AMERICA/VENEZUELA – Laity meet apostolic Nuncio, a tradition which encourages the unity of the Church

Caracas (Agenzia Fides) – The National Council for the Laity, a body of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Venezuela (CEV), has invited lay Catholics to a meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio in Venezuela, Archbishop Aldo Giordano, to be held on Sunday 21 September at the Cristo Re School in Altamira (a district of Caracas). According to a note sent to Fides, in his address the Nuncio wishes to transmit a special message from the Holy Father”, and will therefore speak of the thought of the present Pontiff, of the Evangelii Gaudium, and also of his own experience in key matters at national and international levels, including the question of the family .
The invitation is for all pastoral workers and lay Catholics active as members of Church Movements and at Catholic centres.The National Council for the Laity, the note recalls, brings together all the lay movements in the country.
These meetings which have become a tradition, allow Nuncios arriving in Venezuela to encounter the Catholic Laity and understand the reality in which they operate and also offer an opportunity for sharing in view of spreading the message of Jesus Christ and strengthening the unity of the Church.
The previous such meeting was held on 24 February 2010, with the then apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, today Cardinal and the Pope’s Secretary of State. On that occasion the Archbishop expressed admiration for the exemplary unity of the Church in Venezuela and his talk on "The new man, true disciple of Jesus," remains a vivid memory for many groups all over the country. There are great expectations regarding the next meeting on 21 September given the present difficult situation in Venezuela today. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 16/09/2014)