Archbishop Rugambwa officially opens PMS General Assembly

"Let us reflect together on the ‘mission heart of the Christian faith’ in light of the Apostolic Missionary Exhortation of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium. Let us have the courage of conversion, discernment, and authentic reform of each of us and of the institutions we serve, that is to say, the Pontifical Mission Societies." This is how Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), officially opened the General Assembly of the PMS taking place in Rome this week.

Greeting and thanking all those who "work on behalf and in favor of the Pontifical Mission Societies," Archbishop Rugambwa emphasised: "In full communion with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, let us not stop animating each other so that without fear and with great joy, may the announcement of the Risen Christ make the Church a community of reconciled, open to welcome everyone, always ready to bring and communicate to everyone the efficacy of salvation. No one is excluded, all at the heart of evangelization, so that Churches rediscover at the centre of their Christian faith the only mission assigned to them by the Lord Jesus Christ."

Archbishop Rugambwa then announced the Holy Father's approval of the proposal to convene an Extraordinary Missionary Month, in October 2019 to commemorate the centenary of the enactment of the encyclical, “Maximum illud” of Pope Benedict XV issued in 1919.

The Extraordinary Missionary Month of October 2019 will also promote the missionary commitment of the Church in line with the document, Evangelii Gaudium of Pope Francis. The General Assembly taking place this week will dedicate some of its work to elaborating proposals for the Missionary month of October 2019.

 (Agenzia Fides)