U.S. bishops mark 50th year of Latin American bishops' council

Published: 2005-06-20

CHICAGO (CNS) -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, meeting in Chicago June 16-18, welcomed a delegation from the Latin American bishops' council on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the council, known as CELAM. In a brief address in Spanish, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago, Chile, president of the council, offered the bishops "heartfelt thanks for 50 years of friendship and support from your episcopal conference to CELAM, more than 50 years of collaboration with the church in our countries." U.S. and Latin American bishops have worked together on a wide range of pastoral concerns and projects and other matters, including human rights and international social and economic issues. CELAM, an administrative and coordinating agency of 22 national bishops' conferences in Latin America and the Caribbean, was formed in 1955. It formally celebrated its 50th anniversary at a CELAM meeting in Lima, Peru, in May. Just before the USCCB meeting in Chicago, CELAM and USCCB representatives held a consultation there at the University of St. Mary of the Lake-Mundelein Seminary to plan for CELAM's fifth general conference in 2007.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .