| Bonn (Agenzia Fides) - “His salvation for all nations. The Church’s universal mission” is the title of a 74 page ‘Bischofswort’ (Bishops’ Word) issued by the Catholic Bishops of Germany at the end of their Autumn Plenary held 20 to 23 September at Fulda. The purpose of the document is revive a sense of universal mission among German Catholics. On the basis of Vatican II and other documents from the Magisterium ‘His salvation for all nations’ presents a new understanding of the theology of mission centred on the fact that every human person has a right to freedom and truth. The ‘Bishops’ Word’ is addressed to priests, other pastoral workers, teachers of religion and other teachers at schools, universities and institutes of formation.
Chapter one illustrates the history of missionary activity from early Christian times to mission connected with colonial movements in the more recent past, its various aspects including the less positive effects of missionary work.
Chapter two is a theological profile of the universal mission which shows that Christ’s own mission is the reason for all mission and that therefore his Church has the duty to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of the God.
Chapter three focuses on “the ways and means of universal missionary activity” today. The Church is a universal community in which local Churches learn from one another and are connected with bonds of prayer and solidarity. This means, according to the German Bishops, that rather than propagate the faith in other countries western Churches like the local Churches in Germany support local Churches wherever they are in the world in their missionary duty. In this exchange of solidarity among local Churches all are donors and receivers. In their paper the Bishops say briefly what this entails concretely for individual believers, parishes, dioceses and religious communities.
Presenting the document, Cardinal Karl Lehmann Archbishop of Mainz and President of the German Bishops’ Conference said “If a Christian is truly convinced of the value of his faith, he has a natural longing to share it with others. And this is a duty for all Christians”.
Commenting the ‘Bishops’ Word’ National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Germany (missio Aachen), Father Hermann Schalück OFM, said: “Galloping secularisation today challenges mission to make a new effort to offer prospects which give meaning, direction and a future to the men and women of the 21st century.. We at the Pontifical Mission Societies accept this challenge and strive to bear witness to the Good News of the Kingdom of God through our life style of which a concrete expression is the mission of telling people about Christ and his Kingdom already present among us”. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 27/9/2004 - 34 righe, 486 parole)
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