Twelfth General Congregation

VATICAN CITY, OCT 8, 2001 (VIS) - The Twelfth General Congregation of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began at 5 p.m. in the presence of the Holy Father and 232 synod fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Following are extracts from several of the speeches given this evening:

CARDINAL CAMILLO RUINI, VICAR GENERAL OF HIS HOLINESS, PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE. "When Vatican Council II reformulated the relationships between the primacy of the Pope and the collegial power of the bishops, acknowledgment of the authority in the Church seemed to be taken for granted and generally agreed upon. Soon after, however, a sort of 'cultural revolution' occurred which challenged authority at all levels of civil as well as ecclesial life. The Council had, however, given a substantial response in advance, again proposing the Gospel teaching on authority as service. After the Council, the exercise of authority in the Church often encountered difficulties, and although the most critical phase seems to be over, there is still the problem of how the necessary service of authority can better be understood, accepted and carried out. In this regard I would like to make two considerations. The first one regards the motivation of ecclesial authority, which in order to be accepted on the interior level must be shown as clearly as possible to be participation in the mission of Christ, therefore to be experienced and carried out with humility, dedication and service. The second consideration refers to the profound and convincing unity which must exist between the various facets of authority in the Church, in order to be able to give a reliable answer to the questions of our time; thus, the great importance of the spirituality of communion, or also the 'mysticism of communion'."

CARDINAL EDMUND CASIMIR SZOKA, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR VATICAN CITY STATE. "In my judgment from my own years of experience, the bishop will be most effective in his diocesan ministry if he gives his primary time and attention to ministering to his priests. The priests need their bishop. They need him as their pastor who knows them, who loves them, who cares for them and who is readily available to them in their needs. Although many priests would not use these words, they want a bishop who is their father. I know very well that diocesan bishops have a myriad of other responsibilities that take up much of their time and attention. However, I would respectfully suggest and even urge, that a bishop be ready to forgo other activities, meetings, etc., if necessary, to give sufficient time and energy to his priests."

CARDINAL KARL LEHMANN, BISHOP OF MAINZ, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, GERMANY. "After Vatican Council II, all the important structures, services and offices of the Church appear to be founded and drawn in 'communio' and, at the same time, called and challenged for the mission in the entire world. ... Today however, the bishop's mission towards all men that comes from this 'communio' must be perceived in a new and re-evaluated way. This also holds true for the relationship with ecumenism, with non-Christian religions and with non-believers. This task also creates many consequences in the way the bishop understands his service, especially today in this secularized world. He must proclaim the Christian message in a convincing way, with arguments and open to dialogue, and full of zeal, without going on the defensive with regard to modern challenges. This aspect, which prevails also in the synod theme (The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World) goes back to Vatican Council II and at the same time also reinforces this important perspective, which has many practical consequences pertaining to the bishop's activities, the way of presenting himself and the criteria for the nomination of suitable candidates."

ARCHBISHOP TARCISIUS GERVAZIO ZIYAYE OF BLANTYRE, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, MALAWI. "It is noted that in many parts of the Church ... because of the shortage of priests, it is becoming more difficult to provide for the celebration of the Eucharist. How can a situation of this type enable the bishop to exercise his duty by providing for the celebration of the Eucharist in all communities? Considering this shortage of priests, the fathers of the synod could face the challenge with the idea of a 'twinning' between dioceses which could support the poorer dioceses with personnel as well as finances. This can occur in a spirit of brotherhood and in a Church which is the family of God, where sharing is necessary and important. While discussing the shortage of priests, the role of the laity cannot be overlooked. ... There is need to empower them by training them to discharge their duties more effectively and efficiently. Considering the fact that the Gospel is the principle source of hope, this synod is calling the bishops to see how best to preach the Gospel today in line with the signs of our time and how to deepen the people's faith. Again, it is important that the approach and the manner in which catechism is taught should be seriously looked into."

