TWELFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 12 OCT 2009 (VIS) - In the Synod Hall at 4.30. p.m. today, the Twelfth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops began in the presence of the Pope. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, and 210 Synod Fathers were present.

  Extracts from some of the Synod Father's speeches are given below:

BISHOP TESFASELASSIE MEDHIN OF ADIGRAT, ETHIOPIA. "I have not noticed enough attention accorded to formation, which is a fundamental subject for the Church in Africa. ... We must therefore ensure that the formation we give to our future priests and agents of evangelisation makes them aware of the challenges, self confident, balanced and mature ministers who could stand against and through the serious turbulence of the times. ... The formation programmes of the major seminaries and houses of religious formation should be given serious attention and evaluation, to determine their quality and effectiveness in producing members of the Church who can be true witness to reconciliation, justice and peace. We should use our higher learning institutes by establishing a faculty which develops and integrates into its modules the best practices and most effective African cultural ways of reconciliation".

ARCHBISHOP LAURENT MONSENGWO PASINYA OF KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. "Peace goes hand in hand with justice, justice with right, right with truth. ... Thus it is necessary, at all costs, to promote a rule of law in which primacy is truly given to law and especially to constitutional law; a rule of law in which arbitrary and subjective judgments do not create the law of the jungle; a rule of law in which national sovereignty is recognised and respected; a rule of law in which each individual is fairly given his due. ... In seeking peaceful solutions, all paths, especially the diplomatic and political paths, must aim at re-establishing truth, justice and peace. ... It is in by eliminating all barriers, exclusion, discriminatory laws in worship and society, and especially by suppressing hatred, that men are reconciled and peace is made".

BISHOP KRIKOR-OKOSDINOS COUSSA OF ALEXANDRIA OF THE ARMENIANS, EGYPT. "In 1915, the Ottomans ... killed the Armenian people in Greater Armenia and Lesser Armenia (Turkey). One and a half million people perished during this genocide. The Armenians left and were dispersed, first in the Middle East then throughout the world. ... As this Synod takes place ninety-four years after the killings, following Christ's call to forgive one's enemies, the leaders of the Armenian State and the heads of the Armenian Churches (Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical) are performing an act of public pardon towards the Turks. We do so while appealing to the Turks to recognise the genocide, to pay homage to the martyrs and to grant Armenians their civil, political and religious rights. The path of reconciliation between the two States has begun. For this, I appeal to political leaders that they may support our progress alongside the Turks, with the Universal Church and the African Church in distress".

BARBARA PANDOLFI, PRESIDENT OF THE SECULAR INSTITUTE OF THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST, ITALY. "Members of Secular Institutes are a hidden presence, accepting the precariousness of daily life alongside others without protection or privileges, searching for ways and solutions that sometimes exist only in the realm of possibility, and living with the longing for universal brotherhood. The vocation of secular institutes highlights the need for the promotion of a mature laity, one capable of contributing to the edification of a civil society based on the human values of Christianity. ... Since most secular institutes in Africa are female institutes, there is an urgent need to favour and promote the worth of women, not just as wives and mothers, but as people capable of responsibility and autonomy in different areas of social life, just as there is an urgent need for them to play a specific and not just a subordinate role in the Church. If the first fracture of mankind, caused by sin, was that between man and woman, one sign of peace and reconciliation would be the promotion of authentic joint responsibility and effective acknowledgment of equal dignity between men and women, over and above all domination and discrimination".

  Today's General Congregation concluded with an address by Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), one of the three special guests who are participating in the Synod at the invitation of the Holy Father. Excerpts from his remarks are given below.

