Conference Meeting at Assisi, 2004

The annual meeting of the CIB Conference met in Assisi from September 16 – 20, 2004. The meeting was hosted by the Benedictine community of the ancient monastery of S.Giuseppe, founded 1226, the year of St. Francis’ death. Abbess Giacinta Soverino underlined the importance of Assisi as a place of dialogue. Her community, (a microcosm of the CIB) has brought women of very different origins, traditions, countries and cultures together. She understands this as a service of peace in the Church. She offered the CIB a room as secretariat, an offer which was taken up with great joy.

The main emphasis of this year’s meeting was the sharing with the Italian Benedictine Women who came to Assisi September 17/18. With the help of many translators it was possible to surmount the barriers of language even in the discussions in small groups.

Recognition of the CIB by the Abbots’ Congress

On Monday, September 27, 2004, the abbots at this year’s Abbots’ Congress voted overwhelmingly for a change in the Lex Propria whereby the Confederation recognises the development of the Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum. With this step the references to Benedictine Women in the Lex Propria have been brought up to date.

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