Religion, stonedWhat is Jesus referring to when he recalls the invitation "Hear, O Israel"?How to act in case of sacrilege? Redress and reparationBishop César García Magán gave a press conference to give an account of the work of the plenary assembly of the Spanish bishops and to answer questions from journalists. In his answers he confirmed "the unanimous support" of the Spanish bishops for the agreement reached between the government and the Vatican, with the mediation of Cardinal Cobo and the nuncio. He also underlined the support of the Church for the regularization plan for half a million immigrants.
Definition of pastoral lines
Following the synodal methodology, a "conversation in the Spirit" was developed, a method of discernment based on dialogue and active listening. After an initial presentation by Bishop Luis Argüello, president of the EEC, "the bishops organized themselves into groups to share their reflections". In a first round, each bishop presented his vision on the pastoral priorities of the Church in Spain.
Subsequently, the most resonant points in each group were highlighted and, finally, three concrete proposals were collected and presented in the plenary session. The importance of a pastoral ministry close to the people was stressed, "with special emphasis on listening to the laity, youth and families, as well as the strengthening of Christian identity in an increasingly secularized social and cultural context".
In this context, the application of the Final Document of the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was also discussed. The intention is to adapt its guidelines to the reality of the Spanish dioceses, promoting a more participative Church, in communion and in missionary outreach.
Child protection and accountability
Within the framework of abuse prevention, the Coordination and Counseling Service of the Offices for the Protection of Minors presented a balance of its activity in 2024, highlighting the formation of 225,000 people in dioceses and religious congregations. In these offices "146 new testimonies of abuse have also been received, 94 of which have not had judicial proceedings, due to the death of the victimizer or the statute of limitations of the crime".
Likewise, the assembly approved a new model for the rendering of economic accounts and activities of ecclesial entities, with the aim of standardizing transparency and financial management in the Spanish Church. The objective is that all the institutions have a standardized model of accountability, of economic data collection and of the activity developed by the parishes and other ecclesial institutions.
New pastoral projects
The bishops approved the participation in the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea with an ecumenical event in November and endorsed the project "Remembering Holiness in the Particular Church," which will promote the memory of local saints and blessed in the context of the next Jubilee.
In addition, various topics presented by the Episcopal Commissions were addressed, including the regulation of the new General Council of the Church in Education, which among its objectives is to jointly address the great challenges that Catholic educational entities are currently facing.
