EUROPE/ITALY - First meeting of Italian missionaries in Guinea Bissau: “Our two Churches can grow together in faith and promote spiritual renewal in their communities, supporting one another to face common challenges ”

Bissau (Agenzia Fides) - “The Church in Guinea Bissau can help the journey of pastoral conversion in a missionary sense undertaken by the Church in Italy with itineraries of catechumenate for adults, vivacity of liturgies, valorisation of the laity, fraternity of relations among pastoral workers, humble style of community life. The Church in Italy, for its part, can sustain the present moment of evangelisation in Guinea Bissau with initiatives to support ongoing formation of pastoral workers, preparing families which can live for a long period of time Guinea offering concrete apostolic example with their Christian life, promoting experience of formation and youth service for the animation of young people willing to share fraternity with their peers, giving rise also in Guinea to the experience of schools of the Word.” This is part of a Message issued after a meeting of Italians Missionaries in Guinea Bissau, 15 to 17 June 2004, a Bissau.
The meeting was organised by the Italian Bishops’ Conference with the two diocese in Guinea Bissau and Bafatà. On the first day was devoted to the journey of evangelisation undertaken by the Church in Italy. The second day concerned problems of evangelisation encountered by the Church in Guinea. On the third day, with reflection on themes identified previously, the study groups identified pastoral ambits where cooperation between the two ecclesial communities can be fruitfully developed..” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 2/7/2004; Righe 35, Parole 468)