The Institute for Pastoral Formation and the Environment Commission of the Church will be focusing on the environment in the second round of dialogue encounters with society called by the Diocesan Synod (1994-2003).

At a press conference to launch the encounters, Fr Fabio Attard, the institute's outgoing director, said dialogue with society was one of the tasks of the institute.

The Institute for Pastoral Formation, which emerged from the Diocesan Synod, is entrusted to provide holistic formation to all members of the Catholic community in Malta.

Fr Attard said the call emerging from the Synod clearly showed that one of the main challenges facing the Church today was to prepare the faithful for the real needs of society in modern times.

As a result, the institute, apart from offering opportunities for permanent spiritual experiences and the professional formation of pastoral operators, also had to practise the experience of dialogue with society.

The dialogue process started in May last year by a team within the institute led by Salvino Busuttil as coordinator. Fr Mark Sultana has been named new director of the Institute for Pastoral Formation. He is a lecturer in philosophical theology at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta and has been a member of the board of the Institute for Pastoral Formation since 2005.

Fr Attard has been elected by the Chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco as a member of the Salesian General Council in the role of general councillor for the Ministry of Youths worldwide.

The dialogue encounters - three will be held at the Hotel Phoenicia Ballroom, Floriana, starting at 7 p.m. - have as a general theme L-Ambjent... Opportunità U Sfida (The Environment.... An Opportunity And A Challenge). Prof. Busuttil will chair the encounters.

The first will be held on May 12 when Victor Axiak and Alfred Baldacchino speak on The Environment And Development.

The theme for the May 19 encounter will be Environmental Responsibility and the speakers will be Simone Borg and Vince Caruana.

The third encounter on May 26 will deal with Environmental Education and the speakers will be Grace Grima and Paul Pace.