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14 - 13.10.2012
SUMMARY
-
NINTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 2012 - MORNING)
-
COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION FOR INFORMATION
- ERRATA CORRIGE
NINTH GENERAL CONGREGATION (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 2012 - MORNING)
- INTERVENTIONS
IN THE HALL (CONTINUATION)
- AUDITIO
DELEGATORUM FRATERNORUM (III)
Today, Saturday, October 13 2012, at 9:05 a.m, in the presence of
the Holy Father, with the chant of the Hour of Tierce, the
Ninth General Congregation began for the continuation of the
interventions by the Synod Fathers in the Hall on the Synodal theme:
«The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian
Faith».
President delegate on duty H. Em. Card. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA,
Archbishop of Kinshasa (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO).
During the General Congregation a Fraternal Delegate intervened.
Concluding, the Secretary General announced the composition of the
Commission for Information, which is published in this Bulletin.
At this General Congregation, which ended at 12:30 am with the
prayer of Angelus Domini 241 Fathers were present.
INTERVENTIONS
IN THE HALL (CONTINUATION)
The following Fathers intervened:
-
H. B. Fouad TWAL, Patriarch of Jerusalem of Latins, President
of the Conference of Latin Bishops in the Arabic regions (CELRA)
(JERUSALEM)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Francesco MORAGLIA, Patriarch of Venice
(ITALY)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Sócrates René SÁNDIGO JIRÓN, Bishop of
Juigalpa, President of the Episcopal Conference (NICARAGUA)
-
H. Em. Rev. Card. Odilo Pedro SCHERER, Archbishop of São
Paulo (BRAZIL)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Filippo SANTORO, Archbishop of Taranto
(ITALY)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Julio Hernando GARCÍA PELÁEZ, Bishop of
Istmina - Tadó (COLOMBIA)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Guadalupe MARTÍN RÁBAGO, Archbishop
of León (MEXICO)
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H. Em. Rev. Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, President of
the Pontifical Council for ice and Peace (VATICAN CITY)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Octavio RUIZ ARENAS, Archbishop
Emeritus of Villavicencio, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for
the Promotion of the New Evangelization (VATICAN CITY)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José NAMBI, Bishop of Kwito-Bié (ANGOLA)
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Rev. F. Jose PANTHAPLAMTHOTTIYIL, C.M.I., General Prior of
the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (INDIA)
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H. B. Card. George ALENCHERRY, Archbishop Major of
Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, Head of Synod of the
Syro-Malabar Church (INDIA)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jesús Esteban SÁDABA PÉREZ, O.F.M. Cap.,
Titular Bishop of Assura, Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico (ECUADOR)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. François LAPIERRE, P.M.E., Bishop of
Saint-Hyacinthe (CANADA)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. António José DA ROCHA COUTO, S.M.P.,
Bishop of Lamego (PORTUGAL)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Bonifacio Antonio REIMANN PANIC, O.F.M.,
Titular Bishop of Saia maggiore, Apostolic Vicar of Ñuflo de Chávez
(BOLIVIA)
-
Rev. F. Marco TASCA, O.F.M. Conv., Minister General of the
Order of Friars Minor Conventual
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Nikolaos FOSKOLOS, Archbishop of Athēnai,
Apostolic Administrator "sede vacante et ad Nutum Sanctae Sedis" of
Rhodos (GREECE)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Petru GHERGHEL, Bishop of Iaşi
(ROMANIA)
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H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Manuel José MACÁRIO DO NASCIMENTO CLEMENTE,
Bishop of Porto (PORTUGAL)
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Rev. Julián CARRÓN, President of the Fraternity of Communion
and Liberation (ITALY)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Leo Laba LADJAR, O.F.M., Bishop of
Jayapura (INDONESIA)
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H. B. Baselios Cleemis THOTTUNKAL, Archbishop Major of
Trivandrum of Syro-Malankars, Head of the Synod of the Syro-Malankar
Church (INDIA)
-
H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Berislav GRGIĆ,
Bishop Prelate of Tromsø (NORWAY)
The summaries of the interventions are published below:
- H. B. Fouad TWAL, Patriarch of Jerusalem of Latins,
President of the Conference of Latin Bishops in the Arabic regions
(CELRA) (JERUSALEM)
The pilgrimage to the Holy Places and to the “living stones” is an
excellent method of reviving our faith and that of the Pilgrim, and
knowing better the cultural, historic and geographic context in
which the mysteries in which we believe were born, an occasion for a
personal and incarnate encounter with the person of Jesus.
The Christians of the Holy Land are the direct descendants of the
very first Christian community and “the collective living memory of
the history of Jesus”. The visit to the Holy Places, duly prepared
and guided by reading the Word of God, and the encounter with the
community can strengthen believers of little faith and enable the
rebirth of the faith in those in whom it has died.
In this time, in which the Holy Places are at times offended and
assaulted, the presence of pilgrims is a true testimony to faith and
communion with our Church of the Calvary. We need you, your prayers
and your solidarity! There, where the Apostles called to Jesus,
“Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5), come, you too, dear brother Bishops,
with your priests, seminarians and communities, and ask the Lord for
the faith and the peace that is missing.I consider it an urgent
necessity that our faith be a lifestyle that brings us closer to
others. We must change a certain negative mentality that regards
faith as belonging to a sociological faction leading to militance
and violence. True faith helps us to feel more like the sons of God
and therefore to be brothers to others, even at the cost of the
cross and of bloodshed.
The new evangelization, in order to be modern and effective, must
start from Jerusalem: it must begin from the first Christian
community anchored to the person of Christ, having a cause for which
it is willing to face any sacrifice and to give the gift of life
itself.
Our community lives as a minority among believers of other faiths.
Circumstances have pushed these to close in on themselves, to defend
themselves, sensitive to their own rights and attentive to their
locations and their rites. Introverted and fearful communities. For
many the faith is a hereditary and social fact, when instead it
should be more personal and committed. It is not about survival, but
about breaking through and communicating.
[00146-02.04] [IN115] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Francesco MORAGLIA, Patriarch of Venice
(ITALY)
This intervention relates to Nos. 153-157 of the Instrumentum
laboris: the point “Faith and knowledge”. In line with the constant
magisterium of the Church and, more recently, of John Paul II (Fides
et ratio) and Benedict XVI (Lectio magistralis, Regensburg,
September 12th 2006), I hope that the new evangelization allows
greater space for catechesis, with special attention to the
complementarity of faith and reason. We are grateful for the
commitment of those who, with competence and sensitivity, undertake
the pastoral of high culture, favoring dialogue with intellectuals
and Christian scientists, with whom I am engaged in honest research.
