AMERICA/COLOMBIA - 1st meeting for Church Movements and New Communities in Latin America in preparation for 5th CELAM Conference in May 2007

Bogota (Fides Service) - ‘Disciples and Missionaries Today’ is the theme of the 1st meeting for Church Movements and New Communities in Latin America to be held from 9 to 12 March in Bogota (Colombia) in preparation for the 5th General Conference CELAM (Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean) scheduled to be held in May 2007 at Aparecida (Sao Paulo), at Brazil’s national Marian Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida patroness of Brazil. The meeting is one of many others planned in view of the 5th CELAM General Conference.
The meeting objective of the meeting, organised jointly by the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome and CELAM, is to reflect on the valuable experience of Church Movements and New Communities and their task of leading people to encounter the living Christ and form disciples and missionaries at the service of evangelisation, culture and building up of society.
Participants will include representatives of about 40 Movements and new communities present in Latin America for more than 20 years and bishop delegates for Church Movements of the 22 Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America. The meeting will culminate on 12 March with a Mass to which all members of Church Movements and new communities are warmly invited. Conclusions formulated by the meeting will serve for the preparation and realisation of 5th CELAM General Conference.
Work has begun at the Shrine of Aparecida, in Brazil, to adapt the premises to host the Bishops who will attend the 5th CELAM Conference. Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, underlined the importance of communication for the success of the event and offered the support of the diocesan media, including Aparecida Radio which has 50 years of experience and Aparecida TV launched in September 2005. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 30/1/2006 - righe 22, parole 300)