Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Roma (Agenzia Fides) - “Mission as the horizon of the life of the Church in the inseparable relationship with faith in Christ and in the understanding of cultural and ethical challenges which globalisation poses to believers, was the central theme of our assembly”. This was the opening part of a final statement issued at the end of the 57th general assembly of the Italian Bishops' Conference held in the Vatican from 21 to 25 May. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Fidei donum by Pius XII (21 April 1957), “source of amazing new missionary impulse”, the Italian Bishops said “mission ad gentes is not only the conclusive point of pastoral work, it is its constant horizon and paradigm par excellence”.
The statement, made public on June 4, continues: “The Church's missionary activity is an integral part of God's plan for salvation since she was born missionary by mandate of the Risen Lord: hence the responsibility to identify concrete ways of communicating the values of the Gospel to the men and women of our own day. A general indication was given of this commitment... With regard to mission ad gentes as a constitutive dimension of each particular Church the Bishops explained that this mission is addressed to non Christians and is distinguished from pastoral activity within Christian communities fervent in faith and life, and from new evangelisation among Christians, members of Christian communities of ancient foundation, who, although baptised, have distanced themselves from Christ and his Gospel. The Bishops underlined the mission's territorial dimension in relation to cities and migrants…”.
“The Bishops confirmed the pastoral responsibility of particular Churches for those geographical and cultural areas which have no native Christian communities or local Churches in need of support and effective co-operation. In this regard, while confirming the importance of traditional forms and structures of cooperation (World Mission Sunday, visits to mission, welcoming migrants, valorisation of the Pontifical Mission Societies, the end of priests and lay people fidei donum…), a proposal was made for a successive stage of missionary co-operation with fidei donum experience to affect particular Churches as a whole. This would implicate building relations with receiving sister Churches with which to discern together areas of missionary activity and needs to be met, gauging human and financial resources. In the case of very demanding commitments or small dioceses, metropolitan dioceses could serve as structures for service and co-ordination”.
The general assembly confirmed its intention “to launch missionary animation to involve all the baptised” and diocesan communities, “so that all pastoral activity, valorising the intrinsic missionary impulse present in the Liturgy, catechesis and charity, is informed by a missionary tension, giving new energies to the Church ”.
During the assembly initiatives of the Fondazione Missio were presented including, Missionary Spirituality and Formation Weeks to converge on a meeting in Montesilvano (PE) 5 - 7 November on missionary spirituality of the diocesan priest fifty years since the encyclical Fidei donum. Moreover efforts on the part of the national offices of the Pontifical Mission Societies for missionary animation and financial co-operation continue, as well as the work of the Centro Unitario per la Cooperazione Missionaria (CUM) to co-ordinate the National Mission Council and activity to form and accompany missionaries. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 5/6/2007; righe 42, parole 562)