Also at the level of ordinary catechesis, one must take a path
towards a more shared consciousness of the cultural dimension of
faith, in order that the believer might not live in psychological
submission, perceiving himself to be in delay in relation to the
historical moment. It is not unusual for the Catholic to experience
a sort of inferiority complex with regard to modernity and
post-modernity due to a personal, unresolved conflict between faith
and reason. The silence of the average Catholic, in giving reasons
for his hope, is resounding. Beyond strengthening the first
proclamation, the reading of the Bible, the lectio divina - in line
with Dei Verbum and the post-synodal exhortation Verbum Domini - I
consider it necessary, with regard to the new evangelization, to
consolidate the structural link between reason and faith. This means
allowing culture into the ordinary pastoral: that is, nowadays, to
respond to a Christian diaconia with regard to history, faced with a
culture that develops ever more from the knowledge of science and
technology, generating instrumental and functional thought. In this
situation, in Italy, the majority of young people, once their
Christian initiation is complete, lose their relationship with the
Church, the faith, God. There are multiple causes for this: however,
I believe that in a not insignificant number of cases the faith is
not supported by a catechesis that is friendly towards reason, able
to offer a true anthropological instruction and able to legitimize
the plausibility of the Christian choice. It is necessary to
relaunch the CCC, giving greater space to its content in order to
avoid reduction to a “do-it-yourself” faith; the fides quae is often
missing from our catechesis. Methodology is important but not at the
expense of content or heightened theological experience. If with God
or without God everything changes, it is our duty to re-focus
catechesis on God and on how much Christian revelation says about
Him, not forgetting that the God of Jesus Christ - as Benedict XVI
reminds us - is, together, Agapee Logos.
[00177-02.03] [IN140] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Sócrates René SÁNDIGO JIRÓN, Bishop of
Juigalpa, President of the Episcopal Conference (NICARAGUA)
In view of the New Evangelization we must consider that in the
Gospels there are many concrete examples of personalized ways of
transmitting the faith, such as that related in the parable of the
lost sheep (Lk 15: 1-7; Mt 18: 12-14) or the story of Jesus himself
with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4: 7-27), and Nicodemus (Jn 3:1-21):
this method produces a positive result in the recipients of the Word
of the Lord. We the Bishops of Latin America have emphasized, on the
basis of our experience at Aparecida, the importance of transmitting
the faith in a personal way, given that the individual feels valued
in the moment in which, from how we treat him according to Jesus’
style, he perceives his meaning to God and the Church.
While outlining a New Evangelization, we must not disregard the fact
that growth in the Church’s numbers may in fact have led to a lack
of the personal attention that Jesus gave; that is at the root of a
situation in which many baptized persons do not feel they are
treated as individuals, and “many baptized are not evangelized”.
Nevertheless, this personalized approach to transmitting the faith
calls for many members to dedicate time to each individual and for
this it is necessary to have the support of a family that is a
“special place in which to encounter the person of Christ”. The
family is “the school of faith, the training ground for human and
civil values” (Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI, Inaugural
Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin
America and the Caribbean). Practically speaking, if in the New
Evangelization there is an interest in transmitting the faith, which
is now in crisis, there must also be an interest in the family,
since, as His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI said during his inaugural
homily for the Synod on October 7th: “there is a clear link between
the crisis in faith and the crisis in marriage”.
[00113-02.05] [IN085] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Odilo Pedro SCHERER, Archbishop of São
Paulo (BRAZIL)
The New Evangelization needs “new evangelizers”. More than new
methods and technical resources, it needs evangelizers with profound
experience of the faith, nurtured in communion with God.
The Saints, throughout the history of the Church, have been true
Christians and the most effective evangelizers. From the times of
the Apostles and the first martyrs, the Church has been able to
count on the testimony of the Saints in the most difficult moments
of her life and her mission: martyr and confessor Saints, priest and
doctor Saints, missionary and preacher Saints, mystic Saints,
consecrated virgins, Saints of charity, and founding Saints. These
were always true disciples and missionaries of Jesus and his
witnesses in the world! In every country, the local Saints or those
of the universal Church have sustained and continue to support the
faith of the faithful: they are, for them, an example of life, as
well as interceding brothers. The places of the Saints - Sanctuaries
- are places of faith and consolation for the population of
believers.
Therefore, the New Evangelization may find an immense resource in
the life, testimony and intercession of the Saints. Devotion to the
Saints and “communion” with the Saints allow the faithful to
experience closeness to that “Mystery of the Faith” in which the
Church believes and which she proclaims throughout the world.
This “Mystery of the Faith”, which is the same God-Trinity, and was
brought close to us through Jesus Christ, has fascinated many Saints
before us and may also fascinate the men and women of our time.
The life, testimony and intercession of the Saints is a great
treasure of the Church and may be of great help for the New
Evangelization!
[00114-02.03] [IN086] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Filippo SANTORO, Archbishop of Taranto
(ITALY)
The New Evangelization is thirsty to meet Christians who are distant
now and enter into dialogue with current culture in the world. But
very often the world has no wish to enter into dialogue with us and,
if it does, it is only in battles it has arranged according to the
spirit of the time.
But also at the beginnings of Evangelization nobody was interested
in having dialogue with Christians, with that small group of strange
men who believed that a crucified man had risen from the dead. But
in fact it was to this world that they turned, showing those who
ignored or persecuted them the experience of a changed life and the
proposal for salvation. They did not answer this world with a
speech, but with the miracle of a transformed humanity.
After 27 years of mission and service to the Church in Brazil, I
have returned to Italy, to a diocese of ancient evangelization, in a
context of widespread and sincere popular religiosity where faith is
seriously tried by secularization. Because of the effects of the
pollution from the biggest steel plant in Europe, 12,000 people
(20,000 in the related industries) risk losing their jobs, while
many others have already fallen victim to tumors and other serious
illnesses caused by the environmental pollution.
