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VI. MISSIONARY ANIMATION
IN THE PARTICULAR AND UNIVERSAL CHURCH
Summary: Introduction. - 1. The missionary nature of the particular or local
Church. - 2. Particular Church and permanent signs of evangelization: A)
Permanent signs of the implantation of the Church; B) Ministerial
priesthood; C) The laity; D) Consecrated life. - 3. The distribution of
apostolic forces. - 4. Promoters of the missionary spirit: A) Animation
and cooperation; B) Missionary Institutes; C) The Pontifical Missionary
Societies; D) Coordination of services for animation; E) The community's
missionary formation. - 5. Towards the missionary diocese. - 6. Bodies
for direction and coordination.
Introduction
Living the mission also means undertaking to make the Christian community
missionary, and especially the particular or local Church. The universal
Church's missionary dimension, or the missionary nature of the Church, finds
its concrete application in the ecclesial community called a diocese, and in
every Christian community.
So missionary spirituality means living the mission in its ecclesial
aspect. Being the Church means committing oneself to a universal and permanent
mission. The Church's missionary nature (AG 2 and 5) must be lived by every
Christian and by every ecclesial community. With Baptism we become part of the
Church which is the «universal sacrament of salvation» (AG 1 and LG 48).
This does not mean that there should be only the generous cooperation of
a few, but it means reorganizing all personal and community life in view of the
worldwide evangelization. It is the particular Church as such that is
missionary and not only individuals or single institutions.
Present-day evangelization will receive a new impulse when the local
Church or diocese is reorganized in a missionary perspective. In the
concluding discourse of the 1974 Synod of Bishops Paul VI said: «we greet with
paternal affection the local Churches, all of them engaged in evangelizing» (27
October 1974).
Before a new stage of evangelization, with new difficulties and great
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possibilities, the development of all the local Church's institutions in
relation to this new reality can prepare a new missionary revival.
Reorganizing the local Church in a missionary sense does not mean only,
or principally, making sure that one diocese helps another, but it means that
the whole diocese or Christian community must be oriented towards the whole
universal Church.
Nor is it a question of juridical competencies and relations between the
particular Church and missionary bodies. Every missionary institute and any
person who cooperates in missionary work must be conscious of belonging to the
particular Church: the one to which he belongs or in which he has been formed
as a Christian, and the particular Church or new Christian community that is
helped. The goal of missionary activity is to create «self-sufficient» local
Churches. The purpose of the missionary cooperation of the particular Churches
is to ensure that the whole Church, as such, gives this cooperation consciously
and responsibly.
Especially today the vitality of a particular Church has universal
repercussions.
1. The missionary nature of the particular or local Church
The particular Church is a concrete expression of the universal Church.
It is also called a diocese or a local Church since in it the universal Church
takes on concrete form in space and time and in it «the one, holy, catholic and
apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and active» (ChD 11).
The missionary nature of the particular Church comes from the this
condition of being an expression of the universal Church, which of its nature,
is missionary1.
1 ? Aa.Vv., Chiesa locale e inculturazione nella missione, Roma, Urbaniana University Press 1987; H. De Lubac, Les Eglises particulières dans l'Eglise universelle, Paris, Aubier-Montange 1971; G. Ghirlanda, Universal Church, Particular Church and Local Church at the second Vatican Council and in the New Code of Canon Law, in: Vatican II Assesment and Perspectives, twuenty Years after (1962-1987), vol. II, New York, Paulist Press 1989; L.E. Legazpi, The Theology of the Particular Church in the new Code, «Philippiniana Sacra» 21 (1986) 245-257; H.M. Legrand, Nature de l'Eglise particulière et rôle de l'Evêque dans l'Eglise, in: La Charge pastorale des Evêques, Paris 1969; J. Manathodath, The Inculturation of the Local Churches according to the Teaching of Pope Paul VI, Rome (Diss.) 1984; R. Rossignol, Vatican II and the Missionary Responsability of the Particular Church, «Indian Theological Studies» 17 (1980) 34-46; X. Seumois, Les Eglises particulières, in: L'activité missionnaire de l'Eglise, Paris 1967, 281-299; J.M.R. Tillard, Eglise d'Eglises, écclésiologie de communion, Paris, Cerf 1987; E. Sion, The charismatic nature of the local
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«The Church is missionary by her very nature, for Christ's mandate is not
something contingent or external, but reaches the very heart of the Church. It
follows that the universal Church and each individual Church is sent forth to
the nations... In this essential bond between the universal Church and the
particular Churches the authentic and full missionary nature of the Church
finds practical expression» (RMi 62). «Each particular Church must be generous
and open to the needs of the other Churches. Cooperation between the Churches,
in an authentic reciprocity that prepares them both to give and to receive, is
a source of enrichment for all of them and touches the various spheres of
ecclesial life» (RMi 64).
