By Elena Yeyati (original in Spanish)
Under the theme “Pilgrims of hope for the promotion of human dignity, the common good, and peace”, the 6th Assembly of the International Forum of Catholic-Inspired Non-Governmental Organizations (CINGO) was held in Rome on November 26th and 27th.
In November 2007, approximately 90 Catholic-inspired NGOs with consultative status before intergovernmental institutions established this Forum. Today, it continues to grow with more than 120 participating organizations, among them CLC.
The Forum seeks to strengthen communion and cooperation among Catholic-inspired NGOs, both among themselves and with the Holy See, supporting their mission in international fora in the light of the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, and promoting a more effective presence of the Gospel message within international institutions.
Its main goals are:
- o To promote human dignity and integral human development.
- o To build bridges and networks between local and international communities.
- o To support peacebuilding, justice, solidarity, inclusion, and sustainability.
- o To offer formation and reflection rooted in a spirituality of service and dialogue.
- o To operate as an open collaborative network, fostering encounters, exchanges, and shared initiatives at the global level.
The presence of representatives of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, together with various Nuncios and Permanent Observers to intergovernmental bodies, underscored the synodal character of this gathering.
To my pleasant surprise, at this Assembly, I met several members of CLC participating in the Forum through different NGOs to which they belong. This confirmed once again that CLC is present on many fronts and through various apostolic priorities, reminding us that our mission field has no limits (GP 4).
The exchange of testimonies and experiences, learning about each other’s mission and recognizing the Spirit at work in each other, opened the door to the richness of networking in every field and responding together as a community of organizations.
Sixty years after the decree Apostolicam Actuositatem [AA] on the apostolate of the laity, its call to address challenges through a communal dimension continues to resonate:
“The group apostolate is very important also because the apostolate must often be performed by way of common activity both in the Church communities and in the various spheres. For the associations established for carrying on the apostolate in common sustain their members, form them for the apostolate, and rightly organize and regulate their apostolic work so that much better results can be expected than if each member were to act on his own ” [AA 18].
May the Lord continue to enlighten the members of CLC so that we may build synergies with all those who seek human dignity, the common good, and peace.
