THE CHURCH IS IN NEED OF "METANOIA"

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The sixth meeting of the twelfth Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops was held in the Vatican on 23 and 24 November, according to a communique made public today.

  Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod, began by recalling that the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is due to be held in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October 2012 on the theme: "The new evangelisation for the transmission of the Christian faith". Participants in the meeting were then presented with a summary of the responses to the "Lineamenta" sent in by episcopal conferences, synods of "sui iuris" Eastern Catholic Churches, offices of the Roman Curia and the Union of Superiors General. Taking account of these responses, attention turned to the draft outline of the "Instrumentum laboris" for next year's Synod.

  An attempt was made to find an adequate definition of "new evangelisation", as addressed to Christians who no longer practise their faith, non-believers, agnostics and faithful from other religions. This concerns the entire Church, though in different ways in different regions. "Through the new evangelisation", the communique reads, "the Church is seeking to respond to the constant changes in the global human community as it undergoes the process of globalisation in a cultural and moral climate of secularisation and agnosticism. These challenges require new languages, new methods and, above all, credible witnesses to transmit the faith to new generations and in new social contexts".

  Finally, the communique explains that the Church, "while ever more acutely aware of her duty to preach the Gospel, is in need of a 'metanoia' (conversion) to enable her, among other things, to present herself as teacher and witness to people who seek the Lord because, by announcing the Gospel, she proclaims conversion and the forgiveness of sins". The next meeting of the council is due to take place on 16 and 17 February 2012.
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