VATICAN - 28th Plenary Assembly for the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” underway

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - From Thursday, February 28th to Saturday, March 1 the 28th Plenary Assembly for the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” is being held in Rome. The theme is: “Human and spiritual qualities of people who work in Catholic charity institutions.” One of the aims of the assembly is to re-examine Benedict XVI's Encyclical "Deus caritas est" and to verify if and how it has changed the attitude of those who work in the charitable arm of the Church. Attention will also be given to the question of the integral and continuous formation of managers and workers in the various Catholic charity organizations.
The Assembly opened with an introduction by Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” who explained the meeting’s theme: “Until about a hundred years ago, those who worked in the Church’s charitable organizations were mainly religious men and women who carried out the specific mission of their own religious institute. As well, in the missions, the number of missionary priests and consecrated men and women was very high. In them, there was a guarantee, in a visible form, of identification with the Church.” The current situation differs now and a large majority of Catholic charities are formed by mostly lay members, sometimes affiliated to a religious institution, but oftentimes completely autonomous. Many workers participate in these organizations simply as a mere profession and do not share the same religious perspectives or even the same ethical principles as the organization.
With this change, we are faced with, “the question of the faith of our workers.” Benedict XVI, in “Deus caritas est” (numbers 31-39), offers us a list of some of the characteristics of the men and women who are committed to working in these Catholic agencies. “Now, what is needed,” Cardinal Cordes concluded, “is that we accept with humility and realism the fact that we need to cultivate the spirit, the formation of the heart, as Benedict XVI has stated, of those who work with and for us.”
His address was followed by a report from the council's secretary, Monsignor Karel Kasteel. Other Cardinals, Bishops, and representatives from the principal charity foundations of the Church also spoke. As representative of the Union of Superior Generals of the Institutes for Consecrated Life, Fr. Flavio Peloso, Superior General of the Sons of Divine Providence, made reference to the experience found in many religious congregations that are dedicated to the apostolate of charity and said that “the impoverishment in spiritual, evangelical, and ecclesial content should be more cause for fear than the lack of economic resources. The support and efforts in favor of the human being should be understood and organized in a way that facilitates three main objectives in the work of Christian charity, as the Holy Father has described in his encyclical: 1) serve Christ in the poor (a mystical dimension), 2) serve the poor in Christ (as service), and 3) serve the poor of Christ (as evangelization). In this way alone, will we be able to move from the works of charity to the charity of works.”
Today, February 29, the second day of the Assembly, a discussion has been planned, to address the main theme for the encounter and the audience with the Holy Father. At the end of the second day, participants will visit the "Comunita dell'Agnello," a group of women religious who announce the Gospel and work with the poor on the streets and in homes. The third and final day of the Assembly, Saturday, March 1, will be dedicated to working groups that will meet to discuss ideas and proposals for formation. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 29/2/2008, righe 47, parole 604)