A national session on pastoral care in rural areas, in which diocesan delegates and vicars-general and -episcopal participated, was held in Paris over the last few weeks. The theme of the meeting was: “The poles of ecclesial life that inspire the life of the Church in the rural world”. Some members of CMR (Christians of the Rural World, an ecclesial movement that unites some 15,000 people who work in the country and aims to promote reciprocal solidarity, develop new bonds between country dwellers, contributing to an improved quality of life) suggested meeting three times a year in order to participate in shared celebrations. A dossier from the diocesan justice and peace commission of Poitou was also presented. It is dedicated to poverty in the countryside, “secret and often shameful” poverty according to the text, and principally due to isolation (the great distances and a lack of participation in community life). The commission suggests: “breaking the isolation, providing information on available social services and assistance networks, promoting new forms of involvement associated with the environment, and multiplying opportunities for dialogue”
