VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni at the Mater Ecclesiae College: Religious women, missionary outposts and proclamation of the Gospel

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "I think that in our College, while we form the young to the service of God, the Church and its religious Family, we also carry out a principle of duty to the advancement of women in the life of the Church and the world": said Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who on Wednesday, May 7th presided over the Eucharistic celebration at the Mater Ecclesiae College, in Castel Gandolfo, with the national Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) gathered for the Annual General Assembly (see Fides 29/04/2014).
"This College, in fact, is no stranger to the generosity of the Pontifical Societies, which, through numerous scholarships, allow our sisters from many Congregations of many missionary Countries to study and be formed spiritually and intellectually". Recalling what Pope Paul VI wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi on religious women, who "for their vocation, are the outposts of the mission of the Church" said the Cardinal. I like to recall this concept because it seems to respond well to the purpose of our College, that is to say these religious, one day, are the outposts of mission and proclamation of the Gospel". Cardinal Filoni continued: "In the context of evangelization, in fact, the religious, as a woman, has a specific charisma, with whom she translates and interprets that sense of genius, typical of femininity, which so enriches the missionary nature of the Church in all parts of the world".
Commenting on the Gospel of the day, where Jesus reveals himself as the bread of life, the Cardinal pointed out that "the missionary is he who before anything else, carries with him in his wallet, the Bread of Life (Jesus and his Gospel); is he who carries in his wallet the planning of mercy: childhood education, help towards the poor, support for the elderly, the creation of care centers, closeness to the lonely and destroyed". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 08/05/2014)


Share: