austraLasia #1273
Inside the Vatican: Synod on the Eucharist
personal reflection I
ROME: 4th OCtober 2005 -- The Synod of Bishops, treating the issue of the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church, opened with a solemn Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome, on Sunday, October 1. There are eight Salesians present. A Cardinal, three Archbishops and four Bishops are members of the Synod. A further Salesian is acting as an "expert," and another forms part of the team that reports to the Press each day. The Salesian representation from the Asia and Oceania region is Archbishop Charles Bo, from Yangon, Myannmar, as is the so-called "expert," originally from Australia, but unfortunately recognised in all the documents as from the USA. However, Archbishop Jala from Shillong, is not too far away.
The first week is almost entirely dedicated to various interventions from the members of the Synod who wish to comment upon the Instrumentum Laboris. This can be a painful time, listening to hours and hours of reflections - some better than others - from Cardinals and Bishops who clearly represent amazingly different social and religious settings - from Russia to Europe to Iran and the Far East.
The atmosphere is extremely friendly, helped by the almost permanent presence of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, who has recovered from a cold and follows each moment of the Synod with great attention. He has already made a major personal contribution by means of his homily at the Mass on Sunday, and a lengthy reflection on 2 Cor 13:11 on Monday morning. It was gratifying to this reporter to hear the Holy Father focus the attention of the members of the Synod on the Greek text!
All participants are sworn to secrecy, of course, but Vatican secrecy can be rather leaky. Nevertheless, a few personal reflections of human interest will certainly be within the limitations required! It is exhausting work, but no doubt will enrich the Church's reflection on the life-giving presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
______________________
Inside the Vatican: Synod on the Eucharist
personal reflection I
ROME: 4th OCtober 2005 -- The Synod of Bishops, treating the issue of the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church, opened with a solemn Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome, on Sunday, October 1. There are eight Salesians present. A Cardinal, three Archbishops and four Bishops are members of the Synod. A further Salesian is acting as an "expert," and another forms part of the team that reports to the Press each day. The Salesian representation from the Asia and Oceania region is Archbishop Charles Bo, from Yangon, Myannmar, as is the so-called "expert," originally from Australia, but unfortunately recognised in all the documents as from the USA. However, Archbishop Jala from Shillong, is not too far away.
The first week is almost entirely dedicated to various interventions from the members of the Synod who wish to comment upon the Instrumentum Laboris. This can be a painful time, listening to hours and hours of reflections - some better than others - from Cardinals and Bishops who clearly represent amazingly different social and religious settings - from Russia to Europe to Iran and the Far East.
The atmosphere is extremely friendly, helped by the almost permanent presence of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, who has recovered from a cold and follows each moment of the Synod with great attention. He has already made a major personal contribution by means of his homily at the Mass on Sunday, and a lengthy reflection on 2 Cor 13:11 on Monday morning. It was gratifying to this reporter to hear the Holy Father focus the attention of the members of the Synod on the Greek text!
All participants are sworn to secrecy, of course, but Vatican secrecy can be rather leaky. Nevertheless, a few personal reflections of human interest will certainly be within the limitations required! It is exhausting work, but no doubt will enrich the Church's reflection on the life-giving presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