As the local Church «must represent the universal Church as perfectly as
possible, it must remember that it has been sent to those... who do not believe
in Christ» (AG 20). The missionary nature of the universal Church is found in
the particular Church, since what is said of the former must by analogy be
found also in the latter2.
Every particular Church, with its own people and institutions, shares «in
solidum» in the common responsibility for universal evangelization. The
special charisms or graces of each Christian community belong to the whole
People of God3.
So it is not a question of a separate missionary contribution of each
person or institution, but of cooperation as members of a particular Church.
It is thus necessary to safeguard the principle of complementarity and leave a
margin for the initiative and responsibility of each person and institution.
The vitality of a particular Church is manifested in its co-
responsibility in worldwide evangelization. The graces received are preserved
if they serve for the good of the whole Church and all mankind4. «Receptivity
to the wealth of the individual Church corresponds to a special sensitivity of
modern man»5.
The missionary nature of the particular Church in its ecclesial reality
Church, «Africa Ecclesiastical Review» 18 (1976) 160-165; S.J. Ukpong, The local Church and missionary consciousness, in: Portare Cristo all'uomo, II, Rome, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1985, 559-578; M. Zago, Universal Church and Local Churches: Respective Tasks in the Encounter of the Gospel with Cultures, «Omnis Terra» 11 (1977) 197-207.
2 ? «Mystici Corporis Christi», AAS 35 (1943) 193-248.
3 ? LG 26; ChD 11.
4 ? AG 36-37; LG 13.
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is manifested as:
- an image of the universal Church
- a part or expression of the universal Church
- the presence or realization of the universal Church
- the incarnation of the universal Church6.
Speaking of the missionary dimension of the universal and particular
Church, we should avoid two extremes: «Each individual Church that would
voluntarily cut itself off from the universal Church would lose its
relationship to God's plan and would be impoverished in its ecclesial
dimension. But, at the same time, a Church toto orbe diffusa would become an
abstraction if she did not take body and life precisely through the individual
Churches»7.
Speaking of the missionary nature of the particular Church, we should
remember the already established Church (in a Christian country) and the Church
that is starting (in a mission land). The missionary nature of both is the
same. If the former should reorganize persons and institutions with a view to
helping the universal Church, the latter should be formed from the very
beginning in this same perspective. The vitality of both is measured by their
own basic missionary dimension; not necessarily by the total number of
personnel or financial means sent. The process that leads the new local Church
to be «self-sufficient» becomes more authentic and reaches its own maturity
when, from the very beginning, the Christian community gets used to giving and
giving itself to the universal Church (AG 6).
2. Particular Church and permanent signs of universal evangelization
A) Permanent signs of the implantation of the Church
The particular Church can be considered established when it permanently
possesses the signs of the Church: prophecy or service of the Word, the
Eucharist and the sacraments, pastoral care of souls and charitable services.
Only then is the ecclesial community a community of prayer or of charity.
Though they always share in the Church's pilgrim condition, these signs
are permanent when they are established by local people who have accepted
responsibility for every service, in keeping with their different vocations and
5 ? «Evangelii Nuntiandi» 62.
