As the 72nd National Liturgical Week opens in Salerno, Italy, Pope Francis expresses his hopes that the meeting will allow for a fruitful deepening in appreciation of the ecclesial ministries in the Church in a perspective of ever greater service.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, conveyed the cordial greetings of Pope Francis to the president of Italy’s Liturgical Action Center, Archbishop Claudio Maniago of Catanzaro-Squillace, and to all the participants involved. He said the theme they are discussing – ‘Ministries at the Service of a Synodal Church’ – “holds particular significance for the Church in the present historical moment.” Cardinal Parolin recalled the Pope’s words regarding the Synodal path the Church has undertaken and the need to become “experts in the art of encounter,” and available to help each other “so that the diversity of charisms, vocations and ministries enriches us.”
