The participants of the International Congress on Catholic Action, coming from more than fifty countries from Africa, America, Asia and Europe, lay people, priests and bishops, renew their commitment so that Catholic Action (CA) may be in the churches in every country, a mature and responsible expression of a laity capable of living the magnificent adventure of integrating faith with their everyday way of living.

1. A HISTORY OF FREE AND RESPONSIBLE LAY PEOPLE

Throughout its history, CA has contributed towards the formation of lay christians, conscious of their proper vocation, ready to assume their proper responsibility within the life of the Church and to build, with the leaven of the Gospel, a civilization of love together with all men and women of good will.
Remembering the ups and downs in this history with gratitude, we feel the responsibility to appreciate its richness and to make it relevant to our times.

2. A PRECIOUS GIFT TO THE CHURCH AND TO THE WORLD

Humbly and joyfully, we acknowledge the richness of the charism from which CA originated:
to be lay Christians committed in the life of the Church and in her whole mission; in close relations with its pastors, at the service of the ecclesial communion, in each particular Church and in every parish community;
to be lay Christians who love life and who share a commitment to work with all humanity for the recognition of each person’s human dignity. Men and women who live deeply rooted in their own country, community and city.
Children, Youth and Adults who wish to assume these commitments in their community by being witnesses of a spirit of fraternity which eventually becomes a reality for all.
This charism makes of CA a particular form of secular apostolate which, recognised by the Hierarchy, may take different forms and names in the various realities.

A PROJECT FOR LIFE

Conscious of their baptismal vocation, encouraged by the testimony of Blessed Pina Suriano, Alberto Marvelli and Pere Tarrés and so many other outstanding persons, whose veneration we renewed today at Loreto, we take upon us the challenges which the Holy Father John Paul II pointed out to us in his message to this Congress. We would like to go on being “a workshop for forming lay people, who enlightened by the Social Teaching of the Church, strongly commit themselves to work in favour of life, to safeguard the dignity of the human person, to work towards the realization of freedom in education, to promote the real meaning of matrimony and the family, to be involved in charitable work towards those most in need, to foster peace and justice and the application of the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity in the different social realities”.

At the end of this congress, convinced – as the Holy Father has insisted – that the Church needs CA, we confirm our commitment to make our associations always more active, to help in establishing CA in those countries where it does not exist yet and to strengthen the relations which unite us.

We entrust these commitments to Mary, Mother of the Church and Our Lady of Loreto.

International Congress on Catholic Action, Rome-Loreto, August 31st 2004 / September 5th 2004 Duc in altum Catholic Action, TAKE COURAGE FOR THE FUTURE!