Pope to the Divine Word Missionaries: be prophetic hope for every culture

Participants in the 19th General Chapter of the great congregation present in 79 countries and today more than half of them are missionaries of Asian origin were received at the Vatican. And to a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople the Pontiff confirmed his desire to travel to NIcea next year together with Bartholomew to commemorate together the 1700 years of the Creed.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Evangelisation requires familiarity with the Word of God". Pope Francis recalled this today as he received in audience at the Vatican the congregation of the  Divine Word Missionaries, who are also present in many countries of Asia, who are gathered in Rome for their 19th general chapter marked by the evangelical phrase "May your light shine before men" (Mt 5:16).

According to the data on the congregation's website updated to 1 January 2024, there are 5754 verbites in the world today, including 255 novices. Of these 2974 (i.e. 51.7%) carry out their ministry in the Asia-Pacific region in 22 different countries. Among the 76 countries of origin of the verbite missionaries, the top three are Asian: Indonesia with 1687 brethren, India with 974, and the Philippines with 457. Vietnam is in fifth place (right after Poland) with 386 missionaries from this country.

"Thank you for what you are and what you do," Francis told the verbites, inviting them to be reborn every day "as faithful disciples and creative missionaries". "You operate in 79 countries," he commented, "you are there to proclaim the Gospel and make the Kingdom of God present in the world. But this is done in the sharing of joy rather than the imposition of obligations. Creative missionary activities are born out of love for the Word of God; creativity is born out of contemplation and discernment. And although personal creative action is good, communal creative action is better for the unity and strength of the Church".

To the missionaries, the pontiff indicated three "current urgencies" for those who proclaim the Gospel. The first: to be builders of peace. "The world is wounded by conflicts, wars, destruction of the environment, violence against life and human dignity, fundamentalist ideologies and other plagues," he recalled. "Let us bring the peace of Christ to all, especially to the poor, migrants, discriminated women, children, the excluded. God heard the cry of the enslaved people; let us not close our ears to the cry of today's slaves, and let us be creative in building peace'.

Secondly, be prophetic hope for every culture. "You are experts in interculturality," the pope observed, "Over the years you have learnt to live the mission respecting every culture and every people. But it takes discernment. Today, through the internet and social media, there is a risk of accepting everything indiscriminately, influencing people's lifestyle and values. Instead, St. John Paul II said that the purpose of inculturation is to arouse a new culture of love and hope inspired by the truth that sets us free in Christ Jesus".

And then promote synodality in every aspect of your life. "Let each community grow," he urged, "and enjoy a synodal style in which everyone feels heard and welcomed. Finally, do what the Spirit says, but the process in which the Spirit moves in a gentle way, among simple peoples and in the most distant places, is important."

Finally, Pope Francis recalled that next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of this religious congregation, founded in 1875 in Holland by the German priest Arnoldo Janssen, who was proclaimed a saint by John Paul II in 2003. "In your hearts," the Pontiff commented, "vibrates gratitude to God for his immense love, which has impelled you to go to every part of the world to preach the Word and spread the love of God, to form communities, to serve the poor, to seek justice for people, education and emancipation, to care for the environment. With this grateful spirit reflect on how to share the joy of Jesus' resurrection in creative ways today".

The Pontiff also looked to the horizon of 2025 in another important audience at the Vatican today: receiving the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has come to Rome for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul as it does every year, Francis reiterated his desire to travel next year to Nicaea in Turkey for the celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of the Council that formulated the Creed that summarises the main truths of the Christian faith here. "I rejoice," Francis told the Orthodox delegation, "that the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity have begun to reflect on how to commemorate this anniversary together; and I thank His Holiness Bartholomew for inviting me to celebrate it near the place where the Council met. It is a journey I wish to make, from the bottom of my heart".