The first prelate to give his observations was Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil. He offered to share the "great wealth" of his episcopal conference's 54 years of existence as well as the resources of Latin American seminaries to help form priests and seminarians.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta spoke next, saying that the Church in the United States continues "to benefit from those people from Africa who recently have come as visitors and new residents to our shores." In particular, Archbishop Gregory found that, "Many of these new peoples bring with them a profound and dynamic Catholic faith with its rich spiritual heritage. These wonderful people challenge us to rediscover our own spiritual traditions that so often are set aside because of the influence of our secular pursuits."
Speaking for the continent of Asia, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo compared his continent with Africa. "The Church in Africa and the Church in Asia bear similar experiences of sorrow and joy. Sorrow at the many forces of a culture of death ... such as the increasing poverty and marginalization of our peoples; ... injustices against women and. children; ... our inability to compete with the powerful in a global economic order unguided by juridical and moral norms; religious intolerance instead of a dialogue of reason and faith.
"On the other hand," noted Archbishop Quevedo, "we experience great joy and hope in movements of justice and peace, ... in the solidarity of people of good will from different social classes and religious traditions to work for a more just, more peaceful, more fraternal social order."
The continent of Oceania's representative, Archbishop Peter William Ingham, said that the Church in his region shares a rich history of martyrs with the African Church. He also observed that, "In both Oceania and Africa, great work is being done by the Church and its agencies to help people recover their equilibrium in their communities and to manage risks that could arise from natural disasters."
Echoing a similar theme, was Europe's delegate, Cardinal Peter Erdö of Budapest. "We European Catholics have learned from our own history closely to follow the fate of African Christians, and we have also learned to respect your faithfulness, your witness, and the African martyrs who give their lives - year after year in worryingly-large numbers - for Christ and for His Church, and in the same way also for us. The Church in Africa has earned our gratitude and our profound respect," the cardinal said.