Ecclesial Movements & New Communities are unique gift of the Lord, says Pope

(Oct.31, 2008):- “The Ecclesial Movements and New Communities are a unique gift of the Lord and a valuable resource for the life of the Church. They must be accepted with confidence and put to good use in joint service,” Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday to the participants of the 13^th Int. Conference of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship. The theme of the Conference was -“We preach Christ crucified, power and wisdom of God”.
Thanking all the participants for the service rendered, the Pope noted the great interest in their current thinking on the centrality of Christ in preaching, as well as the importance of Charisma in the life of the Church with reference to Pauline theology and the New Testament. He said what we learn in the New Testament of gifts, which appeared as visible signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit, is not a historic event of the past but a reality that is always living; it is the same Divine Spirit, the soul of the Church and her mysterious and effective interventions occur in our time in a providential manner.
The Pope noted that the Second Vatican Council and later the Catechism of the Catholic Church stressed the value and importance of the new charisms in the Church. “Since we have a promising flowering of Movements and ecclesial communities, it is important”, the Pope said “that dialogue is intensified between the pastors and church movements at all levels – in parishes dioceses and the Apostolic See”. Pope Benedict concluded saying that a proposal has been put forward to establish a permanent training center for members and leaders of the Charismatic Community in Rome. This will enable them, the Pope added to better exploit it’s mission geared to evangelization, the liturgy, the family, young people and vocation, and also keep them in close contact with the Pontifical Council for the Laity.