(ANS – Vatican City) – On Friday 12th of October, in addition to the Rector Major who attended the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, there were two Salesian Bishops: Mgr. A. Malayappan Chinnappa, Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore, and Mgr. Enrico dal Covolo, Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.

Mgr. Chinnappa - invoking the plurality and the diversity due to the abundance of the Holy Spirit and recalling that Vatican II was a new Pentecost for the Church - pointed out that the method of new evangelisation in various contexts must follow the teaching of Jesus: "Jesus did not force himself on people, knowing full well that all people are created in the image of God". Citing his encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4, 1-42) and the dialogue of Jesus with the Apostles at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16, 13-19) highlighted the importance of a gradual and guided knowledge of Jesus. The task of the evangelists is helping people discover Jesus for themselves by creating preconditions. "In Indian tradition there are Mangas (ways), grana manga (knowledge), manga bakati (love of God), kunma manga (course of action). People can come to God through one of these methods".

You live the plurality and diversity especially in multi-religious contexts. The "Nostra Aetate", "Gaudium et spes" and "Redemptoris Missio" offer useful contributions on which attitudes to adopt in dialogue in these contexts.

Mgr. Chinnappa also called to mind the preference for the lowest in a world that gradually excludes the poor, on the basis of race, sex, caste discrimination. "The message of the Kingdom of God that Jesus brought us is based on listening to the poor, who are called 'blessed'. To improve the lives of the poor, the oppressed and those discriminated against should be the first task of the new evangelization".

More cultural in nature was the contribution made by Mons. Dal Covolo: the gradual de-Christianization of old Europe depends, inter alia, on two inter- connected processes: State control of the law; the State-owned schools.

"Schools and universities, even Catholic ones, are increasingly subject to the direct control of the States. This logic is no exception to the so-called Bologna process "said the prelate, highlighting how the contents of teaching are required in some States by programmes and textbooks. "In this way, the cultural vision open to the Christian faith is systematically weakened, in favour of so-called interreligious, intercultural perspectives. So, this is how a cultural vision far from the Christian faith or even explicitly opposed to it is installed in the minds of the young."

The nerve centre is the training of teachers. "In many countries, teachers are trained only in State universities, and anyone who wants to teach must possess State certification obtained in accordance with the curriculum established by the States and with State examinations".

A new evangelization can only take place in the recognition of people, of their conscience, their rights. "If the States, as they often have done and continue to do, appropriate personal learning project, they remove from people the freedom to fulfil themselves, depriving them of an original and Constitutional law".

Mgr dal Covolo called for a commitment to a smooth functioning of Schools and Universities in general, but especially in ways of creating synergies with Catholic families and other local educational agencies (Parish, oratory, youth centres, institutions ...). An opening of dialogue between faith and culture in teaching. "The specificity of Catholic schools and universities will be the never- ending dialogue between the knowledge of God and the life sciences, under the banner of a theological synthesis assimilated existentially, and consistently demonstrated by educators".

Published 15/10/2012