Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lyon (Fides Service) - On Friday 6 May near Lyon in France Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples presided a solemn concelebration of Mass to open the work of the annual general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies and, together with Archbishop Henryk Hoser Secretary Adjunct of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, signed an updated edition of the 1980 Statutes of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Mass was held in the chapel of the general house of the Assumption Fathers of Valpré close to Lyon where the 120 national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies are meeting with the Secretaries General of the four Societies for their AGM.
The statutes had been approved at a special session of the Cardinal Consultors of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. This new draft, a foreseen update of the 1980 text of the Statutes approved by Pope John Paul II in 1980, is the result of lengthy and painstaking work and effort on the part of many experts in these 20 years.
Among those who contributed the late Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples Archbishop Josef Uhac who made a detailed historical and canonical study of the statutes, Archbishop Charles A. Schleck, emeritus secretary adjunct of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies and the previous national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Belgium Fr. Omer Degrijse.
Much work of examination and discussion was done by the national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies during annual general assemblies and through a speical National Directors Commissions.
It was Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in 2001, who gave new impulse to complete the work of updating the statutes entrusting the work of revision in the Autumn of 2002 to a Special Commission. The findings of the Commission were passed to a Work Group consisting of Bishop Bruno Bertagna, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the revision of legislative texts, Rev. Gianni Colzani, Docent di Missiology at the Pontifical Urban University, Mgr Giuseppe Andreozzi, national director of the PMS Italy and Fr Fernando Galbiati, Secretary general of the Pontifical Missionary Union.
The Work-Group produced an updated text of the statues with the addition of a theological-missiological introduction based on the teachings of Vatican II and successive papal documents, in particular the encyclical Redemptoris Missio and two Instructions issued by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Quo Aptius and Cooperatio Missionalis. The introduction is followed by a juridical section with a series of articles divided in chapters.
The new text was examined by national directors from 120 countries at the general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies in May 2003 after which a Work-Group made the suggested alterations. At the request of Cardinal Sepe the text was sent to the Bishops of the world for examination and then reviewed by a Commission of two bishops and two national directors from each continent. After this the text was given a final revision by Bishop Bruno Bertagna Fr. Fernando Galbiati acting interim Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith and two national directors Fr. Edward Grimes from Ireland and Fr. John Dale from England taking into consideration the suggested amendments.
When this final text was examined by the PMS Assembly in May 2004 it met with general approval although some minor changes were requested. In order to have a text which satisfied national directors of the PMS and Bishops the Cardinal Prefect sent it once again to the Bishops’ Conferences for a final opinion.
The Cardinal Prefect then charged a new commission of two bishops and two national directors from each continent with the task of writing the final draft. When the commission completed its work in February 2005 Cardinal Sepe asked the Consulta of the Cardinal Members of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples to examine and approve the Statutes.
Finally the updated and approved Statutes were signed by Cardinal Sepe in Lyons on the occasion of the inauguration of the Home of Venerable Pauline Jaricot and the Annual General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies. When John Paul II approved the Statutes in 1980 as the ‘definitive’ text he said he wished them to be updated every five years without need of any further approval by the Pontiff. The statutes are signed by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 7/5/2005 - Righe 59; Parole 719)
