MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DATE: September 26, 2002
CONTACT: Mr Minh Nguyen
+61 403 181 586
peace@acmica.org

THE ROLE OF LAY MOVEMENTS REVISITED ON EVE OF VATICAN II ANNIVERSARY

A special forum is being organised for October 10, the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Vatican II, to commemorate the significance of the event and debate the relevance of lay movements with the view of reviving interest in the apostolate of the laity in Australia.

The event will feature guest speaker Fr K Amal, a visiting Jesuit from India who has been at the forefront of encouraging the Catholic student and worker movements and the university chaplaincy apostolate in India and the Asia Pacific throughout the years since Vatican II.

His work with the marginalised in India and Asia will be a springboard for a discussion about the place of lay social movements in the Church and the world.

Mr Minh Nguyen, one of the organisers of the event, said that the anniversary of the Vatican II Council is an appropriate time to re-examine the role of the laity and its relationship with the Church and the wider world.

"Vatican II is seen as a touch point for renewal and change. Two of the most important of these are the view it gave of the laity, and the Church in the context of the 'modern world'. It is for many a visible turning point in a larger transition away from a insular cleric-centred monarchical Church to an inclusive lay-centred collegial Church." Mr Nguyen said.

This event is being organised by the recently formed movement of Catholic graduates, the Australian Catholic Movement for Intellectual & Cultural Affairs (ACMICA), as part of their commitment towards grassroots governance both within and outside the Church.

It will coincide with similar initiatives in Asia and other parts the world, most notably the Asian Convention on the Fortieth Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council entitled "Vatican II in the Context of Globalisation: Lay Contribution to the Church and the World" to be held in Bangkok in October.

To RSVP send your contact details (phone and email) to Minh Nguyen at peace@acmica.org or call 0403 181 586. Visit their website for more information at www.acmica.org.
[END]