| The Second Vatican Council brought once more to light
the missionary nature of the Church and the shared responsibility
of the individual Bishops and their Particular Churches for mission
ad gentes. Paul VI (1963-1978) with the Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae
Universae (August 15, 1967) re-ordered the duties of the Roman Curia
in keeping with the directions given by the Council. The Congregation
for Propaganda took the name of Congregation for the Evangelisation
of Peoples or "de Propaganda Fide". The Council's Ad Gentes
decree redefined clearly the function of the missionary Congregation,
with indications with regard to the composition of its directing
bodies. In particular the Ad Gentes decree says: "For all missions
and for the whole of missionary activity there should be only one
competent office, namely that of the "Propagation of the Faith,"
which should direct and coordinate, throughout the world, both missionary
work itself and missionary cooperation. However, the law of the
Oriental Churches is to remain untouched." (AG 29) |
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The decree continues: "Therefore, this office
must be both an instrument of administration and an organ of dynamic
direction, which makes use of scientific methods and means suited
to the conditions of modern times, always taking into consideration
present - day research in matters of theology, of methodology and
missionary pastoral procedure." (AG 29).
The Congregation has at present 61 Members: 41 Cardinals, 9 Archbishops,
3 Bishops, 3 National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies,
3 Superiors General. It is presided by Italian Cardinal Crescenzio
Sepe. The Secretary is Archbishop Robert Sarah, emeritus of Conakry,
Guinea, the Secretary Adjunct is Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, emeritus
of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. The Under-Secretary is Italian Fr Massimo
Cenci of PIME, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. The Congregation
has at present about fifty members of personnel in two distinct
sections: secretariat and administration. The Congregation is assisted
by a College of Consultors, experts in various ecclesiastical disciplines,
from different countries.
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