"It would be opportune," the Pope said, "to investigate the profound reasons for that unitary vision, calling upon common religious and Christian traditions." At the same time, he noted the marked inequalities that separate the north from the south-- inequalities in terms of both economic status and the development of democratic institutions. He asked the bishops to discuss the causes of that inequality, in the hope of finding ways to eliminate them.
However, the synod should not focus exclusively on the past, the Pontiff hastened to add. The primary goal of the session should be to prepare for the future, and especially for the Jubilee Year 2000. He asked all Catholics to redouble their missionary work, working across geographical boundaries to spread the Gospel message.
Speaking to pilgrims who had gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly Angelus audience, the Pope explained that the objective of the synod was "to spread the Gospel message ever more widely, so that Christ is known and welcomed everywhere as the true Redeemer of man."
In their first working sessions, the bishops gathered in Rome for a special Synod for the Americas spoke of the need to develop a "new vision" of the Church in the Western Hemisphere, marked by "personal conversion" and by "greater north- south collaboration."
This special synod, scheduled to continue through December 12, marks the first time that the bishops of all the American countries, North and South, have been gathered together for a discussion of their common concerns. Now that the hemisphere accounts for roughly one-half of the world's Catholic population, the 24 episcopal conferences of the America have been drawn together in Rome to set strategies for a new evangelization.
At a press conference on Monday, November 17, Cardinals Roger Mahony of Los Angeles and Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara spoke to journalists about the goals of the synod. "We are no longer speaking of 'the Americas' but of 'America,'" said Cardinal Mahony, saying that the Church has not yet realized the enormous potential benefits that could flow from such a unitary approach. "We have a great deal to learn from each other," he added.
Cardinal Sandoval pointed out that while collaboration between the northern and southern countries would certainly involve greater attention to the economic needs of the Latin countries, that would not be the sole-- or even the primary-- reason for collaboration. Rather, he said, "the basic problem is not merely the social question, or the question of poverty, but that of evangelization."
As journalists repeatedly raised questions about the issue of international debt burdens, Archbishop Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras-- the president of the Latin American bishops' conference CELAM-- confirmed that the issue would figure prominently in the synod discussions. The Holy See has often urged the wealthier nations to lift the burdens of debt which are inhibiting economic development in the poorer nations. But he added that while the northern countries should address that problem by making appeals to bankers, the Latin countries must deal with the problem of corruption in government and financial circles, which also inhibits development.
The first phase of the synod process, a ten-day period, will allow time for each bishop to deliver a short address to the general assembly. The next stage will begin the process of synthesizing a general public message, which will then be conveyed to the Pope to form the basis for an apostolic exhortation.