  "First and foremost, Africa means shared values of civilisation based on the historical awareness of belonging to the same people. ... Africa, martyred, exploited, despoiled by slavery and colonisation but now politically sovereign, must not fall back into rejection and negation, even if she has a duty to remember the past. She must have the greatness to forgive and continue to develop a cultural conscience based on her own identity which rejects alienating assimilation. She must study the operational concepts of Blackness and 'African-ness', including the diaspora. ... Africa has always been presented in the light of the difficulties she faces, but she is the land of the future which in the next forty years will experience strong demographic growth. ... With [her] resources, ... Africa cannot be ignored in the economic development of the planet. ... Food security is essential for the reduction of poverty, the education of children and the health of the people, but also for lasting economic growth. ... From this point of view, one essential factor is the contribution of African women to agricultural production and commerce, and their role in nourishing the entire family. In fact, any initiative aimed at facing the problem of food insecurity in Africa cannot hope to be successful without taking this economic and social fact into account. ... Of all the suffering the African continent experiences, hunger remains the most tragic and the most intolerable. Any commitment to justice and peace in Africa cannot be separated from the need for progress in achieving the right to food for all. ... The Church has always given herself the task of comforting the misery of the poorest and the motto of the FAO is 'Fiat Panis': 'Bread for all'. Most Holy Father, in your last Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate' you highlight how all economic decisions have moral consequences. ... The vision of a world free of hunger is possible if there is political will at the highest level. ... The great spiritual and moral forces are an inestimable support for us in our activities. ... I would also like to praise the Church's action in the field, with the poorest of the poor. Missionaries and religious ... often undertake difficult tasks alongside inter-governmental organizations, NGOs and civil society, tasks that are at times ungrateful but always useful. ... I would like to underline the convergence of religious teachings, especially those of the Catholic Church and Islam, towards the need to oversee the rational use of resources on the basis of a strategy respectful of the persons and things of this world, without excess or waste. All these teachings underline the fundamental role of social responsibility, recommending solicitude towards the poorest. From this point of view, the Church's social doctrine plays an essential role".
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THIRTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 13 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Thirteenth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was held this morning in the Vatican's Synod Hall in the presence of 220 Synod Fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

  Extracts from some of the Synod Father's speeches are given below:

BISHOP ERNESTO MAGUENGUE OF PEMBA, MOZAMBIQUE. "The principle source of wealth of the continent is its people, especially the young, adolescents and children. ... Many young people are drawn into violence, prostitution, the trafficking and consumption of drugs, organised crime, ethnic and tribal conflicts, religious fundamentalism and satanic sects, among other things. ... In such a context, I suggest that the synodal assembly: (1) Sends out a message of trust and encouragement to the young. ... (2) Denounces the marginalisation, manipulation and violation of children's rights as one of the most terrible forms of injustice. (3) Highlights the need for a serious study of African youth, ... and for the integral education and formation of the young. ... (4) Revises the content and method of catechesis and of the various catechisms".

BISHOP SERVILIEN NZAKAMWITA OF BYUMBA, RWANDA. "The Church in Rwanda, in her pastoral care of reconciliation, justice and peace following the terrible events of the genocide of the Tutsi and others - and in the wake of the challenges she has encountered and has partly overcome - is convinced that the work of reconciliation is God's initiative. ... The Justice and Peace Commission, in collaboration with other commissions and pastoral care agencies, has accompanied the process of reconciliation with various programmes aimed at educating people in values and at forming agents of reconciliation. ... In this pastoral care of reconciliation, the Catholic Church ... collaborates closely with other religious confessions and with public and private institutions that operate in the field of post-genocide reconciliation".

ARCHBISHOP EDWARD TAMBA CHARLES OF FREETOWN AND BO, SIERRA LEONE. "The multinational extractives are causing so much injustice in Africa that the Church can no longer remain silent about them. In their desire to exploit the continent's rich natural and mineral resources, these companies can do anything, including the fomenting of inter ethnic conflicts, sale of arms and ammunition, and the overthrow of legitimate governments. The oil rich Delta States in Nigeria and the eastern and southern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo are clear examples of this. Confronted by such hostile forces, many local Churches cannot do much to ensure that the companies accept their corporate responsibility. Therefore I am appealing that local Churches and episcopal conferences of the affected regions intervene to ensure that just mining policies are established to ensure that African States and their populations benefit from their own natural and mineral resources. I am also appealing to local Churches of countries from which those multinationals come to intervene on behalf of Africa and its people. Those companies may be bringing home cheap oil and cheap tropical hard wood, but they are causing untold sufferings for our people in Africa. In the name of God and of our ecclesial communion, we appeal to you to help us to stop their injustices against our people".

