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| U.S., Canadian And Latin American Bishops Meet On Long Island To Reflect On Aparecida's Final Document And Continental Mission |
HUNTINGTON, NY- Bishops from the United States, Canada and Latin America and the Caribbean met February 11-13 on Long Island, to reflect upon the event the Final Document and the continental mission launched by the Fifth General Conference of the Latin America and the Caribbean Episcopal Council, which took place in Aparecida, Brazil, May 13 - 31, 2007.
The gathering, which was held at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, New York, marks the 35th meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America, the eighth since Pope John Paul II issued his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.
More than 20 delegates, including bishops and staff of the general secretariats of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), which represents 22 Catholic Bishops' Conferences, took part in this meeting.
At the meeting, bishops from each of the three participating groups offered observations about the conclusions in Aparecida's 'Final Document' as they apply to their particular pastoral circumstances.
In reflecting upon the Aparecida meeting and Final Document, the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops touched upon various themes. These included the richness of the participation of the 265 bishops, priests, lay people and observers in the crafting of the document. The Bishops noted that all were involved in the discussions and discernment that are reflected in the document. The presence of the Holy Father, who inaugurated the Conference on May 13, helped to create a free and fraternal atmosphere.
The Canadian Bishops affirmed the call to renewal and pastoral conversion. They also offered comments, from a different perspective, on the questions of globalization and evangelization.
The Bishops of the United States also touched upon the theme of globalization, highlighting four dimensions: the religious, cultural, economic and ecological. They observed that globalization must be seen as comprising the exchange not only of goods but also of people and the culture that they bring with them.
These informal meetings, previously known as the Interamerican Meeting of Bishops, have been held yearly since 1967. At their 1999 meeting in Cuba, the bishops decided to change the name to 'Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America' to emphasize the unity of the Church in the Western Hemisphere.
The first meeting using the new name was held in Vancouver, during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, and it focused on the cancellation of the debt of the poorest countries. On other occasions, the bishops have also discussed immigration (Clearwater, Florida, 2001), globalization of the economy (San Salvador, Brazil, 2002), globalization of local cultures (Quebec City, Canada, 2003), the family (San Antonio, Texas, 2004), the media (Bogota, Colombia, 2005), and the laity as agents of change in society (Toronto, Canada, 2006).
CONSEJO EPISCOPAL LATINOAMERICANO (CELAM)
Dom Raymundo Damasceno Assis, Arzobispo de Aparecida, Brasil; Presidente, del CELAM
Mons. Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Arzobispo de Mérida, Venezuela; Primer Vicepresidente
Mons. Andrés Stanovnik, OFM Cap, Arzobispo de Corrientes, Argentina; Segundo Vicepresidente
Mons. Víctor Sánchez Espinosa, Obispo Auxiliar de México; Secretario General
Mons. Emilio Aranguren Echeverría, Obispo de Holguín, Cuba; Presidente del Comité Económico
Padre Sidney Fones Infante; Secretario Adjunto; Chile
Representantes de Conferencias Episcopales de América Latina:
Mons. Néstor Rafael Herrera Heredia, Obispo de Machala; Ecuador
Mons. Louis Kébreau, S.D.B., Evêque de Hinche; Haití
Mons José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan, O.A.R., Obispo de David; Panamá
Mons. Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre, SCI, Obispo de Encarnación; Paraguay
CONFÉRENCE DES ÉVÊQUES CATHOLIQUES DU CANADA (CEEC)
CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS (CCCB)
Archbishop James Weisgerber, Archbishop of Winnipeg; President
Bishop Pierre Morissette, Bishop of Baie-Comeau; Vice President
Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher, Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall; Co-Treasurer
Bishop James Wingle, Bishop of St. Catharines; Co-Treasurer
Msgr. Mario Paquette, P.H; General Secretary
UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS (USCCB)
Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, Illinois; President
Bishop Gerald Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, Arizona; Vice President
Bishop Dennis Schnurr, Bishop of Duluth, Minnesota; Treasurer
Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of Orlando, Florida; Chairman, International Policy
Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Centre, New York, Chairman, Domestic Policy
Bishop Robert Baker, Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama, Member, Church in Latin America
Monsignor David Malloy, General Secretary
Monsignor Carlos Quintana Puente, Director, Collection for Latin America