(ANS – Rome) – The work of the 80th half-yearly Assembly of the Union of Superiors General (USG) began today, 21 November. More than 127 Superiors of Orders and Congregations at the Salesianum in Rome are meeting on the theme “We evangelise in the Faith”. Tomorrow and Friday the new President, Vice President and Council members will be elected by the USG General Assembly.

Fr Pascual Chávez, Salesian Rector Major and President of the USG, now concluding his second mandate (2006-2009 and 2009-2012), opened the Assembly by pointing out the link between it and the Bishops' Synod on New Evangelization which some members of the USG took part in: “the topic has to do with our calling as disciples of the Lord Jesus who calls us to ‘stay with him’ as friends, to ‘preach’ and to cooperate in building the Kingdom of God”.

Tackling one of the Assembly's sub-topics – the financial crisis and its implications for Consecrated Life – Fr Chávez repeated once again how the current social and ecclesial circumstances are a challenge for the Church and all Religious. "Our field of mission now includes the whole world and even a new continent, the digital continent; and faced with “spiritual desertification” Consecrated Life can begin again with a new emphasis: “The desert needs people of faith who can point the way to the Promised Land through their life and thus keep hope alive" the USG President said, quoting Pope Benedict XVI.

Emphasising the need for witness and proposing the Faith, but never imposing it, the USG President also recalled the mature experience of Religious in the field of evangelization “Consecrated Life has always stood out for its commitment to first Evangelization; in the Church's ‘missio ad gentes’ its support has been, and still, is a decisive one. It has shown the same commitment, and continues to do so profoundly, in ordinary evangelization … in various specialist areas”.

Fr Chávez then concluded by indicating the objective that is now up to the Superior Generals: “to completely take on the spirit and major choices of this Synod on New Evangelization for handing on the Faith, naturally with the specific contribution of Consecrated Life and the charism and mission of each of the Orders, Congregations and Institutes”.

In the second part of the morning Mr Frédéric Mounier, Vatican reporter for the French Daily “La Croix”, offered a journalist's interpretation of the Synod, outlingin its strong and weak points.

Published 21/11/2012