FIRST CONGRESS OF EASTERN EUROPEAN LAY CATHOLICS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2003 (VIS) - The first congress of Eastern European Lay Catholics is scheduled to take place from October 8 to 12 in Kiev, Ukraine. Three-hundred people will participate in the congress in addition to observers from other churches and ecclesiastical communities who have been invited.

This congress, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, is part of a cycle of regional and continental congresses of lay people organized by the same dicastery in Asia, Oceania, Central America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. According to a communique made public today, "The main objective is to stimulate (lay people) to rediscover their own identity by encouraging them to embark on this process, under the guidance of their pastors, through study and the organic assimilation of the magisterium of the Church and especially through the teachings of Vatican Council II on the lay 'christifideles'. In this context, particular emphasis will be placed on the indispensable participation of the lay faithful in the life of the parish community, the importance for the Church's mission of lay organizations, and criteria for the appropriate role of lay people in the life of the Church and the world."

The congress will start on the afternoon of October 8 with greetings by Cardinal James Francis Stafford, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. In addition, Cardinals Lubomyr Husar and Marian Jaworski, respectively major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians and archbishop of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine will address those in attendance. Delegations will be present from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Debates, testimony and conferences are scheduled for the various sessions. One of the central talks will be that of Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop of Prague, who will speak on "The mission of the Church at the dawn of the third millennium." Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, metropolitan of the archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, Russia, will speak on "The participation of lay people in the life of parish communities: liturgy and sacraments, proclaiming the Gospel, witness to charity." In the round table discussions, the following topics will be debated: "Persecutions of freedom: being Christian today," and "Lay Apostolate: priorities and commitments."

The communique concludes by indicating that "an especially significant moment will be the liturgical memorial in honor of martyrs" which will be celebrated on Saturday October 11 in the evening. On Sunday, Cardinal Stafford will preside at the solemn closing Eucharistic celebration. At the end of the Mass, all the delegates will receive a copy of the Apostolic Exhortation "Christifideles laici," a vital guide for all lay Catholics.

...;CONGRESS LAITY EASTERN EUROPE;...;STAFFORD;VIS;20031006;Word: 440;