SYNOD COUNCIL FOR AMERICA MEETS FOR FIFTH TIME

VATICAN CITY, FEB 28, 2000 (VIS) - The Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops for the Special Assembly for America held its fifth meeting in the Vatican on February 23-24, under the presidency of Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, C.I.C.M, secretary general of the synod. Three cardinals, seven archbishops, two bishops and four secretariat staff members were present.

The meeting was principally dedicated to an analysis of the answers to questionnaires addressed to episcopal conferences and all dicasteries of the Roman Curia on the application of the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in America," according to a communique from the Synod of Bishops.

"From the talks," says the communique, "what has emerged is a rich, articulate panorama of the various churches in North, Central and South America, of their adhesion to the spirit and letter of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation, through pastoral programs and catechetical texts inspired by the document, meetings, conferences and study symposiums."

"Of particular note was the unanimous consent concerning the name which the exhortation used for the continent, using the term 'America' in the singular, as a sign of the geographical and Christian unity of the entire region."

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