Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – The 93rd Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE) began yesterday, April 20, in Madrid and will last until April 24. The meeting opened with an address given by the President of the CEE and Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela and a greeting from the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro.
During the Assembly, the bishops will elect a new member of the Executive Committee, to substitute Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, who has been appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Bishops will examine, for possible approval, a message of the 50th anniversary of “Manos Unidas.” The Assembly will dedicate time for reflection on the present situation of Pastoral Ministry of the Eucharist in Spain and various translations of liturgical texts from the Roman Missal will be presented for approval. The Bishops will also be given informations on preparations taking place for World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011.
In his welcoming address, Cardinal Rouco first of all recalled the upcoming celebration of World Youth Day in Spain in 2011, which is “today an apostolic instrument of great value.” The Cardinal commented that this youth encounter “is not only a moment of celebration, simply a few days of intense activity. It is a pilgrimage or spiritual path that does not end and that also demands a remote preparation in which the entire Christian community should participate. Later it will also be a time for gathering the fruits of the harvest and helping the youth to continue on the path of spirit and truth.” The Cardinal observed that in these two and a half years that are left before WYD, “we should place ourselves under the sign of the Cross, which has already begun its pilgrimage in Madrid in a symbolic manner and will officially visit the Archdiocese this coming September 14, and from April 26, 2010 will be passed throughout the dioceses of Spain by the Catholic youth.”
In regards to the Year of the Priest declared by the Holy Father from June 19, 2009 to June 19, 2010, he mentioned that it is “a grace, a Providential opportunity and an appeal to our responsibility as Bishops so that, as pastors and brothers we can address the human and spiritual situation of our priests, at the light of the faith and the wealth of doctrine from the II Vatican Council and the Magisterium of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.”
Another issue that the Prelate wished to address was the gift of life, as “one of the areas of social life most in need of a new evangelization is that of awareness of the inestimable gift of life of each human being and the right to life from the moment of conception to natural death.” Cardinal Rouco commented that “the crime of abortion has always cast a shadow on the history of mankind,” but he also mentioned that since the previous century, “many sectors of society have begun to publicly declare that eliminating the unborn is not reproachable in and of itself and this mentality has been echoed in laws that have not been successful in protecting the right to life for all people.” “We cannot and will not cease in our task of proclaiming the Gospel of Life in all its beauty...” he said.
In reference to the academic course of “Education for Citizenship” and human rights, he recalled the “unalienable” right of parents and schools, “in collaborating with them” of educating their children in the moral and religious principles that they “freely assume and cultivate.” This right is violated when an anthropological and moral vision, along with a “governmental formation of consciences,” is “imposed by law.” In this sense, he called for an academic course that would offer “a basic juridical formation on the Declarations of Human Rights and on the Spanish Constitution.” “In this sense, a solution could be found for the serious problems presented in the so-called 'Education for Citizenship,'” he said.
Lastly, he addressed the economic crisis, affirming that it will be very difficult to overcome “this crises, which has such deep moral and human roots, without the respect of the spiritual and moral imperatives of sobriety and austerity of life; acceptance of personal sacrifice shared by all, in an effort toward the common good; the ideal and practice of work as a right, but also as a duty performed with creativity and generosity; and without a juridically and administratively efficient norm of economic life that offers more protection for state institutions, firms, and businesses with deeply selfish and immoral conduct, many times caused by generalized patterns of life marked by a desire to 'get rich,' quick and easy.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 21/04/2009)
