MANILA, Oct. 15, 2012— Two Filipino archbishops have been appointed to the “Commission for the Message” for the synod of bishops being held in Rome.
Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle sits among the synod Fathers in the Vatican session hall.
Pope Benedict XVI has named Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle as the vice president of the commission that will produce a statement to the world to be issued at the conclusion of the synod.
Tagle will work with Florence Archbishop Giuseppe Cardinal Betori who was appointed by the 85-year old pontiff as president of the 12-member commission.
The pope will appoint a further two members of the body while the “Synod Fathers” elected the eight others, including Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
The commission is tasked with preparing a message, which, after the approval by the Synod Fathers will be published to inform the faithful about the themes dealt with during the Synodal Assize.
The 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will end on Oct. 28, will
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
address the theme “The Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”
Other Filipino archbishops joining the synod are Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles.
The gathering is guided by a working document, issued June 19, which is the result of more than a year worldwide consultation among church leaders.
Part of the document states that New Evangelization must provide “an adequate response to the signs of the times, to the needs of individuals and people of today and to the new sectors with their cultures through which we express our identity and the meaning of our lives.” [RL/CBCPNews]
