The Twenty-third General Congregation of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, commenced today, Tuesday, 9 December 1997, at 9:05 a.m., the feast of Blessed Juan Diego, with the chant of the Third Hour, in the presence of the Holy Father, in the Synod Hall, for the communication of the results of the second vote for the election of the Post-Synod Council, for the presentation in the Hall of the integrated list of Propositions, and for the presentation, in the Hall, of the vote on the Message. President Delegate on duty: H. Em. Rev. Card. Roger Michael MAHONY, Archbishop of Los Angeles.

At the opening of this Twenty-third General Congregation, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops delivered two communications.

First, he communicated the names of those members elected to the Post-Synod Council, after the second vote which took place during the Twenty-second General Congregation of Saturday, 6 December 1997, and he communicated the names of the members nominated by the pontificate.

1. H. Em. Rev. Card. Jean-Claude TURCOTTE , Archbishop of Montréal

2. H. Em. Rev. Card. Juan SANDOVAL IÑIGUEZ , Archbishop of Guadalajara

3. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Kelvin Edward FELIX , Archbishop of Castries, Santa Lucia

4. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Estanislao Esteban KARLIC , Archbishop of Paraná, Argentina

5. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Theodore Edgar McCARRICK , Archbishop of Newark

6. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Luciano Pedro MENDES DE ALMEIDA , S.J., Archbishop of Mariana

7. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. François GAYOT , S.M.M., Archbishop of Cap-Haitien

8. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Baltazar PORRAS CARDOZO , Archbishop of Mérida

9. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr Francis Eugene GEORGE , O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago

10. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Edmundo Luis Flavio ABASTOFLOR MONTERO , Archbishop of La Paz

11. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Luiz Demétrio VALENTINI , Bishop of Jales

12. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Alvaro Leonel RAMAZZINI IMERI , Bishop of San Marcos

"On 8 December 1997, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father nominated the following Synod Fathers to the Post-Synod Council":

1. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Darío CASTRILLÓN HOYOS , Archbishop emeritus of Bucaramanga and Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

2. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Oscar Andrés RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA , S.D.B., Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (C.E.L.AM)

3. H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. William Joseph LEVADA , Archbishop of San Francisco

Afterwards, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops communicated the result of the consultations regarding the place for the celebratory for the conclusion of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops.

Herewith follows the text of the communication of the Secretay General of the Synod of Bishops:

"The consultation regarding the celebratory phase of the Synodal Assembly has favored the proposal of the President Delegates that the Holy Father visit the American continent with the view of promulgating the Synodal document.

Among the requests that were received, the majority propose a Papal visit to one, sole city in America, and of these, Mexico City was prominent, with the city’s famous sanctuary dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe."

Then, the Relator General, H. Em. Rev. Card. Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop of Guadalajara, read the Integrated List of Propositions, in Latin.

According to the work calendar, the collective amendments to the Propositions will be prepared by the Small Groups, in the sessions of this afternoon and of tomorrow morning. In the afternoon of 10 December 1997, the examination, on the part of the Relator General together with the Special Secretaries, of the collective amendments on the proposals will take place.

The amended Propositions will be presented in the Twenty-Fourth General Congregation, in the morning of the day after tomorrow, Thursday, 11 December 1997.

For the reading of the second draft of the Message, in the four official languages of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops , the following intervened:

in Castilian
H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Román ARRIETA VILLALOBOS
Archbishop of San José de Costa Rica
Member of the Commission for the Message

in French
H. Em. Rev. Card. Jean-Claude TURCOTTE
Archbishop of Montréal
President of the Commission for the Message

in English
H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Kelvin Edward FELIX
Archbishop of Castries
Vice President of the Commission for the Message

in Portuguese
H. Exc. Rev. Msgr. Fernando Antônio FIGUEIREDO , O.F.M.
Bishop of Santo Amaro
Member of the Commission for the Message

The second draft of the Message was approved.

During this Twenty-third General Congregation, which concluded at 13.10 p.m., with the prayer Angelus Domini, 218 Fathers intervened.

The publication of the next Bulletin is planned for Thursday, 11 December 1997.

This is to inform the accredited journalists that the third and last Press Conference will take place on Thursday, 11 December 1997, at 12:45 p.m., in the Pope John Paul II Hall of the Holy See Press Office, on the works of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops.

The following will participate:

• H. Exc. Most Rev. Dario CASTRILLON HOYOS
  Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
  President Delegate
• H. Em. Rev. Card. Jean-Claude TURCOTTE
  Archbishop of Montréal
  President of the Commission for the Message
• H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Oscar Andres RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA , S.D.B.
  Archbishop of Tegucigalpa
  President of the Commission for Information
• H. Exc. Most Rev. Raymundo Joseph PEÑA
  Bishop of Brownsville
  Vice President of the Commission for Information
• H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Francis John SPENCE , Archbishop of Kingston
  Member of the Commission for Information
  H. Exc. Most Rev. Msgr. Francois GAYOT , S.M.M.
  Archbishop of Cap-Haitien

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