Benedict XVI, the fight against relativism and the mission ad gentes
Rome (AsiaNews) - At 50 years since Vatican II the Magisterium of the Popes continues along the path of Ad Gentes, without any deviation, so to say, to the right or left. From the beginning of his pontificate, Benedict XVI has proposed "a commitment to enact Vatican Council II," which he described as "the compass that guides us in the vast ocean of the third millennium." The Lord has given the Church a theologian Pope and refined intellectual, with clear ideas, expressed with great simplicity and precision, an educated Pope who is open to modernity, friendly, transparent, ready to dialogue with everyone, but also convinced that the Gospel is of benefit at all times and for all peoples, just as he is aware of the vast and profound crisis of faith that Europe and the Christian West are going through. On 1 April 2005, in a Subiaco conference on "Europe and the Crisis of Cultures," Ratzinger said: "Europe has developed a culture which is the most radical contradiction not only of Christianity, but of religious traditions and moral humanity". Strong words that echo like death nails: Where is the Christian heritage of Europe?
The current Pontificate is characterized by the struggle against "relativism" (everything is relative and changes with the times), which is the death of faith and mission to the nations. On 18 April 2005, the Mass " pro eligendo romano Pontifice," the then Card. Ratzinger said: "How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking ... The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism.... Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires. We, however, have a different goal: the Son of God, the true man. He is the measure of true humanism. An "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ".
Jesus, one of the many "saviours"
The battle against relativism is primarily within the Church, Christians themselves even believe that, more or less, all religions are equal. A thesis which, in various ways, is also supported by some theologians. American theologian in Catholic institutions, Paul Knitter, published in America and in Italy by Catholic publishers, wrote: "The fundamental assumption of pluralism that unites them is that all religions are or may be equally valid. This means that their founders are or may be equally valid. Could this open the possibility that Jesus Christ is 'one among many' in the world of saviours and liberators? ". Another case of "theological relativism" (but they are only examples) is the writings of the Indian theologian Jacob Kavunkal: "What is urgently needed is not so much to make Indians Christian, as to Christianize India in the sense of transforming Indian society through the evangelical values.... This means that we have to make a shift not only from the Church to Christ, but also from Christ to the kingdom he proclaimed. " In short, the Kingdom is fine, but without the King!
The "relativism" that assumes "Gospel values" (love, peace, forgiveness, solidarity, justice, equality, etc.) forgetting Christ, is very popular, not only in theology but also in the media. They want the message but not the messenger. Card. Camillo Ruini explained the crisis of Catholic theology, which confuses believers ("Theology and Culture: borderlands", May 11, 2007 at the International Book Fair in Turin): "The profound disillusionment produced under the theologies of liberation since the collapse of the Berlin Wall (1989) has led several of their members towards relativism. They came together, along with quite a few other theologians, in that orientation which is called theology of religions, according to which not only Christianity but also the other religions of the world, with the peoples and cultures that they refer to, constitute, next to historic Christianity, autonomous and legitimate ways of salvation. The fundamental truths of the faith have been abandoned, according to which Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became man and lived in history, is the only Saviour of all mankind, indeed the whole universe. "
Again during the April 18, 2005 Mass Card. Ratzinger reiterated the words of Jesus: "It was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must endure " (Jn 15, 16), and says: " We must be enlivened by a holy restlessness: a restlessness to bring to everyone the gift of faith, of friendship with Christ. Truly, the love and friendship of God was given to us so that it might also be shared with others. We have received the faith to give it to others - we are priests in order to serve others. And we must bear fruit that will endure. "
There are many texts of Benedict XVI on the mission to the nations. There's the Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization of the Congregation of the Faith, published Dec. 3, 2007, the feast of St. Francis Xavier missionary par excellence, almost ignored by the press and Catholic missionary media. At the beginning of this short text, intended and approved by the Pope, we read (3): " There is today, however, a growing confusion which leads many to leave the missionary command of the Lord unheard and ineffective:" Go and make disciples of all men of the world, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ... "(Mt 28, 19). Often it is maintained that any attempt to convince others on religious matters is a limitation of their freedom. From this perspective, it would only be legitimate to present one's own ideas and to invite people to act according to their consciences, without aiming at their conversion to Christ and to the Catholic faith. It is enough, so they say, to help people to become more human or more faithful to their own religion; it is enough to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity. Furthermore, some maintain that Christ should not be proclaimed to those who do not know him, nor should joining the Church be promoted, since it would also be possible to be saved without explicit knowledge of Christ and without formal incorporation in the Church.In the face of these problems, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has judged it necessary to publish the present Note".
