VATICAN CITY, 26 FEB 2008 (VIS) - The Special Council for Oceania of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops held its ninth meeting in Rome on 14 and 15 February, according to a communique made public yesterday afternoon.
Under the presidency of Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, the meeting was attended by two cardinals, five archbishops and one bishop, most of them from the continent of Oceania.
"The particular Churches on this continent have an unquestionable vitality", says the communique. A vitality "sustained by the 2001 Apostolic Exhortation 'Ecclesia in Oceania' which has been reprinted and translated into various local languages".
"The entire continent is being mobilised - both in the more socially advanced areas and in less developed regions - to prepare" for World Youth Day 2008, which is due to be held in Sydney, Australia, in July. Various economic initiatives have been organised to help young people from the poorest areas of the continent to participate in the event. "The Day", the communique proceeds, "is considered as one of the most important events in the history of Australia, and interest is growing in the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, as an event of special grace".
On the subject of the other theme examined during the meeting, that of the inculturation of the Gospel message, the communique recalls how "this is one of the great pastoral concerns of the Church in Oceania. It is a gradual process by which the Gospel enters the various cultures, transforming or purifying certain values so they can find their place within a genuine Christian culture, without undermining due respect either for the Gospel or for the cultures themselves.
"In this dynamic process", the communique adds in conclusion, "the joint efforts of pastors, priests, deacons and catechists are indispensable. Of particular importance are Catholic schools of all levels, which safeguard Catholic identity and remain as vital instruments of evangelical witness in the modern world, which is so often secularised".
SE/SYNOD OCEANIA/ETEROVIC VIS 20080226 (340)
Under the presidency of Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, the meeting was attended by two cardinals, five archbishops and one bishop, most of them from the continent of Oceania.
"The particular Churches on this continent have an unquestionable vitality", says the communique. A vitality "sustained by the 2001 Apostolic Exhortation 'Ecclesia in Oceania' which has been reprinted and translated into various local languages".
"The entire continent is being mobilised - both in the more socially advanced areas and in less developed regions - to prepare" for World Youth Day 2008, which is due to be held in Sydney, Australia, in July. Various economic initiatives have been organised to help young people from the poorest areas of the continent to participate in the event. "The Day", the communique proceeds, "is considered as one of the most important events in the history of Australia, and interest is growing in the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, as an event of special grace".
On the subject of the other theme examined during the meeting, that of the inculturation of the Gospel message, the communique recalls how "this is one of the great pastoral concerns of the Church in Oceania. It is a gradual process by which the Gospel enters the various cultures, transforming or purifying certain values so they can find their place within a genuine Christian culture, without undermining due respect either for the Gospel or for the cultures themselves.
"In this dynamic process", the communique adds in conclusion, "the joint efforts of pastors, priests, deacons and catechists are indispensable. Of particular importance are Catholic schools of all levels, which safeguard Catholic identity and remain as vital instruments of evangelical witness in the modern world, which is so often secularised".
SE/SYNOD OCEANIA/ETEROVIC VIS 20080226 (340)
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