The Church has not stood on the sidelines, but immediately set out
to defend life attacked by dioxin and other toxic substances, but it
has also defended employment which allows life to develop. Not being
in possession of a recipe for the solution to this grave problem, we
offered a sympathetic presence and concrete support to all those
affected by the disastrous effects of this sad alternative during
this period of worldwide economic recession. We offer no solutions,
but companionship, aware of our mission to be pilgrims alongside
those who suffer, encouraging dialogue and working together for the
common good. For this reason, I visited the workers of Blast Furnace
5 who were striking 60 meters above the ground and I met those
afflicted by tumors, I visited the Anti-Leukemia League, Multiple
Sclerosis, the national Tumors Association and other groups,
including Children Against Pollution. But the conflict is ongoing
and we can see the profound human and social crisis of this model of
economic development.
Jesus embraced need, he took the side of the poor, the young, the
sinners, the excluded. He loved them and in doing so revealed his
Father’s face.
[00116-02.02] [IN087] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Julio Hernando GARCÍA PELÁEZ, Bishop of
Istmina - Tadó (COLOMBIA)
Even though the Church is entirely responsible for transmitting the
faith, the bishops must guarantee that this is carried out in a new
way.
The bishop cannot renounce his charisma which commits him to
evangelization. He is helped by the Holy Spirit to be the one
responsible for enlivening, proposing and creating new ways of
transmitting the faith amidst the spiritual desert that humanity
inhabits.
To evangelize is his true disposition and vocation. He cannot be
faithful or obedient to the Lord’s mandate if this is not his main
task. The bishop does not evangelize because he likes to, nor as a
strategy, but because he was called to this and been sent forth.
Should the bishop completely take on his apostolic responsibility,
there will be a radical change, a true pastoral conversion in the
particular church. The bishop, as the main person responsible for
the transmission of faith, will be the agent of this change.
Reviving apostolic charisma raises the particular church to a
level of permanent mission, consecrating all its force and resources
so the kerygma, catechesis, community life and solidarity
are not missing to the flock in a systematic and integral way.
The bishop knows he is not alone, he is aided by the Spirit of the
Risen One, the intercession of the great evangelizers and a numerous
flock. As the successor of the apostles, he consecrates all his
energy and directs all his action to guarantee the transmission of
faith to a humanity thirsting to feel the love of God.
[00117-02.03] [IN088] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Guadalupe MARTÍN RÁBAGO, Archbishop
of León (MEXICO)
The Latin American magisterium makes frequent references to the
pastoral value of popular piety.
We recognize that evangelization and purification of popular piety
presents challenges that must be faced with pastoral creativity,
because this, left at the mercy of pure sentimentalism and folklore,
impedes the creation of a truly evangelizing culture able to
transform the structures of sin, such as the social inequalities,
violence, injustice and other manifestations that contradict human
dignity and fraternal cohabitation.
I present an achievement that I think could be an inspiration: the
Diocese of Querétaro, in Mexico, organizes an annual pilgrimage to
the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This year will be the 122nd.
Approximately 40,000 individuals went on the pilgrimage, divided
into groups and accompanied by priests, seminarians and lay persons.
During the journey, which lasts 17 days, the priests will celebrate
the Eucharist daily, and offer the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The fruits of great value are:
Intensifying the Eucharistic rite through the Holy Hour which is
held each day.
The pilgrimage, organized and accompanied starting from the diocese
and the parishes, can convert to a tradition that raises positive
changes of life and greater commitment with the planned pastoral.
[00118-02.03] [IN089] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Em. Rev. Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, President of
the Pontifical Council for ice and Peace (VATICAN CITY)
Fruit of Vatican Council II, the Pontifical Council of Justice and
Peace, during these meaningful times for the entire Church and for
its particular mission so that “both the justice and love of Christ
toward the poor might be developed everywhere... to stimulate the
Catholic community to promote progress in needy regions and
international social justice”, is enthusiastically inserted in the “
process of renewal in the Church's fundamental mission”, which is
new evangelization.
In fact, as underlined by the Instrumentum laboris of this XIII
Ordinary Assembly in no. 130, going back to the teachings of the
Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and Benedict XVI, “evangelization would not
be complete if it did not take account of the unceasing interplay of
the Gospel and of man's concrete life, both personal and social'.
[...] Testimony to Christ's charity, through works of justice, peace
and development, is part and parcel of evangelization, because Jesus
Christ, who loves us, is concerned with the whole person. These
important teachings form the basis for the missionary aspect of the
Church's social doctrine, which is an essential element of
evangelization. The Church's social doctrine proclaims and bears
witness to faith. It is an instrument and an indispensable setting
for formation in faith”. Of course, from the profound pastoral
experience of the Blessed John Paul II as Bishop of Krakow, as well
as from his Petrine ministry, arose the most effective definition of
the social doctrine of the Church: an “instrument of
evangelization”.
The original reason for evangelization is Christ’s love for the
eternal salvation of mankind; and the proclamation of Jesus Christ
is the first and main factor of this development.
If renewal is a constant need of evangelization - more so
evangelization of the social inasmuch as its strategies must
accompany the transformations of society - it is certain that this
is felt in a particular way now, at a turning point of history where
the social question has radically become an anthropological
question. This anthropological question forcibly takes up the
question of God. If God is not refused explicitly, one tends to deem
the openness of man to Transcendent as irrelevant.
Now, in consideration of this historical moment, there is an urgent
need for even a new evangelization of the social, not only because
it is an inescapable content of new evangelization, but also because
it is, obviously, its effective instrument.
In fact, many persons are more sensitive today to questions of human
rights, ecology, the fight against poverty, the themes that touch
upon the concrete life of the individual and the common life of
nations. This is a reality that can be drawn as an authentic
opportunity for new evangelization; and for this reason, the opening
of evangelization can effectively be the “social” one.
Therefore, this means finding new strategies. Here are some
proposals:
- To persevere on the level of formation, with special attention
placed on the study of the social doctrine of the Church in
Seminaries, in the various houses of formation and in the parishes.
- To not ignore the opportunities offered by ecumenical and
interreligious dialogue.
At the level of the apologetic attitude referred to in no. 138 of
the Instrumentum laboris, it would be opportune to make the great
tradition of “social sanctity” more greatly known. For example: the
priests Arcangelo Tardini and Jose Maria Arizmandarrieta (Social
pastoral), the Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo (employment), Robert
Schuman, Alcide De Gasperi and Julius Nyerere (political field).
