Vatican City, May 17, 2010 / 12:22 pm
The Pontifical Council for Laity will soon celebrate its annual plenary meeting in Rome. The council cited repeated calls by Pope Benedict XVI for a renewed commitment from the lay faithful to be active in the political sphere as the inspiration for this year's meeting.
The plenary or full assembly will take place from May 20-22 near the Vatican, and discussions will be based around the theme “Witnesses of Christ in the Political Community.”
The Pope has touched on the theme often.
In his message to the fifth general conference of Latin American bishops meeting in Aparecida, Brazil, the Pope said that “forming consciences, being an advocate of justice and truth and educating on individual and political virtues is the fundamental vocation of the Church in this sector.” He called particularly for Catholics to take on responsibility in public life, to provide support when necessary and to vocally oppose injustices.