledge this, of great help in the serious crisis of the Western Church. Western Christians need a vital contribution from the theology of the Fathers of the Church, from the monasticism of the Eastern Church, from the solemnity and the beauty of the Divine Liturgy and the icons. How much of the ecclesial renewal is due to the Churches of the East! But also the Eastern Church needs the Western lung to be more incarnate in the visible structures of society and overcome the serious danger represented by the national Church, for whom the referral to Peter, the center of unity, is essential."

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