Within the past several months, floods in southern Alberta, the fire at Lac-Megantic, Quebec and the flash flooding in Toronto highlighted the fact that Canada's bishops do not have an organized structure to respond to tragedies within the country, said Msgr. Patrick Powers, general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
This year's plenary in Sainte-Adele, Quebec, will feature a "thorough conversation on charity" that features not only presentations by the Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, and its general secretary, Michel Roy, but also reflections on "how we can come to the aid of people right here in our own country," said Msgr. Powers.
Cardinal Rodriguez will discuss the role of the bishop and episcopal conferences in justice, peace and Caritas, said Msgr. Powers.
Roy will follow with a presentation of the structure of the Caritas Internationalis federation of charitable agencies.