Still on this so-called “apologetic” front, it is inspired by what
the Blessed John XXIII stated in the Encyclical Mater et Magister -
that is, that “it is not enough merely to formulate a social
doctrine. It must be translated into reality”.
- Finally to underline, once again, the importance of the new
evangelization of the social, why not hypothesize the addition of
the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church on the Vatican
website, in the “Fundamental Texts”, along with the Catechism of the
Catholic Church?
- Or, why not think about consecrating a Synodal Assembly to the
theme of the (New) Evangelization of the social?
[00119-02.02] [IN090] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Octavio RUIZ ARENAS, Archbishop
Emeritus of Villavicencio, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for
the Promotion of the New Evangelization (VATICAN CITY)
The maintenance and transmission of multiple religious
manifestations remain, especially in de-christianized environments,
an enduring witness of the undeniable thirst for God, present in all
mankind. When this popular religiosity emerges from faith in Jesus
Christ and is animated by an ecclesiastical spirit, it is manifest
also in the true piety of the people of God, in a valuable and
effective means of conveying the Gospel and reviving faith in the
distant people.
So then, that popular piety in the circumstances of the present time
might be taken as a true means for the announcement, is something
that must be considered, firstly, as the object or scenario of the
new evangelization so that faith that seeks to express, strives to
be mature and authentic. This is achieved by first illuminating
devotional practices so that their intention matches, in hierarchy
and meanings with the truths of faith and consequent moral
requirements.
Secondly, by the determined action of the shepherds who must
accompany these devotions according to the truth, even at the cost
of giving up some of the benefits that maintaining of it might
bring.
Thirdly, by favoring the understanding of the Christian link between
popular piety and the nature of the liturgy. By this last we mean,
knowledge, proclamation and meditation on the Word of God will be of
great help, as by this, God reveals himself and communicates
hiumself and through this the baptized may engage in a sincere
dialogue with Him
Guiding the various demonstrations of piety of the people of God
towards the understanding of the faith and sacramental practice,
have to represent one of the tasks that with diligence, have to be
considered by the shepherds of the Church to take advantage of
popular piety as a scenario for the New Evangelization..
[00120-02.04] [IN091] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José NAMBI, Bishop of Kwito-Bié (ANGOLA)
In its 500 years of experience in evangelization, with its light and
its darkness, Angola now lives in circumstances of peace, and of
profound social transformations aimed toward an economic growth
which is attracting many foreign countries and seeing the
proliferation of sects.
Thanks be to God, less pleasant memories of the past have been
overcome. And currently, economic and social growth can be observed
which, though oriented toward development, is far from responding to
authentic and huge challenges.
Internally, a similar situation constitutes a pretext for drawing
profit, allowing easy enrichment often at any cost (increasing the
gap between rich and poor) and creating a dichotomy between faith
and life. Externally, this gives rise to growing emigration, often
dishonest and opportunistic.
The Church in Angola is attentive to this situation and, reading the
signs of the times in the light of the Ecclesiastic Magisterium, in
particular of the contributions of the last two Special Assemblies
for Africa, has attempted to answer this challenge by putting into
practice a family Pastoral, with a triennial pairing of themes:
Family and Marriage; Family and Reconciliation; Family and Culture.
This has all been in order to relaunch a process which will bring us
to take up again the itinerary of Christian initiation in families,
in their condition of having a privileged space for evangelization.
On the other hand, these and other situations cannot but call for a
profound and permanent catechesis which involves the faithful
Christian with regard to God, the Church and society.e
[00122-02.07] [IN093] [Original text: Portoguese]
- Rev. F. Jose PANTHAPLAMTHOTTIYIL, C.M.I., General Prior of
the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (INDIA)
It is very clear from the teachings of Jesus and the Church that
evangelizing all peoples constitutes the essential mission of the
Church. From this perspective it is also clear that evangelization
is not one among the many activities but the most important mission
of the Church. If evangelization is the major mission of the Church
we should perceive every activity of the Church from this
perspective. We should not have any activity under evangelization
which does not aim at the proclamation and transmission of faith.
A Christ-centered. Word-based and world-oriented spirituality shall
be the most important source of our New Evangelization. Attempts at
new evangelization must focus mostly on a Word-based faith formation
imparted to our faithful especially in the context of their thirst
for the Word of
God.
Very serious attempts should be made to use mass media for
evangelization so that the voice of God also could be heard among
the many voices of the world. To use mass media effectively
investments should be made in personnel and in resources at
international, national and local levels in direct proportion to the
need and importance of this ministry.
We must take innovative steps to use our institutions all over the
world for the effective transmission of faith. Moreover, attempts
should be made to bring about a deeper awareness of the
responsibility of every Christian, individually and collectively, to
become active agents of evangelization.
The proclamation of the gospel is the right and duty of the entire
Church and of every baptized Christian. Hence the Church should also
take creative steps in arranging for the Oriental sui juris
Churches, such as, the vibrant Syro-Malabar Church, to proclaim the
gospel beyond their present-day geographical boundaries. If the
Church has a larger vision to open up new avenues for the
Syro-Malabar Church and other Oriental Churches, it will definitely
bear much fruit in evangelization work.
In the context of New Evangelization, while we should continue to
promote the dialogue of religions, we should also be prepared to
share the life-giving message of Jesus, especially because of the
alarming growth of secularism and atheism which is a great threat to
all religions.
[00124-02.04] [IN095] [Original text: English]
- H. B. Card. George ALENCHERRY, Archbishop Major of
Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, Head of Synod of the
Syro-Malabar Church (INDIA)
New Evangelization calls for a self evaluation within the Church. It
is a fact that there are many in the Church who do not know who
Christ is and what cost they have to pay to be his disciples. The
Church has to become more and more a communion of persons who have
encountered Christ and thereby volunteer by the power of the Grace
of God to pay the cost of discipleship of Christ. The universal call
to holiness has to become a fundamental awareness for all the
Christian faithful. The uniqueness of Christian faith and the
ever-renewed commitment to Christ in the Church has to become the
driving force for the life of every Christian. Jesus Christ the
unique savior is the one who works both in the evangelizer and the
evangelized. He has said of himself: “I am the truth, I am the
light, I am the way, I am the door, I am the bread, and I am the
life.”