FR. JAN GEERITS S.D.S., APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF THE COMORES. "There are barriers and limitations in the work of evangelization in the Comores. ... As we are a minority, there is a real danger that our small Catholic communities become tired and discouraged. Nevertheless, the smallness of our Catholic communities spurs us to invest in the mission of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Not being allowed to evangelise with the mouth and the word, nothing stops us from speaking with our hands, that is: serving the population in all humility through works of charity. Each man is unique and has the ability to choose freely to be (or not to be) the image of his Creator. God constantly invites us to say yes with a patience that is beyond us, without ever obligating or forcing His creatures. ... Thus, it is an injustice to obligate one's fellow man to become a Muslim and to exclude salvation a priori to all those who do not follow Islam. This injustice can never lead to reconciliation and profound peace with Muslims and must be recognised one day as an ... error, both by their and by the simple faithful, so that this separating wall may finally fall as others fell in the past".

ARCHBISHOP LIBORIUS NDUMBUKUTI NASHENDA O.M.I., OF WINDHOEK, PRESIDENT OF THE NAMIBIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE. "Namibia is basically enjoying political and economic stability, but the Church is nevertheless called upon to be a vigilant and prophetic watchdog with regard to the issues of reconciliation, justice and peace. ... We have tried to embark upon two projects which I would like share with you: (1) We have called upon the clergy, religious and faithful to encourage both the faithful and people of good will; to exercise their democratic right to vote in order to elect as their future leaders those who will be good servants and ... will fight against all forms of corruption. ... We have been meeting with all political parties to call upon them to uphold the principle of democracy in their campaigning in a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect in order to maintain our hard won peace, ... while affirming the fact that, in any race, there is always a winner and a loser, and that the latter should accept the result with dignity and humility. African leaders should therefore learn to relinquish power gracefully. (2) Special ministry to sex workers   prostitution   for which we have a priest with this charism. In many situations these sex workers, of whom 80 percent are infected by the HIV/AIDS virus, are forced into this life style by poverty and are sexually abused by well salaried people".

FR. ZEFERINO ZECA MARTINS S.V.D., PROVINCIAL FOR ANGOLA OF THE SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WORD. "I wish to refer to the Chinese workers who are to be found all over Africa. Certainly for the Chinese State they are workers who are sent outside the borders to increase their hegemony in the worldwide economic panorama. For our States, they are no more than the manpower required for a speedy reconstruction of the infrastructures destroyed by war. I therefore propose that the episcopal conferences work with those dioceses in which the pastoral care of immigrants is a necessity in order to create a pastoral programme for bringing the Gospel of Christ to Chinese workers in African countries".
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PAPAL VISITS TO FAO AND TO SYNAGOGUE OF ROME

VATICAN CITY, 13 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communiques this morning:

  "On the morning of Monday 16 November, the Holy Father Benedict XVI will visit the Rome headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), for the occasion of the opening of the World Summit on Food Security, due to take place as part of the FAO's thirty-sixth general conference (18 to 23 November)".

  "On the afternoon of Sunday 17 January 2010, the Holy Father Benedict XVI will visit the Synagogue of Rome to meet the local Jewish community for the occasion of the twenty-first Day for the study and development of dialogue between Catholics and Jews, and of the Feast of the 'Mo'ed di Piombo' which falls on the same day". The feast commemorates a miraculous event of 1793 when the Jews of Rome escaped an attack by the populace of the city thanks to a sudden storm which doused the fires that had been ignited against the gates of the ghetto".
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NINTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 9 OCT 2009 (VIS) - In the Synod Hall at this afternoon, the Ninth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was held in the presence of the Pope. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, and 215 Synod Fathers were present.

