2004 Congress on Consecrated Life Planned

The theme of the event will be "Passion for Christ and Compassion for Humanity: Consecrated Life in the 21st Century."

The Nov. 23-27, 2004, event is being promoted and sponsored jointly by the Union of General Superiors and the International Union of General Superiors, according to Vidimus Dominum, the Web page of religious communities.

Some 900 guests are expected, including theologians, bishops, non-Catholic Christians and representatives of other religions.

According to the 2002 edition of the Church's Statistical Yearbook, there are about 200,000 men religious and 800,000 women religious throughout the world.