Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The Church is missionary by nature and since the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit continues to lead her along the paths of the world to the far ends of the earth until the end of time”. With these words addressed to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the midday Regina caeli prayer on Pentecost Sunday (27 May 2007) Pope Benedict XVI summarised his Message to the universal Church for World Mission Sunday 2007: “All the Churches for all the world ”.
By happy coincidence the 5th General Conference of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida closed with a statement in which it proposed to begin "a new pastoral stage in the present historical circumstances, marked by apostolic ardour and greater missionary commitment to propose the Gospel of Christ as a path to true life... to shoulder the immense task of safeguarding and nourishing the faith of the People of God, and remind the faithful that by virtue of baptism we are all called to be disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ…renew ecclesial communities and pastoral structures for handing on faith in Christ".
In turn the closing statement of the 57th general assembly of the Italian Bishops' Conference (4 June 2007) stated that Missio ad Gentes was the “horizon and paradigm of the pastoral commitment of the Church in Italy”.
Taking inspiration from these points made by the Pope and the Bishops, Fides- with its specific finality to nurture and increase a missionary spirit - proposes a brief overview of missione (first contribution issued 30/10/2007) as it emerges from Sacred Scripture in the context of the saving plan of the Trinity, and in the interpretation of the Magisterium, on the various modalities of the Church's missionary activity, in continuation with the work of God and in particular on the missionary vocation of the lay person in the context of the missionary nature of the Church. (2 - to be continued) (Agenzia Fides 6/11/2007; righe 25, parole 327)
