The theme of the Synod is “New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”
What are the voices of young theologians on this question?
- Devett O’Brien of the International Young Catholic Students has been accredited with a press pass for the Synod and will report on through the IYCS Facebook page and the Emerging Theologians Facebook page.
- Dan Horan, OFM at DatingGod posts on Leadership, Embarrassment and the ‘New Evangelization’
- Megan McCabe at Women in Theology posts on Reading The Signs of the Times Constitutive of the New Evangelization
- Kevin Ahern at Daily Theology posts on Reclaiming the Integral Dimension of Evangelization.
- Amanda Osheim at Daily Theology contributes to this series with her post: The Evangelization of Emmanuel.
- Daily Theology has recently done a series on “What is the Role of Faith in the Classroom?
We will bring you more reflections and links by young theologians soon.
FINAL STATEMENT of the PAX ROMANA ICMICA/IMCS and IYCS WORKSHOP
This statement was presented to the secretariat for the Synod and several synod fathers and experts.
Declaration on New evangelization.
Rome 3rd – 7th October 2012
We Pax Romana members from different nations, continents, cultures, generations, in electronic connection with other members who could not come to Rome met from 3rd to 7th October 2012. The meeting was aimed to contribute to the work of the synod and we pray for its success.
Realizing the need for greater ardour to accompany the new evangelization in the spirit of the Second Vatican council, Pax Romana calls upon for a more effective involvement and stronger mobilization on new evangelization.
One challenging question today is “How can we create the conditions to implement this in an effective manner?” Being part of the universal church and evangelizers through the virtue of our baptism, we as lay people have more that ever a greater responsibility of announcing the gospel, and to empower those too often invisible or not listened to such as women, youth, vulnerable persons etc.
Reminded by Pope John XXIII opening speech during the second Vatican council stressing on the World as a place where the Holy Spirit is acting, we are awaken to respond to this and we believe that;
• We have to be more audacious and ready to take risk of decisions without fear of uncertainities as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.
• We have to actively listen to the world we live in and dicern the signs of times.
• Evangelization therefore becomes a question of dialogue between cultures, traditions, religions and generations and not merely a top-down message transmission. This gives space to local churches to participate more creatively in evangelization through inculturation.
• We have to address the collective dimensions of our economicies and policies to fight the structures of evil and to enhance transformation of cultures for a common good.
In the first place, this calls for the evangelization of the church herself through Jesus Christ’s exemplary way of living and acting. Examples and actions are often a better language than declarations.
This brings us to identify three main challenges of evangelization today;
• Poverty situation of too many people in the world for which charity is the “best language” of evangelization.
• The dialogue with the modern cultures around the issue of “truth” as a proposal of more meaningful life.
• Religious pluralism of the current world and the challenge of dialogue at grassroot levels.
We therefore invite our member movements and delegations in the international institutions to become active agents of new evangelization at the national and global levels in communion with the fathers of the synod and the local churches.
Pax Romana commits herself to reflect and act on new evangelization and thereafter implement the recommendations that will come out from the synod.
Signed by IMCS, ICMICA (two branches of Pax Romana) and IYCS (International Young Catholic Students).
Fort interessant. Il faut continuer.