On this occasion too, despite the snowy weather, people came from all over the world (Italy, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Lebanon, Tanzania, Eritrea, Argentine, Perù, Puerto Rico and Mexico) to attend the Second International Week of Reconciliation.
The initiative was jointly organised by the Capuchin General Secretariat for Formation and the Shrine of St Pio of Pietralcina at San Giovanni Rotondo. It was held between February 13 and 17 on the theme of The Sacrament of Reconciliation and the New Evangelization.
The fi rst talk was given by Mgr Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifi cal Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. He presented the two basic elements of the meeting, highlighting the relationship between them: “Without the preaching of conversion one cannot have and awareness of his own sin, and without the sacrament of reconciliation, no effective work of evanglisation is possible, whereby a person perceives the depth of God’s love and reaches out to His mercy. Our commitment to the new evangelization should bring about a renewal of pastoral ministry and bring the sacrament of penance back to its central place”. Following that Prof Gerhard Hotze dealt with the biblical basis of the theme, Fr. Marko Rupnik SJ offered the theological perspective, while Mgr Thomas Menamparampil (India) expounded the pastoral aspect.
In the Round Table, chaired by Dr. Aldo Maria Valli, a Vaticanist of the national Italian TV channel (TG 1), the following took part: Br Carlos Novoa, General Defi nitor, Br David Songy, formator and coordinator of Formators in North America, Br Francisco Neri, provincial Minister of Apulia. Dr. Stefano Campanella, director of TeleRadio Padre Pio, spoke about St Pio’s witness to Evangelization through the confessional. In conclusion, Br Valerio Mauro of the Tuscan Province asserted: “The sacrament of reconciliation has often been interpreted not only as a specifi c sacramental rite, but as sealing a wider evangelizing action carried out in the Church and by the Church”. Besides the academic moments, the meeting devoted ample space to the celebration of the liturgy and in a special way to the sacrament of reconciliation itself. Thus the participants were able to experience the effects of discussions held in the hall.
The penitential liturgy was presided over by Mgr Piero Marini, President of the Pontifi cal Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses and former Papal Master of Ceremonies. We also had the important and encouraging presence of the General Minister of the Order, Br Mauro Jöhri, who presided over the solemn opening with Vespers. Present too wer the Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Mgr Gianfranco Girotti, and Archbishop Mgr Michele Castoro who presided over the Eucharistic liturgy. Br Felice Cangelosi, Vicar General of the Order, led the concluding celebration of the meeting.