  Extracts from some of the Synod Father's speeches are given below:

ARCHBISHOP-BISHOP HENRYK HOSER S.A.C. OF WARSZAWA-PRAGA, POLAND. "The teaching of family values is an urgent necessity in the world and especially in Africa, at a time when growing external pressures relegate responsible parenthood to the domain of healthcare and hospitals and, in so doing, deny the dual nature (spiritual and emotional) of conjugal love. Family pastoral care, and in particular the transmission of life, have been almost completely abandoned to the world of medicine and to technology. And yet some programmes do already exist: twenty-six African countries benefit from educational programmes on family life and natural planning at the embryonic or structural stage. ... The Federation for African Family Action created in Cotonou in 2001 offers, at the request of bishops, formation seminars for educators and for couples".

CARDINAL BERNARD AGRE, ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST. "The young nations of Africa have had to call on international banks and other financial bodies in order to put their many development projects into effect. Often, inexperienced directors have been too careless and fallen prey to those people - men and women - whom the experts call 'financial assassins', i.e. jackals who work for organisations skilled in dishonest practices that aim to enrich international financial institutions (with the able support of their States), or for other groups immersed in a world of silence and lies. ... This Synod must examine the problem of annulling the debts that weigh too heavily on certain peoples. In order not to focus merely on the emotional aspects, I would suggest the formation of an international commission to examine the problem, made up of experts in high finance, well-informed pastors, and men and women from the North and South of the world. This commission would be entrusted with a triple mission: studying the feasibility of the operation, because it is obvious that things are not the same everywhere; taking all possible steps not to fall into the same situation again; monitoring the use of the resources, so they may be used effectively for all the elements of the social pyramid: both rural and city dwellers".

ARCHBISHOP PETER J. KAIRO OF NYERI, KENYA. "Nomads have been alive and active for centuries in fifty-two dioceses within AMECEA countries. They are also present in both West and North Africa. Sometimes they provoke and start armed conflict because of a shortage of water and grazing pasture, especially during drought. The Church has to promote dialogue between these different tribes, where the role of elders is very important because the warriors cannot go to raid without the blessing of the elders. The government should also be involved in providing boreholes and dams in arid areas. Health facilities and education should also be provided and promoted among pastoralist peoples. The justice and peace commission should provide education on human rights to the nomads. Parents should be encouraged to educate the girl child. Within these parishes it becomes extremely difficult for a priest to give the people proper pastoral attention. Hence the nomads who are moving about often remain beyond traditional parish activities. There is needed for the Church to put in place new forms of evangelisation and of pastoral attention to the nomadic population. This should include appointing nomadic priests, nomadic pastoral co-ordinators, nomadic catechists, mobile schools, clinics for herdsmen and mobile Church centres".

ARCHBISHOP BONIFACE LELE OF MOMBASA, KENYA. "The stigma associated with AIDS is too heavy for people as individuals or as communities to carry alone. ... They should find courage and hope in us. They hear from religious leaders and their families that, in one way or another, that they are responsible for their illness. We need to help our people to know that HIV AIDS is a sickness and that it is wrong to blame themselves. ... I have seen families send away their daughters in-law and children because of their suspicion. Family rejection of children is an abomination. It is a grave sin in the eyes of God. It is a distortion of the Gospel message of Jesus which is love, forgiveness, reconciliation, the return to the family of God. ... HIV AIDS is a 'kairos' to challenge us to reveal how deep some of our sins are. There was a man who was dying from AIDS and I was honoured to be with him during his last days. I watched him struggle with his life decisions and with the shame of his illness; the stigma that society had given him. I began to understand my own humanity and sinfulness when he reached up to touch the Cross I was wearing. I felt his acceptance of himself and God's forgiveness and healing. It was at this moment that he asked me to take care of his children that he could no longer do. I felt his trust in me, as his brother and shepherd. God challenged me to accept myself, to be reconciled to myself".

