Serving the Church in Sri Lanka and in Congo

It has been 10 years since the young Sri Lankan Bishops’ Conference visited Rome for the Visit ad Limina Apostolorum. While rejoicing at this return, the bishops also recalled the long and painful civil war which ended in 2009, and which carried with it both immense sufferring for the people who lost loved ones, and damage to material livelihoods.

Catechists, pillars of pastoral work in Sri Lanka

All sectors of pastoral work are active and driven by the figure of the catechists - always volunteers – who work with an enemorous spirit of selflessness and great faith. Among the most important challenges however is family pastoral work, which has to deal with the growing division within families stemming from widespread internal and international relocation for the sake of employment reasons.

Congo: The formation of couples is the real challenge

Among the pastoral challenges which the Congo bishops cite is the formation of engaged and married couples. Traditional dowries, fear of permanent commitment, economic uncertainties, polygamy, the spectre of divorce, domestic violence, and globalisation in general. These are all just some of the symptoms and consequences of this crisis the Christian institution of the family is facing. 

 A good practice of the Congolese Church, with regard to the celebration of marriages of those who cannot afford a dowry, is the ‘Marriage Cana’ initiative, through which the Bishops' Conference helps and supports young people who want to get married.

Passing on to young people and families the documents of the Dicastery, such as for example the “Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life”, and adapting these to the cultural reality of the country, is one of the proposals that the bishops could put into practice to proclaim the beauty and validity of the Gospel of the family to those who turn away from theCatholic Church in pursuit of other forms of religiosity.