During the 50 years after Vatican II, the renewal of the Church has
been multifaceted and highly productive. At the same time the lives
and ministry of priests and men and women of consecrated life have
become more functional than spiritual and ecclesial. It would seem
that the present-day formation of priests and the religious
personnel tends to make them functionaries for different offices in
the Church, rather than missionaries inflamed by the love of Christ.
Even in places of ad gentes missions of the Church, functioning
through institutions have made the priests and the religious lose
the impelling force and strength of the Gospel to which they are
committed by their vocation. Secularization has impacted the lives
of individual Christians and also of ecclesial communities. New
Evangelization demands a thorough renewal of the lives of individual
Christians and the reevaluation of the structures of the Church to
empower them with the dynamism of the Gospel values of truth,
justice, love, peace and harmony.
The transmission of faith is always through the traditions of the
particular churches and Churches sui iuris. These traditions include
celebration of the sacraments, especially the offering of the Holy
Eucharist, the catechesis, the custom of daily family prayer, small
Christian communities, observance of abstinence and penance in Lent
and other periods of fast, the celebration of feasts, pilgrimages,
practice of charity at all levels, people-friendly and
family-oriented pastoral care and the participation of the laity in
the administration of the church. Whatever traditions have proved to
be successful in transmitting the faith in the particular and sui
iuris Churches require more and more encouragement and support from
all quarters of the Universal Church. Lack of clear vision and
understanding of the communion ecclesiology visualized by the
Vatican Council II is making the potentialities of evangelization
and pastoral care of certain individual churches uncreative in some
communities of their emigrants, especially those of the Oriental
Churches. In recent years, there are signs of improvement in this
sphere. The communion ecclesiology very much emphasized by Holy
Father Benedict XVI has to become the ecclesiological vision of all
of us Bishops in the Catholic Church. New evangelization for the
transmission of the Christian faith has to initiate new measures for
the freedom in evangelization and pastoral care for all the Churches
sui iuris under the guidance of the Apostolic See.
[00123-02.03] [IN094] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Jesús Esteban SÁDABA PÉREZ, O.F.M. Cap.,
Titular Bishop of Assura, Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico (ECUADOR)
Nowadays, it is important to proclaim the Gospel in one’s own
culture, whether it be traditional or modern. The Incarnation is the
foundation of enculturation. Until one achieves the evangelization
of culture, the Gospel cannot enter into the person. St. Paul wanted
to be "Jew with the Jews, Greek with the Greeks, to lead all to
Christ".
If today we analyze the situation in the ancient cultures, we see
that the presence of the Gospel is often considered as a form of
colonization.
There are two approaches to this reality:
- a study of the "politics of religion" which states that "only if
it is believable in Europe, will the Church be believable throughout
the world"
- that of the missionary expressed in the advice given by Mons.
Alejandro Labaka, missionary Bishop, who died as a martyr in
Ecuadorian Amazonia.
To love those we want to evangelize, to sincerely believe that the
Spirit of God is acting in all cultures and to accept that the
Gospel is not the exclusive heritage of a culture but can and should
be welcomed by all, is what will bring the joy of the Gospel to all
peoples.
[00125-02.03] [IN096] [Original text: Spanish]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. François LAPIERRE, P.M.E., Bishop of
Saint-Hyacinthe (CANADA)
Number 130 of the Intrumentum laboris states that “The Church's
social doctrine proclaims and bears witness to faith. It is an
instrument and an indispensable setting for formation in faith”.
The Instrumentum laboris is at the same time very rich but rather
weak in its treatment of the relation between New Evangelization and
the social doctrine of the Church. The intimate bond that exists
between the annunciation of the Gospel and the service of Justice
and Peace does not seem to be sufficiently developed to me.
This situation risks making New Evangelization appear to be more of
an answer to internal problems of the Church and not enough as a
unique contribution to the development of justice and peace in the
world.
Today’s financial crisis makes us discover how avarice and cupidity
have broken the ties of sense by separating the economy from its
social dimension in human life.
These ties can only be found again by love, fraternity and
friendship, which must be expressed not only in interpersonal
relationships, but also in financial and commercial life as pointed
out so well in the letter by Pope Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate.
In this context, it is very important for the Church to be seen as a
fraternity, a body, the Body of Christ. The community is already a
proclamation of the Gospel of God.
In Christian initiation, we often separate love and justice, the
path of faith and the social and political realities. Developing a
culture of solidarity is an urgent need.
The great missionaries, throughout the centuries, have known how to
join the audacious proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and
involvement among the poorest. Their actions have often spoken
louder than their words.
[00126-02.02] [IN097] [Original text: French]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. António José DA ROCHA COUTO, S.M.P.,
Bishop of Lamego (PORTUGAL)
The Church of yesterday, today and always must have the
characteristics of the face of Jesus Christ. It must therefore be
filial, fraternal, loving, near and welcoming, as depicted by
Blessed Pope John Paul II in Catechesi Tradendae (1979), no.67, and
in Christifideles Laici (1988), no. 26.
It must have the dynamics of the first Christian communities, as the
author of the book of the Acts of the Apostles presented them;
always attentive to the Word of God, communion, the breaking of the
bread and prayer (2:42-47, 4:32-35, 5:12-15), a permanent atrium of
brotherhood open to the world in such a way as to be and to reflect
a young, agile and beautiful Church, so young, agile and beautiful
that people fight to enter it.
It must be, moreover, a herald church, completely bound to its Lord,
not seduced by the novelty of the latest fashion, but rather firm in
faithfulness to its Lord, which translates in a total gift of
itself, in a lifestyle that is poor, humble, bare, happy,
passionate, audacious, near and dedicated. Yes, we need proclaimers
of the Gospel who are without gold, silver, copper, bags, two
tunics...Yes, it is of conversion that I speak, and I ask myself
this question: why did the Saints fight so hard, and with so much
joy, to be poor and meek, while we work so hard to be rich and
important?
[00127-02.04] [IN098] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Bonifacio Antonio REIMANN PANIC, O.F.M.,
Titular Bishop of Saia maggiore, Apostolic Vicar of Ñuflo de Chávez
(BOLIVIA)
From the viewpoint of believers, we focus particularly on the
phenomenon of the disintegration of the family. The absence of the
father may be explained in many ways and in the light of many
anthropological, cultural and economic factors. We believe that the
proclamation of God the Father as given to us by the Lord Jesus
Christ must be the source of the new evangelization in Bolivia (cf.
