Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In recent years the relationship between the Bishop and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has often been the subject of reflection and discussion. Especially since Vatican II “the need was felt to give Consecrated Life a more clearly defined ecclesial role in order to foster its organic insertion in the life of the local Churches and at the same time guarantee fidelity to the charisma proper to each Institute of Consecrated Life and Society of Apostolic Life”. “The Bishop and Consecrated Life was the theme of a conference given by Cardinal Franc Rodé, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to 98 newly appointed Bishops from mission territories in Rome for a study-seminar organised by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
Referring to guidelines found in recent church documents Cardinal Rode summarised Consecrated Life in the Church as follows: “Christ himself wanted this stable form of life in the Church that it might in some way make present the form of life he chose for himself, referring to it as an absolute and eschatological value; it cannot be simply and reductively considered an accessory reality, but instead truly and unquestionably one of the fundamental and constituent structures of the Church’s very essence and nature”.
Cardinal Rodé presented Consecrated Life in figures: Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life approved by the Congregation and therefore of pontifical right, 1,788. To these must be added 2,000 institutes of diocesan right and associations of the faithful instituted by bishops. Priest religious 137,058; priests members of Secular Institutes 3,581; permanent deacon Religious 524; professed Brothers 55,030; members of lay Secular Institutes 280; making a total of 196,473 consecrated men.
Nuns of enclosed Orders 47,626; women religious of active life 767,459; consecrated women in secular institutes 21,006, making a total 836,091 consecrated women. The Church has therefore 1,032,564 members of consecrated life working in many different fields in the Church and in society: education and schools, assistance and human promotion … Today “religious men and women of Asian and African origin are increasing considerably in number - the Cardinal said -, whereas those of European and North American origin are getting old and losing weight. This is leading to a new geographical distribution of Consecrated Life …”.
Illustrating the bishop’s service to Consecrated Life Cardinal Rodé mentioned the following duties: to promote consecrated life in all its forms; ensure fidelity to the Gospel and to its proper charisma; accept, correct, orient and co-ordinate its pastoral activity; respect and guarantee its autonomy of life and government.
Cardinal Rode then gave an overview of the various forms of Consecrated Life and the type of relationship which a bishop should have with Religious men and women of enclosed and active orders, consecrated priests, consecrated women, members of secular institutes, consecrated virgins . He illustrated the criteria that accompany the birth of new foundations which “reveal the perennial vitality of the Spirit in the Church and the great variety with which He calls to follow Christ, chaste, poor and obedient”. In the last part of his address Cardinal Rodé spoke of the bishop’s relationship with Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and ecclesial organisms of participation.
The Cardinal ended by recalling that “the Church of these early years of the third millennium is called insistently by the recent Synods of Bishops to renew the reasons for hope by means of greater effort to increase communion”. The Directory on the Pastoral Ministry of the Bishop gives precise indications regarding Canon Law and necessary attention for multiple forms of pastoral cooperation with Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. “However - Cardinal Rodé concluded - collaboration on the part of Consecrated men and women in the life of the diocese and the different channels to promote ecclesial communion, must be continually vivified by hope and sustained by charity”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 21/9/2006; Righe 47 - Parole 681)
