PONTIFICIUM OPUS A SANCTA INFANTIA

Life of Missionary Childhood

THE MISSIONARY IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN   

INTERVIEW WITH FR. PATRICIO BYRNE S.V.D., 
SECRETARY GENERAL OF MISSIONARY CHILDHOOD

  1. In two years time, the Missionary Childhood will celebrate the 160th anniversary of its foundation. In that period, has the situation of children changed in any way?

           We are facing two kinds of situation because we must differentiate between poor countries and more developed ones. In his day (we are talking about 1843), Msg. De Forbin Janson reacted against the terrible poverty of orphan children in China. I believe that the situation of children is, at times, worse than it was then. It would be nice to be able to say that the situation has changed a great deal since then, but those of us who work in the International Office know that children continue to suffer a great deal. Material poverty in Third World countries is terrible while at the same time we see great development in the nations of the First World. In these regions, children have access to medical assistance, schools, recreational facilities etc. Nonetheless, at times we have gone to the other extreme and we see children in the First World with such overabundance as to create problems; problems of boredom, of not having to make any kind of effort, of finding no meaning to life. We are happy that the material situation of children in so many First World countries has improved but we must make an enormous effort to change the situation of youngsters in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

2. Today we hear much talk of the missionary calling of the entire Church. Can it be said that the Missionary Childhood, in giving children missionary responsibility, anticipated this openness by more than 100 years?

          De Forbin Janson's initiative was extraordinary: Who gave any thought to children in those days? Who thought of giving them the opportunity to serve the Church's missionary ideal? Giving children themselves the chance to be missionaries, the chance to think in a missionary fashion, was a truly brilliant idea. We know that in his time De Forbin Janson spoke with Paulina Jaricot, foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, because he thought that children could constitute the infants' branch of that society. However Jaricot - and I believe wisely so - suggested he form another institution and thus De Forbin Janson founded the Missionary Childhood. With great foresight, De Forbin Janson saw the great possibilities children have to work for the Gospel all over the world. This is not simply a concession, it is a missionary responsibility: children have their place in the Church. The Pope insistently reminds us that children are his great / little collaborators; they are not just the future of the Church but also her present.

3. Can the testimony of a child more easily reach the heart of an adult than the testimony of other adults?

        I believe so. Two years ago when we celebrated COMLA VI (the Latin American Missionary Congress) in Paraná, Argentina, which normally brings together some 3000 adults, for the first time we also included 300 children. The children's testimony was very interesting and deeply impressed the adults. We always seek to bear in mind Jesus' own predilection for children, as when he said to His Apostles: "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19, 14).

4. We know that one of the most important gatherings of the Missionary Childhood is the Latin American Meeting of Missionary Childhood (ELIM). From now on this will be known as ECIAM; what is the reason for this change and what does it mean?

         Large meetings of the Missionary Childhood have been held in Latin America for some time now. Next year in Costa Rica, we are going to celebrate what should be ELIM IV (i.e., the Fourth Latin American Meeting of Missionary Childhood) but what will in fact be ECIAM I (i.e., the First Continental Meeting of Missionary Childhood and Adolescence). This is because we now have the additional presence of Canada, the United States, the English-speaking Caribbean and Haiti. We have chosen missionary adolescence as the theme because many of the adolescents in the Church's missionary movement were members of the Missionary Childhood and many of these adolescents and young missionaries work with infants as animators. Consequently, we felt it right to give them their due importance and deeply examine the entire psychological-educational side of the question, trying to help them understand the valuable contribution they are giving now and can give in the future.

5. We know that Schools for Missionary Animators (SOMA) have arisen in Latin American. Are such movements also growing in Africa and Asia?

          It is indeed the case that we first experimented with Schools for Missionary Animators in South America, but we have also seen them prove a success in Asia and Africa. This is because SOMA is basically a school that involves us, one that makes us participate and brings us together. The national directors themselves tell us of the schools' success; they want to do still more at a national, diocesan and parish level. We expect great things from them.

6. To whom must the Missionary Childhood look in order to expand: to bishops, to pastors or to children?

I would say to all of them, but above all to children who are the leading players in the Missionary Childhood. Obviously, if pastors and bishops become convinced of the power children have to influence other children, their parents etc. - in other words, if they become converts to the ideal of creating a space for children - then the battle is more or less won.

Thankfully there has been a change of attitude over the last few years. In my travels, I see many bishops, pastors and pastoral workers who show a great interest in children in general and in the Missionary Childhood in particular. Indeed, because of the good results of the SOMA some Asian bishops now want one organized for them. For this reason in Sri Lanka in September 2001, we are going to have a SOMA for 25 Asian bishops.

7. A closing message for the children?

           In keeping with the Holy Father's own example, we are convinced of the value of children. I would ask them to always bear in mind this great dream of our founder Msg. De Forbin Janson: Children can help themselves and they can help other children, especially those who suffer because they are poor or because they do not know Christ; or for both those reasons. In this Jubilee Year, we have seen how the Pope's first thought was with the children. The Jubilee of Children preceded all other Jubilee celebrations for priests, bishops athletes etc. Now children know they are important, but they must express this importance in concrete actions, becoming missionaries in their own areas and their own lives.