Pope: "A missionary and pastoral conversion" for a Church open to changing its structures
Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - A Church
where " the paradigm of every effort" is in mission which is open to
the action of the Spirit and therefore is always ready to welcome - " not
even the gates of the Sacraments should be closed for any reason " - and
which must be ready to face the challenges posed by a culture that tends to
" discard " the weak and the poor and finally, the "reform of
church structures " , including the papacy.
This
in extreme synthesis is the Apostolic
Exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium " which to Pope Francis, symbolically delivered
last Sunday, the closing of the Year of Faith , to 36 representatives of the
People of God and which was made public today .
"The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus", begins "Evangelii Gaudium" which also takes in the conclusions of the Synod of 2012 on "The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Faith." At the same time the document is a manifesto of the papacy. "I want to emphasize - we read in n. 25- that what I am trying to express here has a programmatic significance and important consequences. I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are. "Mere administration" can no longer be enough.21 Throughout the world, let us be "permanently in a state of mission"".
Its a' pastoral conversion " to which you have to adapt all the "structures " of the Church, even reviewing customs "not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots"(No. 43) , in the logic of a " healthy decentralization." "The papacy and the central structures of the universal Church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion. The Second Vatican Council stated that, like the ancient patriarchal Churches, episcopal conferences are in a position "to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the collegial spirit".36 Yet this desire has not been fully realized, since a juridical status of episcopal conferences which would see them as subjects of specific attributions, including genuine doctrinal authority" (n . 32).
And "Nor do I believe that the papal magisterium should be expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world. It is not advisable for the Pope to take the place of local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory "(n. . 16). In the same logic, there is a need for structures of participation to foster the responsibility of the laity held " at the edge of the decisions " by "excessive clericalism " and " there is still a need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church"(n. 103) .
In this context, the starting point is the call to "recover the original freshness of the Gospel ," finding "new ways " and " creative methods " , Jesus is not to be imprisoned in our "boring patterns". And if proclaiming the Gospel is a " joy ", " an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! " (n. 10). And the homily must speak "heart to heart" and avoid being "purely moralistic or doctrinaire" (n. 142).
In the " Missionary transformation of the Church ," which appears to be the goal of this pontificate , the first point specified by the document is that "the word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him "to go forth" since Abraham . "And so the biggest threat of all gradually takes shape: "the gray pragmatism of the daily life of the Church, in which all appears to proceed normally, while in reality faith is wearing down and degenerating into small-mindedness" (n. 83) .
"In fidelity to the example of the
Master, it is vitally important for the Church today to go forth and preach the
Gospel to all: to all places, on all occasions, without hesitation, reluctance
or fear. The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded"(n. 23). "An
evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of
the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be" (n. 24). "I prefer a Church
which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets,
rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging
to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of
obsessions and procedures."(n. 49) .
This
is demanded by the challenges of the contemporary world in which there is a
system that is "unjust at its root ." "Today everything
comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the
powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find
themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape. Human
beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We
have created a "throw away" culture which is now spreading. It is no longer
simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. Exclusion
ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we
live; those excluded are no longer society's underside or its fringes or its
disenfranchised - they are no longer even a part of it. The excluded are not
the "exploited" but the outcast, the "leftovers" (n. 53).
This
also explains "authentic attacks on religious freedom " or "new persecutions
directed against Christians; in some countries these have reached alarming
levels of hatred and violence. In many places, the problem is more that of
widespread indifference and relativism, linked to disillusionment and the
crisis of ideologies which has come about as a reaction to any-thing which
might appear totalitarian".
In
"a culture in which everyone wants to be the bearer of its own subjective
truth " (n. 61) , which has also undermined the family.
"Evangelii
Gaudium" states that "From the heart of the Gospel
we see the profound connection between evangelization and human advancement,
which must necessarily find expression and develop in every work of
evangelization. Accepting the first proclamation, which invites us to receive
God's love and to love him in return with the very love which is his gift,
brings forth in our lives and actions a primary and fundamental response: to
desire, seek and protect the good of others. "(n. 178 ) . "Consequently, no
one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of
personal life, without influence on societal and national life, without concern
for the soundness of civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on
events affecting society. Who would claim to lock up in a church and silence
the message of Saint Francis of Assisi or Blessed Teresa of Calcutta?" (No.
