FIFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2005 (VIS) - In the Synod Hall at 4.30 p.m. today, Wednesday, the Fifth General Congregation of the Eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began in the presence of the Pope. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, India, and 246 Synod Fathers were present.

  Below are extracts from some of the speeches given during the afternoon:

HIS BEATITUDE GREGOIRE III LAHAM B.S., PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH OF THE GREEK-MELKITES, SYRIA. "In the present day, after September 11, 2001, with the war against Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the increase in Islamic fundamentalism and the spread of the phenomenon of terrorism, it is very important to remind Arab Christians about their role as Church 'of the Arabs,' in the context of Islam to which they are historically bound ('Church of Islam'). Such a reminder would help to encourage Christians in the Arab world and in Islamic countries, and would be very favorably received in the world and in those countries. ... On the subject of the 'Eucharist and peace,' it would be appropriate to mention Jerusalem and Palestine, spiritual home of all Christians, and to say a word for peace in the Holy City and in the Holy Land. This is the key to peace in the Near East and in the whole world and - for we Christians of the Arab world - it is of the greatest importance for maintaining a Christian presence there."

ARCHBISHOP JUAN FRANCSICO SARASTI JARAMILLO C.I.M., OF CALI COLOMBIA. "The Eucharist is the response to the negative signs of modern culture. In the first instance, in the face of a culture or anti-culture of death that traffics in arms, builds systems of wide-scale destruction, legalizes abortion and authorizes research on human embryos, Jesus defines and gives Himself to us as 'Bread of Life.' In the second instance, our culture is marked by hatred and terrorism. ... The Eucharist offers the permanent possibility of reconciliation with God and our brethren, an invitation to find reconciliation among ourselves before worshipping the Lord. This is the reason that so many communities feel so deeply about the 'rite of peace', as renewed by liturgical reform. Another modern trait is that of scientific positivism or relativism, yet the Eucharist reaffirms the reality of the 'mystery' and the value of belief and love as a way to knowledge; with Eucharistic faith, upheld by ecclesial tradition and based on the words of the Lord, we have access to real, though imperfect, certainties. Finally, in the face of the solitude and desperation that undermine mankind today, the Eucharist offers us ... profound companionship and a promise of eternal life that fills us with definitive hope."

ARCHBISHOP STANISLAW RYLKO, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LAITY. "Increasing secularization, as well as the spread of religious indifference and of a 'strange forgetfulness of God' - as the Holy Father Benedict XVI calls it - provoke among many baptized of our time a worrying deterioration, if not even loss, of their own Christian identity. In this situation one of the most urgent challenges that the Church must face is that of adequate post-Baptismal Christian initiation, capable of creating Christian communities that live faith deeply. ... The Eucharistic celebration is a privileged place in which to construct the full, mature and coherent Christian identity of the lay faithful. Because it is in the Eucharist that lay Christians fully realize their participation in the triple mission entrusted to them by Christ: priestly, prophetic and royal. ... As the Holy Father recalled in Cologne, the real revolution that changes the world starts with the Eucharist. ... In this way the Eucharist becomes not only the heartbeat of the Church, but also of the world. For this reason true lay spirituality can only be Eucharistic spirituality."

BISHOP PIERRE TRAN DINH TU OF PHU CUONG, VIETNAM. "Vietnamese Catholics practice their faith. For them, Eucharistic celebration has special importance. About 80% attend Mass on Sundays, and 15% during week days. On important feasts, such as Christmas and Easter, the number may reach 95%. An explanation for this lies in catechistic formation and family education. In this Year of the Eucharist, all dioceses prepared special programs. Awareness among the lay faithful was raised and they were invited to study the documents of the Magisterium of the Church on the Eucharist. For the celebrations, the episcopal conference organized a Eucharistic congress at the national Marian center of Lavang, and there were 500,000 participants. ... Eucharistic worship in Vietnam has brought positive effects: religious life has increased, community activities are more animated, fraternal communion is more evident and reciprocal help among families has become more natural and widespread. To sum up, there is reason to hope that Eucharistic devotion will bring many benefits to our country."

ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH POWATHIL OF CHANGANACHERRY OF THE SYRO-MALABARS, INDIA. "The variety of liturgical traditions and therefore of the Church's traditions of faith serves to manifest the richness of the mystery of Christ and the divine plan of salvation. Hence the patrimony of all the Churches must 'remain whole and entire' and the Churches should return to those traditions, 'if they have fallen away due to the vicissitudes of time or persons.' Unfortunately the Oriental Churches have in various ways through the vicissitudes of history failed in different degrees to preserve their valuable heritage. In the present day context of globalization and standardization there is the danger that these small Churches may further lose their perspectives. Therefore we hope that the Successor of Peter, endowed with the duty of confirming his brethren in faith, will help the Oriental Churches in a special way to grow and bear more effective witness before the world with greater fidelity to their valuable heritage. This will surely strengthen the cause of Christian unity and the proclamation of the mystery of Christ in our times."
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