ROME — Timothy George, dean and professor of divinity, history and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, is representing the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in Rome at the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church.
Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council revolutionized life inside the Roman Catholic Church, hundreds of bishops from around the world are gathered in Rome to confront an external threat: a mounting tide of secularization.
The synod of bishops brings together 262 top church leaders, lay experts and representatives of other Christian groups for a three-week summit at the Vatican.
George accepted the invitation of BWA General Secretary Neville Callam to attend the Vatican meetings, which began Oct. 7 and run through Oct. 18. The theme, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith,” will be guided by a working document that was issued June 19.
George expressed his support for the synod’s theme. “In a world where the Christian faith is increasingly under assault, this theme is of urgent concern for all believers in Jesus Christ,” he said. George also noted that Oct. 11 marked the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, “an event of great historic importance for Christian unity.”
Topics to be discussed include a rediscovery of the heart of evangelization, discerning the changes that affect how Christianity is lived out by faith communities, the transmission of the Christian faith and pastoral activity.
George is attending as a fraternal delegate for BWA and is expected to “take an active part in the proceedings,” according to the invitation letter received by the BWA from Nikola Eterovic, titular archbishop of Cibale and general secretary of the synod of bishops.
George serves as chair of the BWA commission on doctrine and Christian unity and a member of the BWA division of missions, evangelism and theological reflection.
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