The International Congress of Secular Institutes held in Assisi from 23 to 25 July this year was attended by 352 persons representing 131 institutes and coming from the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Benin, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, South Korea, Croazia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Philippines, France, Germany, Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Hong-Kong, India, England, Ireland, Italy, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Mozambique, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugual, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United States of America, Hungary, and Venezuela
The General Assembly was held from 25 to 28 July and was attended by 125 presidents general or duyly appointed delegates.
“The CMIS has the aim of organizing the collaboration between Secular Institutes so as to enable them to be more effectively “a leaven for the vigor and the growth of the Body of Christ” (Perfectae Caritatis 11) in the world. In this way it will help each institute to better realize its own aims.
In particular, the CMIS shall:
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favor contacts, exchanges of experience and fraternal help among institutes. It shall encourage regular relations among other groupings, such as national and territorial conferences in a spirit of service;
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promote studies and research in all fields in order to gain greater insight into the nature and the present-day mission of the secular institutes, basing itself on the documents of the Holy See and of the Council, and taking into account the experiences lived by the institutes themselves;
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make present the needs, the interests and the opinions of the institutes to the Holy See”
(excerpt from Statutes, art. 1)
“CMIS is a place of encounter, exchange and research at the service of the Institutes. (excerpt from Statutes, art. 2)
© 2009, CMIS - Conference Mondiale des Instituts Seculiers