From 4 to 6 June, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life organised the annual meeting for all moderators and delegates from internationally recognised ecclesial communities at the Synodal Hall in Vatican City. This year’s meeting took place just before the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities on 7–8 June.
In light of the Jubilee celebrations, the theme of the meeting was “Hope Lived and Proclaimed: The Gift of the Jubilee for Ecclesial Communities”.
Around 250 participants, including moderators and representatives from 115 associations, reflected on topics such as evangelisation and formation through the lens of Christian hope. The moderators came together in prayer during a penitential liturgy, seeking the grace of sincere personal and communal conversion.
Various speakers contributed to deepening the topics of evangelisation and formation. Andrea Ricciardi emphasised the importance of interpreting current history in light of scripture. He highlighted the challenges of today, such as the globalisation of indifference, which ignores many human realities and poses a threat to true peace. True peace is not merely the absence of war, but also the absence of all forms of selfishness and individualism. Luigi Bruni recalled that capitalism focuses on individuals alone and does not consider communities. However, our charisms and associations can help people to overcome selfishness and individualism.
Cardinal Tagle, who was an important speaker of the day, reminded the audience that the continuous search for happiness and perseverance in the face of adversity is a universal human trait, and that our vocation can be a beacon of hope for our societies.
The diversity of movements and ecclesial realities proved to be a real enrichment. The Dicastery promoted collaboration and communion between associations. Through prayer and conversations in small groups, it became apparent that hope is a key virtue in pursuing our common mission as a living church.
This meeting served as a reminder that scouting is an important ecclesial movement within the Catholic Church, contributing to the integral development of young people. However, we cannot achieve our evangelisation mission alone, but only through communion with other realities and charisms, which are so diverse and rich within the People of God.