Works in progress...

I have been chosen to be one of the Italian delegates at Lausanne III, at Cape Town from 17-24 October. Part of this implies wading through documents, statements, papers in view of further discussions and the elaboration of statements at the conference itself. It is a very meticulous job. It certainly requires much more time and attention than I will be giving it. There are some very good emphases which are emerging, such as the need for a better ecclesiology in the church today. But there are also concerns over a tendency, I feel, to blurring distinctive lines of Gospel definitions, for example, or give excessive attention to minor (though important) elements like ecological or political involvement. Some bits are quite worrying. It will be interesting to have the perspective of 4000 or so world leaders and to be able to take the pulse of the world church.... Meanwhile... works in progress!