AID THE LABOR OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSIONARY WORKS

VATICAN CITY, APR 29, 2004 (VIS) - Today in the Holy Press Office there was the presentation of the Holy Father's Message for World Mission Day which will take place on October 17.  Its theme this year is "Eucharist and Mission."

  The Message was presented by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Fr. Massimo Cenci, P.I.M.E., under-secretary of the same congregation, Fr. Fernando Galbiati, P.I.M.E., secretary general of the Pontifical Missionary Works and Fr. Tarcisio Agostoni, Combonian missionary in Uganda.

  Cardinal Sepe commented on the last part of the message in which the Holy Father urges the faithful to materially and spiritually help the Pontifical Missionary Works. He then recalled the works supported by his dicastery: 280 inter-diocesan major seminaries in which 65,000 seminarians are formed; 110 minor seminaries in which 85,000 seminarians are formed; 42,000 schools; 1,600 hospitals; 6,000 medical clinics; 780 leprosariums and 12,000 social and charitable centers.

  "These social and charitable centers aim to help not only Catholics but also, in some cases, mostly non-Catholics and non-Christians." The prefect gave the example of India, "where only 6.9 percent of the population is Catholic while Catholic charities represent 27 percent all existing charitable organizations. The same can be said of Catholic schools in Arab countries: the majority of students are Muslim."

  Fr. Agostoni said that he was a missionary in Uganda for 43 years during two different periods (1951-1969 and 1980-2004) and "between 1969 and 1979 I was superior general of the Combonian Missionaries throughout the world. Sixty-five percent of them are in mission territories."

  "Today Africa is at a crossroads.  Should they go back to ancient traditions illuminated by the proverbs or be dominated and invaded by decadent Western culture?  I think that the ideal situation would be a harmonious culture of African traditions purified by evangelical leaven and the life of the Gospel."
OP/MESSAGE WORLD MISSION DAY/SEPE    VIS 20040429 (330)