CNBB Nordeste 2 opens 61st Pastoral Assembly

Bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laypeople began the 61st Regional Pastoral Assembly of the CNBB Nordeste 2 on Wednesday, September 9, in Lagoa Seca, Paraíba. The gathering at the Santo Antônio – Ipuarana Convent brought together approximately 150 participants from 21 dioceses across Alagoas, Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte.

The opening prayer service included a candle ceremony where participants held lights to prepare for discussions regarding the new Diretrizes Gerais da Ação Evangelizadora da Igreja no Brasil.

Bishop Dulcênio Fontes de Matos of the Diocese of Campina Grande, the assembly host, said the event is an experience of the Church for collective listening, reflection, and discernment. He stated that what is prayed, heard, shared, and decided should reach dioceses, parishes, communities, and the lives of the people.