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October 19, 202119 October 2021 (Abu Dhabi).
The 71st Plenary Assembly of the CELRA (the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Region) commenced in Abu Dhabi from yesterday.
Besides Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia and Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia and the Secretary of CELRA Fr. Pietro Felet, eight other Bishops of the CELRA region and the four Patriarchal Vicars of Cyprus, Jordan, Nazareth (Israel) and St. James, Jersualem arrived to take part in the meeting, which is held this year in St. Paul’s Church, Musaffah.
Present for the meeting are also the Apostolic Nuncio in Kuwait, His Excellency Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent and the newly appointed Charge d’Affairs of the Apostolic Nunciature in the UAE, Msgr. Kryspin Dubiel.
Given below are the names of the CELRA Bishops and Patriarchal Vicars who are participating in the conference:
HB Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch & President
SE Ilario Antoniazzi, CERNA (North Africa)
SE Giacinto Marcuzzo, Emeritus
SE William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem
SE Claudio Lurati. Latin Bishop Egypt
SE Giorgio Bertin OFM, Djibouti & Mogadishu
SE George Abou Khazen OFM, Latin Bishop, Aleppo/Syria
Fr Jerzy Kraj, Patriarchal Vicar, Cyprus
Fr. Jamal Khader, Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, in Amman
Fr Rafic Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar, Nazareth/Israel
Fr Piotr Zelazko, Patriarchal Vicar, St James, Jersualem
Fr Pietro Felet, Secretary CELRA
Among the topics that are discussed during the meeting are the implementation of Synod 2021-2023 on Synodality in the local churches, the ongoing impact of the pandemic in the respective churches, the Global Compact on Education, the newly instituted ‘Ministry of the Catechist’, the new Arabic translation of the Latin Missal and Ecumenical Pastoral Guidelines.
The conference is in itself a ‘synodal instrument’, helping the churches in the Arab regions to walk side by side, by sharing the quite often similar challenges and by listening to the experiences in each diocese.
On Wednesday 20 October at 7.00 pm, the bishops, vicars and the papal representatives will jointly offer the Eucharist at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi. The meeting will conclude in the afternoon on Thursday 21 October 2021.
Click here for photos.