Vatican to hold conference on Populorum Progressio

Vatican to hold conference on Populorum Progressio

(Vatican Radio)  The Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has released a communique about an international conference to reflect on the 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio.

Entitled "Prospects for service to integral human development: fifty years since Populorum Progressio", the conference takes place on 3-4 April in the Vatican's Synod Hall.

It aims "to study the theological anthropological and pastoral perspectives of the encyclical, especially in relation to the labour of those who work in favour of promoting the person, and to formulate guidelines for the activity of the new Dicastery."

The meeting will be attended by members of the Pontifical Councils merged in the new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, Health Care Workers), as well as representatives of the Episcopal Conferences and their social and “Justice and Peace” Commissions, representatives of international Catholic charitable organizations, and the diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.

Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery, and Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will introduce the conference and give a theological presentation on anthropology, respectively. It is then divided according to "the three fundamental tensions of the person: body-soul, man-woman, and person-society".

"In addition to presentations by experts from different sectors, testimonies will be offered showing how the Church operates directly in favour of the weakest," the communique reads.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, will preside at a Eucharistic celebration on Monday in St. Peter’s Basilica.

An audience with Pope Francis is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 4 April at 11:30.

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