ASIA/PHILIPPINES - New Evangelization to remain rooted in Christ

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - To provide a gripping experience of Jesus, a gripping experience of the community called the Church, and a gripping experience of the mission, the calling, motivated only by the love of Christ, are among the objectives proposed in the Fifth Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE5) which is taking place in Manila until July 22nd. There are over 5 thousand participants among priests, nuns and laity who are taking part, "this is an opportunity to remain rooted in Jesus", said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, on the occasion of the opening of the conference yesterday, 18 July. Cardinal Tagle led the plenary session about the spiritual life of priests through an encounter with Christ, with the theme “Sharing in the One Priesthood of Christ.”
"For evangelization means nothing if we do not get rooted again and again in the person of the good news, Jesus. He is the Gospel in person", - he said adding that - "PCNE is full of rituals and some had become a sort of identity of PCNE". The Archbishop explained that "PCNE is not just a ritual, it is not just a conference, it is about life, and it should be rooted in the life and it should transform the realities, values, and the living of the Christian faith".
Aside from the plenary sessions, the participants will talk about parish, schools, workplace/government, family, youth, the digital and social media, catechesis, a Church in mission, new ministry, young adult, and new trends in the Church.
According to Msgr. Manuel Gabriel, theology professor at Mary Hill School of Theology and at Asian Social Institute in Manila, the elements of the New Evangelization could help address these “critical situations” of the Church: contextual, focus on faith experiences, Christocentric, renewal of the Church and prioritize the life of the excluded and marginalized.
"There is a lack of shared and common paradigm to handle the critical situation today. The challenge is the New Evangelization should bring us all together to bring about transformation in our society", said Msgr. Gabriel to Fides. "The Church must be in a “missionary mode” rather than stuck in a 'maintenance mode'. If we are maintenance mode, nothing happens as it was, in the beginning, is now forever will be. A missionary mode breaks barriers, breaks new grounds, has new thinking, changes everything", he added.
Cardinal Tagle introduced PCNE in 2013 as a local response to the call of a new evangelization and renewal of faith experience in the local and Asian context.
The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, 80% are Catholics, divided into 86 dioceses. (SD/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/07/2018)

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