  After the Synod Fathers had spoken, a number of auditors addressed the gathering. Excerpts from two of their speeches are given below:

LAURIEN NTEZIMANA, THEOLOGY GRADUATE OF THE DIOCESE OF BUTARE, RWANDA. "Between 1990 and 1994, I used the principle of 'bonne puissance' - as entrusted to me by the bishop of the diocese of Butare, Jean Baptiste Gahamanyi, of blessed memory - in the service of theological animation in order to make the leaders of Christian communities aware of the public dimension of the faith. Between April and July 1994, the principle of 'bonne puissance' enabled me to survive the genocide and help, to the best of my abilities, my Tutsi brothers and sisters. Between September 1994 and September 1999, I used the principle of 'bonne puissance' to form the leaders who then brought the Good News to the hills of Butare during the terrible situation of the immediate post-genocide. The Pax Christi International Peace Award came in 1998 as recognition of the universal value of this work".

ELENA GIACCHI, GYNAECOLOGIST AT THE CENTRE FOR STUDY AND RESEARCH INTO THE NATURAL REGULATION OF FERTILITY AT THE SACRED HEART CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, ROME, AND PRESIDENT OF WOOMB-ITALIA, (NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION OF THE BILLINGS OVULATION METHOD ITALY). "Spreading and teaching the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) all over the world, has always been accompanied by the proposal of a lifestyle that promotes conjugal love, unity of the family, respect for women and generous openness to accepting new life. Because of its effectiveness and simplicity the BOM can be used by all couples in different contexts, regardless of culture, religion or social status; the method has been well accepted not only by Catholics but also by Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths and beliefs. The couple can manage their fertility naturally, whether it is their desire to achieve or avoid a pregnancy, in every situation of a woman's fertile life: including irregular cycles, breast feeding, pre menopause, etc. The BOM contributes: (l) to family promotion and responsible procreation in regard to life, conjugal love and fidelity; 2) to promoting the dignity of women; (3) to preventing abortion; (4) to avoiding recourse to assisted reproductive technologies, allowing sub fertile couples to achieve pregnancy naturally, according to ethical values; (5) to preventing sexually transmitted disease, educating young people in a mature sexuality that includes the spiritual, physical and psychological dimensions. Teaching the BOM can contribute to the promotion and spread of human and Christian values, contributing to evangelisation and pastoral care".

  This afternoon's session closed with an address by Rudolf Adada, former head of the Joint United Nations/African Union Peacekeeping Mission for Darfur, one of the special guests attending the Synod at the express invitation of the Holy Father. A brief summary of his words is given below:

  "Sudan is the largest country of Africa. It is the crossroads of two worlds, Africa and the Arab world. It borders nine African countries. Since its independence on 1 January 1956, we could say that it has known peace only sporadically. The Global Peace Agreement (WPA), which ended more than twenty years of civil war between the North and South, has created great hope. For the first time the possibility of a democratic Sudan could be glimpsed. At a time when violence seems to be decreasing in Darfur, it is worrisome to note that killings have now begun again in the South. Is peace the Rock of Sisyphus that, to the great misfortune of the Sudanese, rolls back down the moment we think we have reached the summit? Sudan is one country. The international community must look at 'Sudan' and not at 'Darfur and Sudan'. In this holistic vision, the Church has a major role to play in a plural Sudan, between the Christian and animist South and the Muslim North, that is, Darfur. This was the dream of a great Sudanese man, John Garang, the dream for a new Sudan, in peace, in an Africa at peace".
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TENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 10 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Tenth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was held this morning in the Vatican's Synod Hall in the presence of 211 Synod Fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier O.F.M., archbishop of Durban, South Africa.

  Extracts from some of the Synod Father's speeches are given below:

BISHOP ALMACHIUS VINCENT RWEYONGEZA OF KAYANGA, TANZANIA. "Mixed marriages have been a source of fuelling misunderstandings between Catholic priests and pastors of the various Christian communities. Besides the persistent problem of insufficient knowledge of the obligations of the Catholic partner, arguments about where the Sacrament has to be celebrated create early backgrounds of division with regards to practicing of one's faith. ... In most of these marriages, parents get divided as to in which faith the children should be baptised and raised. ...There has been a growing tendency that parents in most mixed marriages lack a common tradition of imparting Christian values. ... It is high time that the position of the Church on contracting mixed marriages be revisited and that catechesis on mixed marriages be refocused. Unless bold steps are taken to safeguard the family, efforts of promoting reconciliation, justice and peace will remain inadequate".