DA 462).
The phenomenon of the absence of the father and its importance for
social and personal life reflects the experience of the paternity of
God and on the loss of typically Christian values, such as
selflessness, fraternity, responsibility and forgiveness.
Probably the most sublime manifestation of God the Father in the New
Testament is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32). It is
precisely the awareness that he has such a father that makes
possible the younger son’s return to the life, the encounter and the
paternal home, while it is the lack of this in the elder son that
prevents him from enjoying the selflessness of his father.
Also the encounter between Jesus Christ and the Samaritan woman (Jn
4:4-43) throws new light on the difficult situation that every woman
experiences today within the family. This encounter reveals the
profound human identity of the Lord as man, prophet, Messiah, Savior
of the World and Son of God the Father. It reveals the human
identity of the woman, prostitute and without husband, who becomes a
disciple and witness of the truth. And it is this type of encounter
with Jesus that linethe New Evangelization refers us to - the New
Evangelization must therefore be addressed to the Bolivian woman, as
a mother and wife, often abandoned, undervalued and mistreated, so
that through the encounter with Christ she too, like the Samaritan,
might live in true dignity.
[00129-02.04] [IN100] [Original text: Spanish]
- Rev. F. Marco TASCA, O.F.M. Conv., Minister General of the
Order of Friars Minor Conventual
As the sixth scenario to read and decipher on the part of this Synod
(after culture, the phenomenon of migration, the economy, politics,
scientific and technological research), nos. 59/62 of the
Instrumentum Laboris point us to communications.
This is not limited to taking note of the massive spread and
pervasiveness of the media, but also of the fact that today we live
in culture that has truly been “mass-media-ized”.
Today the majority of men and women organize their working and
emotional, recreational and relational lives with reference to the
media (think of the internet and smartphones) and yet the media
undoubtedly represent a great opportunity. “In the communications
media - writes Blessed John Paul II - the Church finds a precious
aid for spreading the Gospel. The Church willingly employs these
media to furnish information about itself and to expand the
boundaries of evangelization, of catechesis and of formation,
considering their use as a response to the command of the Lord:
‘Go into the whole world and proclaim
the gospel to every creature’” (Mk 16:15) (Apostolic Letter,
The Rapid Development, 24 January 2005, no.7).
This is about discovering that “there exists a Christian way of
being present in the digital world” (Message of His Holiness
Benedict XVI for the 45th World Communications Day, Truth,
Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age, 24 January
2011), which today has to increasingly characterize itself as a
proposal for an identifying profile (digital as well) that is
coherent and at the same time welcoming.
The New Evangelization is a question of new relationships starting
with those from which it is then possible to steer the explicit
message of Jesus Christ as the one and universal saviour. If the
world of the media is by definition massifying, the Christian
perspective that has to operate in it is that which leads to
welcoming the person in his individuality, in his being the
recipient of the revelation of God. We therefore have to rejoice in
the many opportunities that the new frontiers of the communications
scenario offer us.
[00128-02.02] [IN099] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Nikolaos FOSKOLOS, Archbishop of Athēnai,
Apostolic Administrator "sede vacante et ad Nutum Sanctae Sedis" of
Rhodos (GREECE)
The Church, to proclaim the Gospel to twenty-first century mankind,
must take into account the first evangelization carried out by the
Apostles. In many regions of the world we see a repetition of the
same difficulties encountered by, for example, Saint Paul in Athens
and in Corinth.
To evangelize the world, the Church must be more “streamlined”: as
David was unable to confront Goliath with the heavy weapons given to
him by Saul, so the Church must abandon many of the usages of from
medieval Europe (material and spiritual structures, ways of
speaking, habits “of the old times”, etc), and, as the mystical Body
of Christ Resurrected, must proclaim the Gospel of salvation to the
modern world, maintaining unchanged its doctrine and its true
Tradition. She must act not as a world power, nor as a European
power, and offer the Gospel to the world, the joyful proclamation,
preaching Christ who died and was resurrected to all in a clear and
unequivocal fashion, as did the Apostles and the great missionaries,
such as Saint Francis Xavier.
[00132-02.03] [IN101] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Petru GHERGHEL, Bishop of Iaşi
(ROMANIA)
The story written by the Gospel in the Catholic Church in Romania,
which is composed of three rites (Latin, Greek-Catholic and
Armenian) knows the joy and sacrifice of many evangelizers. The true
treasure of this proclamation is Jesus himself, Son of God, who has
transformed the apparent failure of the Cross into an admirable
victory of resurrection for the redemption of the world. There is no
Gospel without the Cross. The hostility that the Gospel encounters
in our times should not make us forget the logic of the Cross, where
human intervention has not managed to suffocate divine grace.
During the difficult times of the recent atheist dictatorship in
Romania, the Christian family has played a fundamental role, often
being the only possibility of proclaiming the Gospel and
transmitting the faith. And now, many migrant Romanian Catholics
have helped the families with whom they work to rediscover the
beauty of prayer and faith in Christ. The formation of parents is
now a real pastoral priority.
In Romania the end of the atheist persecution has opened the doors
to a promising ecumenical springtime. We have never abandoned
prayer, but since a recent ordinance of the Synod of the Romanian
Orthodox Church has forbidden any prayer between Orthodox and
Catholic faithful, we find ourselves forced to beseech God, before
our brother delegates: “Please Lord, allow at least the Lord’s
Prayer to unite our children!”
In conclusion, for a new evangelization the Catholic Church in
Romania proposes: a) to restart with Jesus Himself, Gospel and
evangelizer: b) to promote the Christian family, based on marriage
and the formation of parents: and c) cultivate the ecumenism of
prayer, in order that the unity of Christians might help the world
to believe in Christ (cf. Jn 17:21).
[00166-02.02] [IN129] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Manuel José MACÁRIO DO NASCIMENTO CLEMENTE,
Bishop of Porto (PORTUGAL)
The “newness” of the new evangelization is none other than the
rediscovery and deepening of the constant newness of Christ, in the
current circumstances of the Church and the world. Circumstances
which in my country are defined, furthermore, as a very mobile
population with an often opaque mentality.The mobility of the
population adds to the rural exodus towards the city the ease of
everyday communication between the various areas: this mobility has
successive fixed and temporary points, for reasons of work or
recreation (weekend). The opacity may derive from a greater density
of “temporal realities”, which absorb immediate attention and medium
term intentions, and not easily opened to spiritual and religious
horizons. Thus personal and environmental secularism are
generalized.
