WORLD CONGRESS ON CONSECRATED LIFE BEGINS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) -  The Second World Congress on Consecrated Life, organized for the first time jointly by the Union of Superiors General and the International Union of Superiors General, will take place November 23-27 in Rome on the theme, "Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity." Nine-hundred religious from 130 countries, representing one million consecrated people in the world, are scheduled to participate, as are theologians, bishops and representatives of other Christian confessions and other religions.

  During the meeting, participants will reflect on consecrated life since the First World Congress in 1993 and the synod dedicated to consecrated life in 1994 in light of the Apostolic Exhortation "Vita Consecrata" and the apostolic letters of John Paul II, "Tertio millennio adveniente" in 1994 and "Novo millennio ineunte" in 2001. 

  During the week, reports and group discussions by continent are scheduled with the purpose of analyzing the challenges of consecrated life at the beginning of the third millennium. The congress was inspired by two Gospel images that illustrate the meaning and purpose of consecrated life: the Samaritan woman who asks Jesus for the "living water" and the Good Samaritan who cares for those who are suffering.
 
  The religious men and women, according to the working paper of the congress, will try to look for answers to the phenomena of globalization, human mobility and migration, the culture of death and the pro-life movement, pluralism and the path towards dialogue, the secularized vision of life, the post-modern mentality and its influences on society, inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism, and the lack of vocations.
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