The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) held its annual Plenary Assembly on September 26th to the 30th, 2016, at the Nav Canada Centre, Cornwall, Ontario, in the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. Salt + Light Television broadcasted events live online and on television with selected repeats throughout the day.
About the 2016 Plenary Assembly
The meeting will be chaired by the
Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and CCCB President.
Part of the 2016 Plenary agenda is dedicated to a reflection on the impact of
Bill C-14 which legalized
assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada.
The guest speaker for this reflection will be His Eminence Willem Cardinal Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, a moral theologian, medical ethicist and physician who will share
on Holland's experiences with legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Later in the week, to mark the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Bishops will gather at Sainte-Croix Church in Cornwall for a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of Mercy
including Benediction and Vespers on September 28th at 7:00pm.
The Bishops will likewise discuss the commemoration of the 5th centenary of the Protestant Reformation, as well as the
commitments made by Catholic parties in response to the Calls to
Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious with the Jews, and Interfaith Dialogue and the Episcopal Commission
for Justice and Peace will respectively lead workshops on these two issues. Following a presentation by Father Michael Czerny, S.J., a Canadian Jesuit working at the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, the Bishops will reflect on
Laudato Si', the Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis on care for our common home.
There will be a reflection on
Amoris Laetitia, the
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on love in the family. In addition, they will receive a presentation on the upcoming
celebrations in 2017 of the 50th anniversary of the
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace -- Caritas Canada, as well as information on the current situation
in the Middle East and the resettlement of refugees.
In addition to reviewing pastoral initiatives and receiving annual reports from the Conference's national and sectoral Commissions as well as its Standing Committees,
the Plenary Assembly will include reports on:
- the transition of Canada's six mission dioceses in the North to the common jurisdiction of the Church
- activities and plans for renewing relations with Indigenous Peoples
- the 2016 World Youth Day that took place this past July in Poland
- the International Eucharistic Congress which was held in January 2016 in Cebu, Philippines