ARCHBISHOP TELESPHORE GEORGE MPUNDU OF LUSAKA, ZAMBIA. "In Zambia women are too often the victims of abuse (domestic violence sometimes leading to death), discriminatory cultural or customary practices, and statutory laws clearly biased against them. We bishops must speak more clearly and insistently in defence of the dignity of women in the light of the Scriptures and the social doctrine of the Church. ... To promote respect for women and their integration into Church structures of responsibility, decision making and planning, we call upon the Synod to recommend to all dioceses the establishment or consolidation of family apostolate and women affairs offices, making them operational and fully effective".

BISHOP GABRIEL 'LEKE ABEGUNRIN OF OSOGBO, NIGERIA. "One of the greatest challenges that should concern this Synod is the fate of considerable numbers of African immigrants present in all the countries of the West. Since the economic meltdown, many of these Western countries have put up defensive laws and structures to shore up their economies. Unfortunately among these methods, laws have been passed which come very close to denying even the human rights of immigrants, especially those from Africa. In Italy, especially, unregulated immigration has been made illegal and assistance for immigrants from voluntary charity organisations has been squeezed out. ... In Africa, from the North to the South, from the East to the West, our young people are the major force as well as primary victims of ethnic violence, genocide, armed banditry, criminality, human trafficking, corruption and bad governance. In all these, the prophetic voice of the Church must be heard unambiguously".

BISHOP JOSEPH EFFIONG EKUWEM OF UYO, NIGERIA. "Paul the Apostle reminds us that we do battle with principalities and powers of the rulers of darkness and he asks us to arm ourselves in order to resist their manipulations. ... The Church recognised this and ... not only provided the rite of exorcism but made room for the exorcists. This seems to have fallen into disuse over the last few decades. May I therefore suggest: (1) That an authentic catechesis, deeply biblical and theological, be provided and possibly offered as a course in our theological faculties. A simpler version may also be provided for teaching the faithful. (2) A new rite based on the old rite of exorcism be put in place for use by priests. (3) Each ordinary ... should appoint an exorcist for his particular Church. We owe our people according to our teaching office, to teach them and save them from the claws of false belief and terrible occult practices like witchcraft".

ARCHBISHOP DENIS KIWANUKA LOTE OF TORORO, UGANDA. "Elsewhere in the world we are told that climate change is caused by overgrazing, improper disposal of refuse and by industrial waste. The result of all this is desertification, the drying up of water springs and water contamination and diseases. ... The physical world has laws which must be respected. ... Environmental protection has become a global issue deserving the attention of everybody. Just as the HIV/AIDS pandemic not only infects some people but affects everybody, so also global warming infects and affects everybody. For this reason the Church in Africa should through this Synod seriously address the issue of climate change as a moral obligation for everybody. This Synod should find ways of reconciliation between the earth as a victim and man as an offender".

  After the Synod Fathers had spoken, a number of auditors addressed the gathering. An excerpt from one of their speeches is given below:

SR. JACQUELINE MANYI ATABONG, ASSISTANT TO THE SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE SISTERS OF ST. TERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE DIOCESE OF BUEA; CO-ORDINATOR FOR AFRICA OF THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMISSION FOR PRISON PASTORAL CARE (ICCPPC), DOUALA, CAMEROON. "We know many of our prisons are dungeons and are overpopulated with poor and disadvantaged persons. They are structurally inadequate and carry out practices which are dehumanising, violent, oppressive and may sometimes cause death. The rights of prisoners are not respected and reinsertion of ex prisoners is an ordeal. We know that in many dioceses the prison apostolate is either non existent, poorly organised, with little or no trained personnel, and has little or no support from the Church authority and State. For the Church to better fulfil her ministry of reconciliation, she needs to be more than ever a reconciled community, a place where reconciliation is not only proclaimed but also truly lived. She needs to take every opportunity to make sure that the apostolate to those affected by crime is not neglected. Christ condemns any law or practice which does not save life. Many of our prison institutions do not promote life. If we as Church can do something about it but fail to do so we shall be answerable to our Lord".
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