"The brotherhoods bring hope to thousands of people and lead them to faith."Today, before the accredited media, a press conference was held to present the Social Weeks of Spain, which will be held in Seville from November 25 to 27. The Archbishop of Seville, José Ángel Saiz Meneses, and the president of the Social Weeks, Jesús Avezuela Cárcel, were in charge of presenting these conferences.
The Archbishop of Seville wanted to emphasize that these weeks are inserted in the work plan of the Episcopal Conference assumed for the period from 2021 to 2025. The president of the Social Weeks, Jesús Avezuela, underlined that the Social Weeks are like a "traveling university", in the sense that today, in the century of the Internet, this concept is aimed more at continuing to promote and foster spaces for dialogue and debate on issues addressed by the Social Weeks: political, social and moral concerns; the role of Catholics in public life; the role of religions in the public sphere, etc.
In response to a question, Sainz Meneses wanted to emphasize that "the Church is of Christ and of the Gospel, it is neither of the right nor of the left". And that the Social Doctrine of the Church is very rich, which illuminates the situations of the people.
What are the Social Weeks
The Social Weeks of Spain, whose organization dates back to 1906, are a service of the Spanish Episcopal Conference for the study, dissemination and application of the Social Doctrine of the Church to social issues of notorious importance and topicality. These conferences, which are being held this year in Seville, aim to continue to be a milestone in the Church's social thought, and make a valuable contribution to the discernment of the here and now of the Church, of its contribution to the present moment and of its contribution, from reflection and practice, to the common good of society. To this end, they count on great experts in politics, economics and solidarity who make their contributions in the light of Christian humanism.
Numerous dioceses held their working meetings last September and October under the title "The regeneration of public life. A call to the common good and to participation". The final meeting will take place in Seville next week, November 25-27.
The program
The conference will begin on Thursday, November 25, at 7:00 p.m., with the inaugural session at the Real Alcazar of Seville. Bernardito Auza; the Archbishop of Seville, José Ángel Saiz Meneses; the President of the Social Weeks of Spain, Jesús Avezuela Cárcel; and the Mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas Cejas. The inaugural address will be given by the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Luis Argüello.
The meeting on Friday, November 26, will be held at the San Isidoro Faculty of Theology and will be reserved for the spokespersons of the diocesan working groups. They will be welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty, Manuel Palma Ramirez.
Saturday 27 will host two round tables: "A view from politics" and "A view from business and the social sector". The moderators will be journalists Diego García Cabello and Juan Carlos Blanco Cruz, respectively.
The first round table will be attended by Manuel Alejandro Cardenete Flores, vice-counselor of the vice-presidency and of the Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Regional Government of Andalusia; Carlos García de Andoin, director of the Diocesan Institute of Theology and Pastoral of Bilbao; and Sol Cruz-Guzmán García, deputy of the Popular Group in the Congress of Deputies.
The second round table will feature the former Spanish Minister of Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez García; the President of the Andalusian Confederation of Employers, Javier González de Lara Sarriá; and the Secretary General of Cáritas, Natalia Peiro.
Saturday's program also includes the presentation of the conclusions, before the final act in which the archbishop of Seville and the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, will be present.
