The Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Francisco César García Magán, appeared at a meeting of the Conference of the Bishops of Spain press conference to give an account of the Bishops' Plenary Assembly held from November 18 to 22.
In this meeting, as Monsignor García Magán indicated, all the full member bishops, the diocesan administrators of Albacete and several bishops emeritus attended. For his part, the bishop-elect of San Felíu de Llobregat and the two auxiliary bishops elect of Valencia participated in the inaugural session.
At the beginning of the press conference, the Secretary General expressed his "closeness and solidarity" to the victims and those affected by the hurricane in Valencia and other autonomous communities. He also recalled that the collection of the Masses during the Solemnity of Christ the King, on Sunday, November 24, will be directed to help the victims. The Episcopal Conferences of Mexico and Slovakia are joining this initiative with economic donations, to which are added the prayers of the bishops of other countries who have sent their solidarity to the Spanish Episcopate.
Protection of minors and migrants
Among the topics discussed during the plenary assembly was the work of the Coordination and Counseling Service of the Offices for the Protection of Minors. In this regard, the secretary general reported that there have been "seven training and prevention meetings in which nearly 1,400 people from all areas of the Church's action" have participated.
On the other hand, the Spanish bishops listened to the proposal of the project "....Atlantic Hospitality"developed by the Subcommission for Migration and Human Mobility. This initiative, which has been two years in the making, "stems from a meeting convened by the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development with the bishops of the dioceses involved in the Atlantic Route, which is the name given to the migratory path used from the African continent to reach Europe through the Canary Islands."
"Atlantic Hospitality" consists of "an ecclesial network formed by 10 countries and 26 dioceses in Spain and Africa. Its three main objectives are: to offer truthful information, to save lives and to work as a network".
As Monsignor Garcia Magan reported, this Subcommission is not the only one that presented projects during the Assembly. The Episcopal Subcommission for Youth and Children also showed its progress in "the framework project of Youth Pastoral", in which "the path that the Church in Spain wants to follow with its youngest members is marked".
Synod of Bishops and Jubilee 2025
The already concluded Synod of Bishops also had its place in the agenda of the assembly. The president of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Argüello, who also participated in the General Assembly of the Synod, proposed to his colleagues "to deepen the final document with the same methodology that has been followed in the Synod: a 'conversation in the Spirit'". To do this, the bishops were divided into working groups to analyze the "calls" that "we receive to grow in missionary communion".
In addition, the Bishops' Conference spoke during the Plenary Assembly about two important events that will take place in 2025: the Jubilee and the National Vocations Congress. The bishops are working to prepare for these Church events in which they want to involve all Catholics.
Other Plenary Assembly topics
The Secretary General also informed that "the bishops have discussed the final document of the plan for the implementation of the criteria for the reform of the seminaries in Spain". They also discussed the restructuring of theological institutes and higher institutes of religious sciences.
Among other issues that arose during the meeting of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop García Magán highlighted the interventions of the president of Manos Unidas and the director of Aid to the Church in Need. As usual, the bishops also received information on the state of the Apse group (TRECE and COPE), "of the Secretariat for the Support of the Church and of the Organ of Normative Compliance. In addition, "the bishops have given their approval to the budget of the Interdiocesan Common Fund and the Episcopal Conference for 2025".
After the appearance of García Magán, the question and answer session began, during which journalists asked about the statements of the Ombudsman, who proposed a day before the closing of the Plenary Assembly the creation of a common fund to deal with the compensation of victims of abuse. The Secretary General did not go into much depth in this regard, but he did point out that there is some tension right now both on this issue and on the teaching of religion and the pact between the Kingdom of Spain and the Holy See.