The document cites the Conciliar texts and refers to the traditional Catholic doctrine, in order to "clarify certain aspects of the relationship between the missionary command of the Lord and respect for the conscience and religious freedom of all people. It is an issue with important anthropological, ecclesiological and ecumenical implications". The "Doctrinal Note" is a text that the missionary, Institutes and diocesan animation centres and missionary publications, such as missionary groups and associations should know and talk about to have a precise point of reference which risk loosing the compass of the right direction in the climate of secularization and relativism.
The announcement for all
In the annual "Message for World Mission Day," Benedict XVI insists on the duty and urgency to proclaim Christ to all peoples. Those of John Paul II dealt with the issues in the mission field. Benedict XVI warns that the same duty for the Church to proclaim Christ to non-Christians is less felt, has lost power and acclaim, is disputed or rejected. His 2007 message reads: " I would like to invite the entire People of God - Pastors, priests, men and women religious and lay people "All the Churches for all the world" as the theme chosen for World Mission Day reads, which invites the local Churches of every continent "to reflect together on the urgent need and importance of the Church's missionary action, also in our time".
His message of 2008 reads: " I would like to invite you to reflect on the continuing urgency to proclaim the Gospel also in our times. The missionary mandate continues to be a top priority for all baptized .... Dear brother Bishops, following Paul's example, many each one feel like "a prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles" (Eph 3: 1), knowing that you can count on the strength that comes to us from him in difficulties and trials. A Bishop is consecrated not only for his diocese, but for the salvation of the whole world (cf. Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, n. 63). Like the Apostle Paul, a Bishop is called to reach out to those who are far away and do not know Christ yet or have still not experienced his liberating love. A Bishop's commitment is to make the whole diocesan community missionary by contributing willingly, according to the possibilities, to sending priests and laypersons to other Churches for the evangelization service. In this way, the missio ad gentes becomes the unifying and converging principle of its entire pastoral and charitable activity.. Dear priests, the Bishops' first collaborators, be generous pastors and enthusiastic evangelizers! I am confident that this missionary tension in the local Churches will not be lacking, despite the lack of clergy that afflicts many of them.. "
In his message for World Mission Day 2012 Pope Benedict XVI writes: " the missionary mandate, which Christ entrusted to his disciples and which must be a commitment of all the People of God, Bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious and lay people. Today too the mission ad gentes must be the constant horizon and paradigm of every ecclesial endeavour, because the identity of the Church herself is constituted by faith in the Mystery of God who revealed himself in Christ to bring us salvation, and by the mission of witnessing and proclaiming him to the world until he comes". "
February 5, 2006 Father Andrea Santoro, a Roman priest who had gone to the city to attend Islamic and the few Christians to bear witness of fraternity and charity to the Turkish people was killed in Trabzon (Trabzon) in Turkey. One of the most renowned columnists for the Corriere della Sera wrote: "We all condemn the killing of Fr Andrea Santoro, a barbaric act. But why did the good priest go to a city where he was not wanted? Why couldn't he just have stayed in his Christian Rome? ". This is just one of the many possible examples that reveal another trend contrary to the "missio ad gentes". The crisis of faith leads to the crisis of the mission to the nations. Even many Christians, including those who come to church, feel besieged and threatened by an alien world, and close in on themselves in defense of their faith, complaining about the bad times, rejecting and demonizing Islam and Muslims. They do not think that the true Christian, trusting in the promise of Christ ("I will always be with you every day until the end of time", Matt 28:20), following the advice of John Paul II ("Faith is strengthened by giving! "RM 2), offers his or herself as far as he or she can, to witness the love of Christ among Muslims, there on the missions or even in our own Italy.
.png)