183).
And
if "it is necessary to state bluntly that there is an inseparable link
between our faith and the poor " (No. 48) , the document reaffirms the
search for " a poor Church for the poor " because "as
long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved... no
solution will be found for the world's problems". " "The need to resolve
the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not only for the pragmatic
reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but because society needs
to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating it, and which can
only lead to new crises"
(No. 202).
But
for poor the Exhortation intends not only to traditionally poor , but also the
"new poor " , " the homeless , drug addicts , refugees ,
indigenous peoples , the elderly, increasingly alone and abandoned", but migrants (no. 210 )
and also the "slaves " who are "in clandestine warehouses, in
rings of prostitution, in children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented
labour" (n. 211). "
Doubly poor are women who suffer from situations of exclusion , abuse and
violence , they often find themselves with fewer opportunities to defend their
rights " (n. 212) .
"The
most defenseless and innocent of all " , finally, are " unborn babies"
and "nowadays efforts are made to deny them their human dignity (213). "the Church cannot
be expected to change her position on this question... It is not "progressive" to try to resolve problems by
eliminating a human life"
(214) .
Once
it establishes the link between evangelization and human promotion , the
Exhortation then states that evangelization is also dialogue . Starting with the ecumenical dialogue . "Commitment
to a unity which helps them to accept Jesus Christ can no longer be a matter of
mere diplomacy or forced compliance, but rather an indispensable path to
evangelization"
(n. 246) . "
How many things we can learn from each other ." "To
give but one example, in the dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters,
we Catholics have the opportunity to learn more about the meaning of episcopal
collegiality and their experience of synodality. " (246) . And
"dialogue and friendship with the people of Israel are part of the life of
the disciples of Jesus" ( 248) .
"Interreligious
dialogue " , then , to be pursued " with a clear and joyful ,"
is " a necessary condition for peace in the world." In
this field "our relationship with the believers of Islam becomes important".
"The sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings;
Jesus and Mary receive profound veneration and it is admirable to see how
Muslims both young and old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfully
take part in religious services". "
We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim
immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received
and respected in countries of Islamic tradition. I ask and I humbly entreat
those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and to practice their
faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western
countries! Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our
respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful
generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are
opposed to every form of violence. "(n. 252) .
Dialogue,
finally , even with non-believers , but "The respect due to the
agnostic or non-believing minority should not be arbitrarily imposed in a way
that silences the convictions of the believing majority or ignores the wealth
of religious traditions"
(No. 255 ) .
The
fifth and final chapter is devoted to the " Spirit-filled evangelizers", which "means that
evangelizers are open without fear to the action of the Holy Spirit.". "Spirit-filled
evangelizers are evangelizers who pray and work. Mystical notions without a
solid social and missionary outreach are of no help to evangelization, nor are
dissertations or social or pastoral practices which lack a spirituality which
can change hearts. These unilateral and incomplete proposals only reach a few
groups and prove incapable of radiating beyond them because they curtail the
Gospel" (n. 262) .
We
need "evangelizers who pray and work " knowing that "the mission
is a passion for Jesus, but at the same time , it is a passion for his people
." "In
our relationship with the world we are invited to give a reason for our hope ,
but not as enemies who point the finger and condemn " (n. 271 ) .
The
Exhortation ends with a prayer to Mary. "Mother of the
living Gospel to intercede that this invitation to a new phase of
evangelization will be accepted by the entire ecclesial community. Mary is the
woman of faith, who lives and advances in faith,214 and "her
exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for
the Church".215 Mary let herself be guided by the Holy Spirit
on a journey of faith towards a destiny of service and fruitfulness. Today we
look to her and ask her to help us proclaim the message of salvation to all and
to enable new disciples to become evangelizers in turn"(n. 287) .
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