The diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg will hold its second Forum at Renens on 30 September, after that held in October 2003 which marked the launch of the regrouping of parishes and the consequent birth of 52 pastoral units. “It’s a reorganization that is taking place without great difficulties thanks to the good will of the faithful”, says the Bishop Bernard Genoud in an interview with the APIC press agency. In the bishop’s view, the next great challenge is catechesis. “Catechesis and not catechism – stresses Genoud -, the whole parish must assume responsibility for catechesis, starting out from a pastoral ministry of open arms, which means meeting the requests for baptism, marriage and the sacrament of reconciliation. The programme of the Forum has a meeting with the bishop at its centre, as well as a series of workshops to discuss such issues as: pastoral planning, ‘synodality’, mission to those outside the Church and active participation in the life of the Church. “From this forum – concludes Msgr. Genoud – we will try to discern the mission of our church and determine on that basis what needs to be preserved and what abandoned. Eucharist and the Word of God will continue to be the nutriment to strengthen our service, especially service to the poor, the sick, and the marginalized, such as the sans-papier and refugees”.
