.- The Holy See Press Office released a statement on the twelfth meeting of the special Council for America of the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, which was held October 9 and 10 and focused on the main threats that hang over the continent.
Presided over by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, the meeting was attended by four cardinals and eight archbishops and bishops.
The prelates reflected on the social and ecclesial situation in the different countries of the American continent, using John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America as a guidepost.
According to a press release from the Synod, “immigration represents one of the areas of greatest concern,” with “the situation of immigrants deported back to their native countries especially delicate.”
They also discussed problems related to drug trafficking, violence, political corruption and “the promotion of a series of laws—on abortion and euthanasia—contrary to ethical norms.”
The prelates also pointed out the continued spread of neo-Marxist ideology that “provokes imbalance in international relations and internal realities of [those] countries and attempts to ignore the Catholic Church and not consider her part of the social dialogue.”
In the ecclesial arena, the statement continued, “the increase in vocations to the priesthood is cause for comfort.”
In addition, “the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council held in Aparecida, Brazil, has inspired much hope,” the prelates said.
Regarding Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synod apostolic exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, the prelates pointed to the “many positive signs in the American continent related to the repercussions of the document, which has given renewed impulse to the celebration and adoration of the Eucharistic mystery.”
The next gathering of the special Council for America will take place November 18-19, 2008.
