Sunday, November 10, 2024, the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of France closed with a press conference given by three bishops of the Episcopal Conference, Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, president, Mgr Pierre-Antoine Bozo, spokesperson, and Mgr Loïc Lagadec, referent bishop for youth movements.
The bishops returned to the essential subjects discussed during this Assembly. They spoke again about the subject of the universal communion of the Church, notably with the intervention of His Beatitude Mgr Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Patriarch of the Greek-Catholic Church and Archbishop of kyiv. They also mentioned the presence of several African bishops, including Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
They then mentioned other subjects such as the missionary issues of the Church, specifically scouting, and the fight against sexual violence and support for adult victims.
Closing press conference: Mgr Pierre-Antoine Bozo (left), Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, and Mgr Loïc Lagadec © Catholic Church in France
Finally, they presented two imminent and essential highlights for the Church of France and the world: the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris on December 8, and the opening on December 24 in Rome of the Holy Door for the Jubilee of 2025.
The essential votes of this Autumn Assembly
Several votes concern the fight against sexual violence in the Church. Following the proposals of the post-Ciase working groups in March 2023, the bishops voted on three texts: Benchmarks for confessors, a Charter for spiritual accompaniment, and a Reference Document for the accompaniment of the ministry of priests.
In the same area, the bishops are committed, following on from their previous assemblies, to continue to contribute to the Selam fund intended for financial reparations for victims, as well as for preventive actions.
Among other information, we highlight the favorable vote for the opening of the beatification process of a Breton couple from the beginning of the 18e century, Claude-Toussaint and Marguerite-Marie Marot de la Garaye. Nicknamed “ the charitable spouses “, they transformed their castle into a hospital and spent their lives welcoming the poorest and giving them free care.
A text to live the Jubilee Year 2025
The Assembly voted and immediately published two other texts including a fraternal message to the Christians of Lebanon, to all the Lebanese of Palestine and to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and a letter on the occasion of the Jubilee 2025, intended for priests, deacons, consecrated persons, lay people on ecclesial mission and to the people of God.
« We will all experience next December 8 as a day of light » declared Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort in his closing speech on Sunday morning. “ On behalf of all the bishops gathered in this assembly, I am happy to announce here the publication of this text to help live the Holy Year 2025, as a beautiful time of pastoral and missionary revival. »
