Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Jesus did not only command the apostles to proclaim the Gospel, but to proclaim it to the whole world. This is the Church’s mission. To be “Christian” is to be “missionary”. We cannot be Christian if we are not missionary. Proclamation is a duty of the Church and the Christian. Proclamation done in peace and respect is not proselytism.” This was part of the "relatio post disceptationem" (report after the discussion) that was read today by the general relator of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, Patriarch Antonios Naguib, and by special secretary, Archbishop Joseph Soueif, in the presence of the Holy Father, on the morning of October 18.
On the same theme, the relatio continues: “The Apostles and the Church born in these lands were faithful to this commandment from the Master, taking the faith in Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, often at the cost of martyrdom. Their blood was the seed of many Churches. The first Churches are the fruit of the death and the resurrection of Christ. Our Churches were at the forefront of missionary activity. Apart from their roots and missionary histories, our Churches are open to oikouméné, 'universality,' as the crossroads where East meets West.”
The text shows how even today, Jesus never ceases sending His Church “on a mission in our world of schools, towns, work, countries and the entire planet...By her very nature, the Church is essentially missionary (Ad gentes, 20). The proclamation of the Gospel and the proclamation of Christ to all peoples is the supreme duty of our Churches and all Churches. Our Churches need to reawaken our missionary zeal and to renew in us the meaning, sense, ardor, enthusiasm and dynamism of our being missionary. Missionary activity must once again find a place in the life of our Eastern Churches. We must again renew our commitment to evangelisation, within as well as outside our countries. 'Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!' (1 Cor 9:16). 'Mission' and the 'proclamation' must find their places in our Churches, according to the concrete possibilities in each country.”
Thus, on this theme, they mentioned the need to assure missionary formation for the faithful and those responsible for the life of the Church, expressing their hope for a specific institute for missionary formation to be established in the region. The conclusion is that “above all, we must support the missions and missionaries through prayer.”
As for the themes of religious freedom and freedom of conscience, the Relatio highlights that “religious freedom is an essential component of human rights. The lack of religious freedom is most often associated with deprivation of fundamental rights. Freedom of worship is an aspect of religious freedom. In most of our countries freedom of worship is guaranteed by the constitution. But even there, in some countries, certain acts or practices limit their application.”
“The other aspect of religious freedom is freedom of conscience, based on the free choice of the person. Freedom of conscience is confirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948, Article 18), and ratified by most of the countries of our region...Religious freedom includes also the right to confess one’s faith, which is a right and duty for every religion. This peaceful confession is very different from 'proselytism' which the Church strongly condemns in all its forms...The confession of faith that the Church proclaims is the contrary: it is the serene and peaceful proclamation and presentation of faith in Jesus Christ.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 19/10/2010)
