A delegation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will be in Rome, November 9 to 16, for the annual meetings of its Presidency with a number of dicasteries of the Holy See.
Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., of Hamilton, CCCB President, is leading the delegation, which includes Bishop Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and CCCB Vice President, and Msgr. Frank Leo, Jr., C.S.S., CCCB General Secretary.
At the beginning of their stay, the CCCB delegates will be received by Pope Francis in a private audience on November 10. The delegation will end its visit a few days before the closing celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy which will be presided by the Holy Father on November 20, the Solemnity of Christ the King.
While in Rome, the CCCB delegation will meet with over 10 dicasteries of the Holy See. These will include the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Clergy, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the new Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. The delegation will meet as well with representatives of the Vatican Publishing House and also be received by the Canadian Ambassador to the Holy See, His Excellency Mr. Dennis Savoie.
The annual visit is an opportunity for the CCCB Presidency to share with the Holy Father and his collaborators about the work of the Bishops of Canada and about significant developments in the life of the Church. The principal areas of activities in which the CCCB is involved concern questions of social justice, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, consecrated life, catechesis and evangelization, as well as current ethical, moral and social issues.
