Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “L’Osservatore Romano” has made it possible for Agenzia Fides to publish the entire text of the speech given by Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the opening of the Academic Year 2007-2008 in the Theological Institute of Assisi. Its theme was: “The document Dominus Iesus and the other religions.” The translations into other languages was made by Agenzia Fides and have not been revised by the author.
In 1990 the Servant of God John Paul II, in his Encyclical Redemptoris missio, affirmed that the mission of Christ the Redeemer was far from completion, indeed it was still only beginning.
Moreover, citing the words of St Paul — «"For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!"!». (1 Corinthians, 9, 16) — he said that on his numerous journeys to the far corners of the earth, direct contact with peoples who do not know Christ had convinced him of the urgency of missionary activity, a trait the Church innermost identity, based in a dynamic way on the Trinitarian mission itself. Lastly, certain that the faith is strengthened when it is given to others, he had come to consider missionary activity the first service the Church can render to every individual and to the whole of humanity, since the announcement of the redemption brought by Christ through his cross, has definitively restored dignity to man and meaning to his life in the world
missio ad gentes
Nevertheless, the Pontiff could not overlook the «negative tendency», that specific mission ad gentes appeared to be waning: «Difficulties both internal and external have weakened the Church's missionary thrust toward non-Christians, a fact which must arouse concern among all who believe in Christ.(» (Redemptoris missio, 2).
To address this concern in the first chapters of the encyclical he re-proposed three sound doctrinal pillars: 1. Proclamation of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of the whole of humanity, and the Church as a sign and means of salvation; 2. Bringing about the realisation of the Kingdom of God in the Risen Christ; 3. The presence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ as the main agent of missionary activity.
After indicating the vast horizons of missio ad gentes he pointed out concrete «ways» for missionary activity. Witness first of all, then first proclamation of Christ the Saviour, conversion and baptism. The other ways were: the establishment of local Churches and basic ecclesial communities; inculturation of the Gospel; dialogue with our brothers and sisters of other religions; the promotion of development and lastly, witness of charity, the source and the criteria of missionary activity.
As we see, the paths of mission include interreligious dialogue, although it is not a primary path since the principal ways are witness, proclamation, conversion and baptism. Moreover the Pope does not propose dialogue outside missio ad gentes. Since salvation comes from Christ, he affirms that «dialogue does not dispense from evangelisation». Proclamation of Christ and interreligious dialogue should be linked in the context of missio ad gentes…«they should not be confused, manipulated or regarded as identical, as though they were interchangeable.» (Ivi, 55).
Today we may ask ourselves what sort of reception was given to this encyclical by the ecclesial community in general, and especially by theologians. It can be said that while the Encyclical, was welcomed with admiration, it was immediately described as a «missionary encyclical»: laying emphasis on missionary pastoral and spirituality. Theologians, for their part, adopted an attitude of low profile if not inattention, for two reasons: those who — mainly in the areas of Asia and northern America — had already elaborated their own pluralist theology of religions could not share the Pope's positions. Others, especially European theologians, had little sensitivity with regard to various theories of the theology of religions. They thought the encyclical was not very innovative since it simply confirmed the already widely known statement of faith on the redemptive universality of Christ and his Church. What is more, in the West reflection on interreligious dialogue had only just begun.
Whatever the case, the encyclical had the merit of inaugurating a decade marked precisely by the theological question of the significance and salvific value of the other world religions, on the basis of Christian revelation. In that period various proposals were outlined with sufficient approximation for a theology of religions, a new discipline, at first confined to the specific context of missiology, but today part of the loci of theological methodology. (part 1 and following) (Agenzia Fides 8/2/2008; righe 63, parole 766)
