VATICAN - Archbishop Nappa: "Charism, evangelization, synodality" the "traits" of the path of the Pontifical Mission Societies

Thursday, 1 June 2023 pontifical mission societies evangelization formation missionary animation

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Ciampino (Agenzia Fides) - Charism, evangelization and synodality. These are, according to Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), the three key words that best describe the path of the PMS, which, from today until June 6, are engaged in the usual Annual General Assembly (see Fides, 30/5/2023).
This afternoon, at the opening of the Assembly, Archbishop Nappa thanked the more than 100 National Directors present, addressing in particular a warm welcome to the newly appointed Directors and sincerely thanking the four Secretaries General for their valuable support in their daily work and in particular for this important appointment.
"We all participate in the universal task of the Holy Father to provide for evangelization in all the Churches, and in particular those which most need witness and help", underlined the President, who recalled his availability to listen and welcome ideas. Here in Rome, we do nothing but coordinate and interpret our common identity: to be "instruments for the promotion of the missionary responsibility of all the baptized and for the support of the new particular Churches" (art. 67, §1), as Pope Francis himself pointed out in the recent Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium''.
A path like that of the PMS whose distinctive features are the charism received as a gift from God through the founders, particularly useful in view of the revision of the Statutes of the PP.OO.MM. which will be carried out on the basis of the Constitution Praedicate Evangelium; evangelization that outlines "the identity of the Church", as the Pope reaffirmed in his Message for World Mission Day 2022 and synodality.
"In the light of the documents of the recent Magisterium, I clearly see the triple commitment assigned to us", underlined the President, dwelling on the evangelizing aspect of the path of the PMS. First, to help the particular Churches to form a mature and therefore missionary faith of the newly baptized and of those who are already baptized; secondly, to support the particular Churches with various subsidies, intended mainly for spreading the faith; and finally, to stimulate and animate "a new season of missionary action of Christian communities" (to use the expression of Pope Francis in the Message for World Mission Day 2022), also in places of ancient Christian tradition, by "exploiting" to the maximum the potential of the existing worldwide capillary network of the national and diocesan directions of the PMS".
Urging everyone to a Christian-missionary lifestyle that inspires common work, the President also recalled the importance of working as a "team" avoiding the dangerous temptation of doing it "alone". He also addressed to the Directors some concrete ideas for the near future: Give witness in places of mission that create community and interest in conversion; study the most appropriate ways to offer subsidies that produce the greatest possible good; work on the presentation of projects and their consequent reports; try to create a network that facilitates transparent exchange; and provide serious formation to help the different territories to have agents for the Mission. "In this way, Archbishop Nappa concluded, we seek to actively commit ourselves on the path towards "an ever closer missionary cooperation of all its members at all levels" in the Church, as Pope Francis pointed out in his recent Message for this year's World Mission Day". (E.G.) (Agenzia Fides, 31/5/2023)