BISHOP JOSEPH KHOURY OF SAINT-MARON DE MONTREAL OF THE MARONITES, CANADA. "Emigration to the West by the faithful of the Eastern Churches in the Middle East is a source of suffering, as much for the families that were torn asunder and for the societies weakened by this emigration, as for the Eastern Churches themselves whose Christian witness in their historical areas of origin has been weakened. The bishops, pastors of the Eastern Churches in areas of immigration, are concerned about this flow. ... Even more so, they hope that this phenomenon of emigration may become an occasion given to the entire Church to enrich her special spiritual patrimony. While the immigrants coming from the Eastern Churches arrive in the host country without many means, they bring with them a rich patrimony of spiritual and religious tradition that can enrich the Western Churches. This dramatic situation can thus lead to an exchange between the Eastern and Western Churches of their particular gifts. ... The current situation therefore requires the creation of new forms of communion between the Eastern and Western Churches. This is why I propose setting up a working group to examine the question of communion between the Churches in an overall approach designed to allow a clarification of the current relationships between the Eastern Churches arising from emigration and those established in their historical territory, and between these Churches and those recognized in the countries of emigration."

CARDINAL MARIAN JAWORSKI, ARCHBISHOP OF LVIV OF LATIN RITE, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, UKRAINE. "'Among the principal duties of bishops the preaching of the Gospel occupies an eminent place'. The bishop takes on his fundamental task together with his collaborators, the priests. In what way however, is it possible to make this truth comprehensible to today's world? The mere presentation of the contents of faith cannot suffice. Man must be led to a form of religious experience, an experience of what makes up the fundamental and original reality, to something completely different from worldly things, something that breaks away from the boundaries of a world closed in upon itself. In our proclamation, this form of pre-evangelization must be made and built upon. ... The bishop, together with his collaborators, must go out and meet the man who is particularly closed in upon himself; they must arouse in him those layers of the soul that seem to be asleep. They must make a religious experience possible that will be a light in the night of nothingness. And then, they must guide him towards an ever fuller discernment and ever fuller comprehension of the faith."

FR. VIRGINIO DOMINGO BRESSANELLI, S.C.I., SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. "The presence, the word and the social action of the Church (bishop, priests, consecrated people and the laity), in the effort to support the poor by attacking evil not only in its effects but also in its causes, are sometimes reasons for persecution by powerful groups, and also for fears and tension in the ecclesial community itself. ... It is a delicate and difficult task requiring the mobilization of the diocese along four main pastoral lines: 1. The preferential option for the poor. The evangelization of the poor sums up the mission of Jesus and of the Church; it is the premise for the complete liberation of the poor. 2. The knowledge, spreading and concrete application of the social doctrine of the Church. The rich social teachings of the Church, from Leo XIII onwards, and those of John Paul II, should occupy a special place among the theological disciplines of seminaries and centers of religious and lay formation in the diocese. 3. An organic project for a social pastoral mission that involves the various ecclesial vocations according to their specific charisms. 4. Working for the cohesion and social consensus of the human community. The dimension and extension of the social problems indicated also implies that the particular Churches must face them together, with all the different sectors of society."

CARDINAL BERNARD AGRE, ARCHBISHOP OF ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST. "Africa, 'this continent saturated with bad news' no longer interests anyone, except for the riches of the earth that the multinationals raid with the help of unscrupulous people. In this context, the bishop feels the incoherence of these often unjust poverties within his pastoral flesh. He participates in the development of his people with words and with actions. Here, he awakens the conscience of the great and the small; recalling the needs of equity and solidarity. He participates in the battle to rid his sheep of famine, and of poor economic, sanitary and educational infra-structures. ... He promotes human rights, the elementary rules of democracy, etc. ... He commits himself to the battle against the terrible endemic AIDS, and armed conflicts, and supports reconciliation attempts. Applauded by some who ask him to take on political responsibilities, calumnied and detested by others, the bishop is constantly divided. ... (He) draws his energies from prayer, helped by three essential forces: daily reading of the Holy Scriptures, devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist, as sacrifice, nourishment and friendly presence, and a balanced filial devotion to the Virgin Mary."

Vatican Information Service
8. oktober 2001