Upcoming World Seminar of Catholic Civil aviation chaplains in Loreto

(April 08, 2010) The 14^th World Seminar of Catholic Civil Aviation chaplains and chaplaincy members will be held in the central Italian town of Loreto on the Adriatic coast 11-14 April. Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, talked about this upcoming seminar at a meeting of civil aviation chaplains and chaplaincy members in the Vatican on Thursday. He said that this year, the seminar is being held on the occasion of the 90^th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Loreto as Patroness of air travellers. He pointed out that Our Lady of Loreto has an important place in the life and mission of all those, who take pastoral care of air crews, passengers, airport workers and users. Mentioning a document containing important guidelines on what civil aviation apostolate is,and how it is to be carried out, Archbishop Marchetto said these guidelines are still valid, but may need some updating to effectively carry out the mission entrusted to their care. Therefore, he urged them to study it in more depth and suggest changes to make the directives a better guide for their specific pastoral care.
Mentioning another important event - the Year of priests, which is nearing its end in June, the prelate said it is a good opportunity to awaken a greater consciousness of the call to sanctity addressed to all priests and should help airport chaplains to carry out their mission diligently.
Stating that the 3-day April seminar in Loreto would be addressed by religious and lay experts , Archbishop Marchetto said there would be group discussions, when they would get the opportunity to discuss problems, share views and present suggestions. He added that Pope Benedict XVI would receive them at the end of their seminar in Loreto.