These circumstances lead to relatively “new” problems to
evangelization, at least in terms of the intensity with which they
present themselves. Communities that were more stable, such as
families and parishes, where the knowledge of Christ and Christian
life were naturally transmitted, no longer survive in the same way
and they do not easily integrate their members, especially the
younger ones.
Dispersion and itinerancy make habitual, family and community
cohabitation difficult. The individualization of life, increased by
technology, leads to subjectivism and virtualism which rarefy social
and ecclesial reality. As a consequence, it is not easy to link
together the individual and society, or the believer and the
community. Nothing is easy, in effect.
I therefore believe that the “newness” to be sought for today’s
evangelization should be proposed as a rediscovery of living Christ
in the co-existence of specific communities. These, in turn, should
integrate interpersonal links, indispensable nowadays:
inter-communitarian communities, fixed but interconnected points. In
any case, indispensably communitarian, because we know that when we
stay together we may best experience and share the presence of
Christ Resurrected among us (cf. Jn 20:26).
The first communities, nurtured by authentic conversions and through
a true Christian initiation, originated from the same vital
testimony and from the reflection of their priests, socail and
cultural expressions and practices with great breadth. The monastic
and parochial communities that followed gave body and soul to
medieval Christianity, with splendid results in various areas, both
erudite and popular.
[00135-02.04] [IN104] [Original text: Italian]
- Rev. Julián CARRÓN, President of the Fraternity of
Communion and Liberation (ITALY)
We can no longer “think of the faith as a self-evident
presupposition for life in society”. In fact, “not only can this
presupposition no longer be taken for granted, but it is often
openly denied” (Porta Fidei, 2).
While reading the Instrumentum laboris (142), I was shocked by this
observation: “a concern on the scarcity of initial proclamation
taking place everyday”. All the efforts made until today are having
trouble generating e newness of life that will arouse curiosity on
how the baptized live. How can the fracture between faith and life
be overcome, a fracture that makes it harder for faith to be found
in a reasonable way, and therefore, attractive? Without
rediscovering and welcoming the precious gift that is faith, new
evangelization risks being diminished to being a question for
experts.
To incite this interest, we have an ally in the heart of man from
any culture and condition. We know that the heart of man is made for
the infinite. Awaiting its achievement remains in him. Because there
is “no false infinite that can satisfy him”. “What, then, will
anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life?” (Mt
16:26).
A doctrine, a group of rules, an organization cannot answer this
expectation, only an event. As Fr. Giussani said during the 1987
Synod, “What is lacking is not as much the verbal or cultural
repetition of the proclamation. Today’s man perhaps awaits
subconsciously the experience of the encounter with persons for whom
the fact of Christ is such a present reality that it has changed
their lives”. A place where everyone is invited to verify what the
first verified on the banks of the river Jordan: “Come and see”,
because “a faith that cannot be evidentiated and found in present
experience, confirmed by it, that is not useful in answering its
needs, will not be a faith capable of resisting in a world where
everything, absolutely everything, says the opposite”.
[00136-02.03] [IN105] [Original text: Italian]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Leo Laba LADJAR, O.F.M., Bishop of
Jayapura (INDONESIA)
Instrumentum Laboris (IL) begins with the personal character of
Christianity, that is the faith, which must enlighten our perception
of evangelization, that: (l) Evangelization is not only a reaction
to social reality and its secular culture but it is the very essence
of the Church; (2) Jesus Christ is the center of Christianity and
may not be placed on a par with other religious founders; (3)
Christianity is not a textbook religion, and salvation is not an
achievement in practicing the doctrines written in the book, but it
is the work of God's love. Only in yje encounter with the Lord, what
is written in the Scripture becomes His "word", His "voice".
In Jesus Christ God reveals Himself as love. He offers Himself to
mankind without forcing to be accepted, but taking the risk of being
refused. The marvelous mystery of the divine love is that He does
not impose Himself to mankind. The love of God, as manifested in
Jesus Christ, is an appeal to the freedom of man, who is free to
accept or to refuse. This immense and marvelous love of God should
be presented in evangelization in dealing with the "cultural
c1imate"(IL 48) of secular society, which tends to idolize the
freedom and autonomy of man and refuse any transcendent element in
religion as violation of human freedom.
This image of God as an appeal of love to mankind could be more
touching to secular mentality than the image of God as powerful
King. Therefore, I suggest in some texts, like that in IL 24, when
dealing with "conversion experience", in place of the terminology
"kingdom of God", which in itself has a feudalistic connotation, to
use "God's power of love". In fact, more than the power of a king,
the divine love is "more delicious than wine" and "as powerful as
death"(Song of Songs,l:2;8:6). The divine love appeals to man and
expects the response. Love wants to be loved. Conversion is the love
response of man to the love appeal of the Lord. service and
sacrifice for others is a powerful witness in evangelization. The
love of God is manifested in Jesus Christ as a sacrifice; so a
genuine witness for that divine love must be as well a sacrificial
love.
[00137-02.03] [IN106] [Original text: English]
- H. B. Baselios Cleemis THOTTUNKAL, Archbishop Major of
Trivandrum of Syro-Malankars, Head of the Synod of the Syro-Malankar
Church (INDIA)
It is estimated that the sixty percent of the population of the
world lives in Asia. Asia is the land which gave birth to many world
religions including Christianity. I come from the continent of Asia,
more precisely from the subcontinent of India where people have seen
forceful spreading of the religious messages. Though Christianity
has a different story to share with the present society of Asia
where believers of other religions form a predominant majority, it
does not seem to appreciate and acknowledge terms such as
proclamation, evangelization etc. These terms have inculcated in
them a different thinking, subsequently a different attitude. Here I
would like to underline the very words of Jesus himself "you shall
be my witnesses .... "(Acts 1:8). Our dear blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta brought to the world especially to India a very practical
means of evangelization, a witnessing model. I must say that she
became the most effective missionary in a land where Christians are
only less than three percent of the population. Mother Teresa
witnessed Jesus everywhere. In the history of India she remains a
model and symbol of Christianity. Witnessing model starts with you
and me.
