VATICAN - International Congress 50th anniversary Fidei Donum Encyclical - Lights and Shadows along a path of fifty years, looking to the future; Fidei Donum in Latin America

Thursday, 10 May 2007

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - The International Congress to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Fidei Donum Encyclical continued in the afternoon of Wednesday 9 May (see Fides 21/4/2007), with a historical-critical analysis of the 50 years of the history of Fidei Donum, to identify the lights and shadows of this experience. Among the “lights” of these five decades the speaker Fr. Michel Dujarier, SMA, said the encyclical “triggered an explosion of a movement of extraordinary breadth”, difficult to qualify in figures. Three fundamental positive fruits were mentioned by the speaker: the promotion of “more concrete, broader and deeper communion among the Churches”, awareness of the common missionary duty (“every local Church is responsible for mission”) and a call to live a life more radically in keeping with the Gospel rediscovering the “unprecedented richness of the Gospel ” and living it to the full in the best possible manner.
With regard to difficulties and dangers, Fr. Dujarier underlined formation and its various aspects and the failure on the part of some dioceses to host and to send. Lastly, making a few suggestions for the future Fr. Dujarier presented a series of proposals focussed on three main points: better preparation of candidates using due discernment; promote support for Fidei Donum priests for the whole length of their mission; foster more frequent and more profound contact among bishops and among Bishops' Conferences and other structures.
A Fidei Donum missionary priest in Brazil sent by the diocese of Bolzano (Italy), Fr. Pietro Sartorel, illustrated the situation of Fidei Donum priests in Latin America. After retracing the main events in these 50 years of history of Italian Fidei Donum priests, Fr. Sartorel noted in this period a change in the number and type of presence. “If before the 1960s the first Fidei Donum priests were a little like “explorers” setting out with a great spirit of generosity and sacrifice, in the second half of the 1960s until the early 1980s above all thanks to impulse from Pope John a growing number of missionaries lived this type of mission. Until the mid 1970s in Latin America there was a large presence of Fidei Donum priests, mostly French, German, Spanish and from the Churches of North America (especially in Spanish speaking countries); however from then on there was a steady increase in the presence of Italian and Polish Fidei Donum priests all over Latin America. In recent years the type of presence changed, instead of being inserted in a local Church as parish priests, we were asked to offer a more specific pastoral, at the service of special projects, also in the regional and national field, above all with regard to formation and "social pastoral". An increasing number of priests come to Latin America sent by dioceses but inserted in the programme of a Church Movement, with a proper and specific activity, although always available for insertion with the local Church's programme and body of priests.”
Fr. Sartorel the asked those present to remember the Fidei Donum martyrs who paid their loyalty to the Gospel with their blood and he recalled that today there are about 360 Italian Fidei Donum missionaries in Latin America and the Caribbean, of whom 230 are in Brazil (including ten lay men and women), not to mention those who have been appointed bishops (at least ten in Brazil alone). Drawing the sum of the 50 years of missionary service, Fr. Sartorel said it was highly positive. However indicating concrete challenges for the continuity of the mission of Fidei Donum priests he mentioned: the necessity to live the ministerial service intensifying communion and sharing among priests and with the laity; change from “quantity” to quality of service and of those who are “sent”; The sending and hosting Churches must reflect more deeply on programmes for this collaboration; a world of marked religious and social pluralism calls for people ready to accept and to dialogue. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 10/5/2007; righe 46, parole 683)


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