Cardijn's contribution to the Council

Fr X. Selvaraj SJ and Fr Bonnie Mendes

Our CCI Vatican 2+50: A Cardijn Perspective conference in Manila, Philippines from 11-14 October 2012 has now successfully concluded.

The conference took on three major initiatives, namely the establishment of a committee to work for the canonisation of Cardijn, the planning of an international enquiry into the reception of Vatican I, and a plan for a global conference on Vatican II to be held in India in 2015.

We had several excellent presentations that will hopefully be available online in the near future.

Most striking was a magnificent video testimony from Betty Villa, former international vice-president of the IYCW, who worked side by side with Cardijn during the whole duration of Vatican II.

Fr Bonnie Mendes, recently appointed to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, added his experience of the post-Vatican II years in Asia, particularly in relation to the development of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC). He also spoke of the history of the Asia Partnership for Human Development (APHD) in which many exYCWs played a major role.

Fr Marlon Lacal O.Carm, secretary of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, spoke of his work with the Inter-Religious Seminary forming seminarians with the See Judge Act method.

Other major speakers included Attorney Aurora Santiago, president of Laiko, the Council of Laity of the Philippines and Indian theologian Fr X. Selvaraj SJ.

I also spoke on Cardijn's contribution to Vatican II and I have posted my presentation online here, outlining five areas in which he had an impact:

1. The specific role of lay people in building and transforming the world;

2. The priesthood of the faithful

3. The role of lay movements

4. The See Judge Act

5. The formation of conscious and responsible lay people

Full presentation here:

http://www.stefangigacz.com/cardijn-s-contribution-to-vatican-ii