Modern people think that he/she makes everything; everything exists
because of his/her capacity. This attitude brings a disfigured image
of supernatural reality even to the essence of human life. Those who
are responsible for evangelization, especially those who are in the
ministerial priesthood, people endowed with "gift and mystery"
(Blessed John Paul II) have to take more genuine steps in the
liturgical celebrations to make the sacraments a more tangible means
of the 'Emmanuel experience' during those hours of grace.
Socialization with one another has found a place everywhere but
conversation with the Lord has been cornered everywhere.
Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"
(Jn 10: 10). Fullness of life, a life of abundance is fully realized
only when human beings enter in the life Eternal. To lead the way to
abundant life is the work of the Church. If the Church, the
continuation of Jesus in the world, distances herself from any
process of enhancing the fullness of life, any means to ensure human
dignity, be sure that the experiencing and witnessing of Emmanuel
will be weak in that part of the world. Any attempt of the Church to
promote human dignity, to bring justice to the underprivileged is a
genuine mark of obedience to the will of Jesus. Enhancing human
dignity, speaking for the voiceless, being a symbol of justice,
promotion of democratic values, etc, are to be seen seriously as
marks of promoting human life which eventually lead people to life
in abundance.
[00138-02.03] [IN107] [Original text: English]
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Berislav GRGIĆ,
Bishop Prelate of Tromsø (NORWAY)
The Catholic Church in the Northern Lands - Denmark, Finland,
Iceland, Norway and Sweden - is a very small minority and therefore
has neither the advantages nor the disadvantages that the Catholic
Church often comes across in traditional and prevalently Catholic
regions. Despite its limited relevance, numeric as well as social,
our Church is nonetheless a growing Church. New churches are built
or bought, new parishes are instituted, non-Latin rites are added,
there is a relatively high number of adult conversions and baptisms,
there are vocations to priesthood and to religious life, the number
of baptisms is much higher than the number of deaths and number of
those who abandon the Church, and attendance at Sunday Mass is
relatively high.
In certain sectors of society there is great interest for the faith
and spirituality, by non-believers who are searching for the truth
as well as by Christians committed to other religions who wish to
deepen and enrich religious life. It is also interesting to see that
during the past years a relatively high number of contemplative
orders have opened their own convents.
The transmission of the faith, often however, is made difficult
because of the vast distances. Our priests must travel far -
sometimes up to 2,000 km per month - to visit our faithful who live
in distant places and celebrate Mass. This is very tiring during the
winter months.
[00139-02.03] [IN108] [Original text: German]
AUDITIO
DELEGATORUM FRATERNORUM (III)
The following Fraternal Delegate intervened:
- Rev. Dr. Geoffrey TUNNICLIFFE, General Secretary of the
World Evangelical Alliance (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
The summary of the intervention is published below:
- Rev. Dr. Geoffrey TUNNICLIFFE, General Secretary of the
World Evangelical Alliance (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
Evangelism is the proclamation in word, deed and Christian character
of the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through the
resurrection. Evangelism lies at the core of the identity of being
evangelical. We affirm that it is not possible to be truly
evangelical without a radical commitment to world evangelisation;
indeed, such a commitment is inherent to Christian identity itself.
The WEA calls on all evangelicals and Christians worldwide to renew
their commitment to holistic evangelism.
As with all Christian traditions, there have been times when
mistakes have been made and evangelicals have struggled to link the
proclamation of the gospel with acts of justice and peace. Yet in
our history there have been many strong voices and lives that
exemplify the holistic nature of evangelism.
The biblical narratives in Mark 5 offer us a lens through which we
can overcome the unhelpful dichotomy between proclamation and
action, and a way to call us all back to holistic evangelism and to
the word of God. Two themes emerge from this chapter: (1) the
authority and the power of Jesus and (2) the breadth of the Gospel.
First we see that Jesus has power over evil; he has power over
disease and illness, and he has power over death itself, hinting
towards his own forthcoming resurrection. Secondly, the text shows
that the Gospel extends to all of creation.
The question for evangelicals - and all who claim the name of Christ
- is: what will you do, personally and corporately, to further the
cause of worldwide holistic evangelism? A church that is not
evangelistic is failing in its response to Jesus.
We evangelicals are learning how to do evangelism in the way of
Jesus - how to proclaim that salvation comes from our God and the
implications of this proclamation for the transformation of society.
We are also learning that truly biblical evangelism demands that the
divisions amongst Christians be overcome. The joint document of the
Roman Catholic Church, the World Evangelical Alliance and the World
Council of Churches, Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World:
Recommendations for Conduct, is a wonderful reminder of the
importance and the mandate for evangelism
As believers we are enabled by the Father and the Son, through the
Spirit, to carry out God's mission, such that a core characteristic
of evangelicals is - and must always be - to let the whole earth
hear the whole Gospel in word, deed and character.
[00160-02.03] [DF006] [Original text: English]
COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION FOR INFORMATION
President
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Claudio Maria CELLI, Titular Archbishop
of Civitanova, President of the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications (VATICAN CITY)
Vice President
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Ján BABJAK, S.I., Metropolitan
Archbishop of Prešov of the Catholics of Byzantine Rite, President
of the Council of the Slovak Church (SLOVAKIA)
Members
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. John Olorunfemi ONAIYEKAN, Archbishop of
Abuja (NIGERIA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Tadeusz KONDRUSIEWICZ, Archbishop of
Minsk-Mohilev (BELARUS)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Manuel José MACÁRIO DO NASCIMENTO CLEMENTE,
Bishop of Porto (PORTUGAL)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. José Horacio GÓMEZ, Archbishop of Los
Angeles (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Francis Xavier Kriengsak KOVITHAVANIJ,
Archbishop of Bangkok (THAILAND)
Members ex - officio
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Pierre-Marie CARRÉ, Archbishop of
Montpellier (FRANCE), Special Secretary
- H. Exc. Rev. Mons. Nikola ETEROVIĆ,
Titular Archbishop of Cibale, Secretary General of the Synod of
Bishops (VATICAN CITY)
Secretary ex - officio
- Rev. F. Federico LOMBARDI, S.I., Director of Holy See Press
Office (VATICAN CITY)
ERRATA CORRIGE
The corrections published in the Errata Corrige in Bulletin No.14
can be found in the specific Bulletins published in these Internet
pages.
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