Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "We are in an important period of the Church that is strongly sending us back to the essentials of the Church and its evangelizing mission. This touches us deeply and personally. From the questions that, sooner or later, torment every worker of the Gospel, the desire to rediscover the true meaning of missionary activity, incorporating the objectives and purposes emerge. The Church, also because of cultural and religious persecution it is undergoing, is forced to go back to the essentials of its being and its activities. In other words to live its true identity. " The intervention of Fr. Vito Del Prete, PIME, general Secretary of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU) stem from these ideas, for his Annual Report to the General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies, held in Rome.
In our time "new" consciousness of mission is emerging "in the sense that it is the missio Dei et Christi, and not our mission," said the general Secretary of the PMU, adding that "from the way in which Christ announced the Gospel, the Church must discern the means to use and the type of mission to be carried out”, therefore it is a question of putting into practice a true "work of purification" of our ways of understanding and participating in the mission, which becomes a paradigm for other missionary organizations.
Since "the Spirit is the soul of the Church and the principal agent of mission", one cannot be surprised when "it breaks into history and destabilizes human and ecclesial structures, making them feel their limitation and disability, and forcing humanity and the Church to renewal, " continued Fr. Vito Del Prete, indicating the need to seek new forms and new criteria for missionary cooperation.
"We take for granted that missionary cooperation and evangelization activities go hand in hand, they are mutually dependent and both require coordinated vision and practice," said the general Secretary of the PMU, explaining that the concept of cooperation "today does not indicate help or support to the mission but rather direct participation in the universal mission. For missionary cooperation to be authentic, it is called to review methods and activities, to be creative, to constantly read the book of the mission. The mission of the Church accompanies humanity towards its full realization. Our action is part of this overall process. Cooperation limited only to animation and support of local Churches and missionaries would be incomplete.
After stressing "strong commitment from everyone in the missio ad gentes" declared by the Verbum Domini (95), the General Secretary of PMU identified as priority for PMS "a program of training and update" of all the servants of the mission because if you continue to privilege doing instead of being, we risk disappearing : "Without people motivated by faith and universal love, there can be no true and effective participation in evangelization." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 13/05/2011)