6 ? LG 23 and 26; ChD 11; «Evangelii Nuntiandi» 62; RMi 64.
7 ? «Evangelii Nuntiandi» 62.
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charisms. Moreover, every permanent sign of evangelization (word, sacrament,
apostolic-charitable activity) must be served by three states of life: lay,
consecrated life, priestly.
So «implanting the Church» means establishing the permanent signs of
evangelization in every human community. This is the goal of mission: «The
special end of this missionary activity is the evangelization and the
implanting of the Church among peoples or groups in which it has not yet taken
root» (AG 6).
In every particular Church, the permanent signs of evangelization are
ecclesial signs that bear the action of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, in
every human community, the Church becomes the universal «sacrament» of
salvation and of union with God and with all one's brothers and sisters8. In
this reality of the particular Church it is obvious that people and structures
are one aspect of the Church's sacramental and missionary nature, and of the
«signs» that announce and bear the presence and action of the Risen Christ.
The invisible action of the Spirit and of the risen Jesus become part of
the visible ecclesial signs, forming a unity within the pluralism of services
and charisms or graces. The permanent sign of the ministerial priesthood,
especially the episcopate, is the principle of unity in every particular
Church, just as the Pope is the principle of unity for the universal Church and
for the episcopal Collegiality (LG 23).
It can be said that the missionary dimension of the particular Church
depends to a great extent on the collaboration of everyone in the missionary
responsibility of their own bishop. He is the principle of unity in each
Church: but this unity exists and is vital if the whole community feels
missionary. Every member of the particular Church must feel united to this
missionary responsibility of their own bishop: «All bishops, as members of the
body of bishops which succeeds the college of the apostles, are consecrated not
for one diocese alone, but for the salvation of the whole world» (AG 38); «by
8 ? LG 1 and 48; AG 1. See: Y.M. Congar, Principes doctrinaux, in: L'activité missionnaire de l'Eglise, Paris, Cerf 1967, 185-221; P. Giglioni, The Church's Missionary Activity, in: Mission for the third Millennium, o.c., 169-212; R.E. Hedlund, The mission of the Church in the world: a Biblical theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House 1991; J. López Gay, Sentido misional del «edificar» la Iglesia en San Pablo, «Misiones Extranjeras» 60 (1968) 477-490; E. Nunnenmacher, The missionary nature of the Church, in: Mission for the third Millennium, 105-168; (Synodus Episcoporum), Ecclesia sub Verbo Dei mysteria Christi celebrans pro salute mundi, Relatio finalis, Lib. Edit. Vaticana 1985.
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divine institution and by virtue of their apostolic office, all of them jointly
are responsible for the Church» (ChD 6); «the task of announcing the Gospel in
the whole world belongs to the body of pastors» (LG 23). So bishop share «in
the solicitude of all the Churches, ... in communion with the Supreme Pontiff
and subject to his authority» (ChD 3)9.
Since every Christian is a member of a particular Church, he or she must
collaborate to make this Church a «sacrament» of worldwide unity. The purpose
of the permanent signs of evangelization, those in which all are engaged, is to
make the particular Church a communion: a communion among all the members of
this same Church, a communion among all the Churches, a communion in the
mission of evangelizing the whole human family.
It could be said that every particular Church becomes a «sacrament» of
the God of Love to the extent in which it lives this universal mission, namely,
if it lives this communion according to the three levels described. The
missionary nature of a particular Church is the measure of its ecclesial
sacramental nature and vitality.
B) Ministerial priesthood
The signs of prophecy, priesthood and kingship have a special tone when
they are a service of the ministerial priesthood or apostolic ministry. The
presence of this service to act in the name and person of Christ the Head is
essential in every particular Church (PO 2). In this case the prophetic
service is called «magisterium», the service for worship consists mainly in
making Christ the victim of the Eucharist present, the kingly service is
rendered by continuing the redeeming action of Christ the Good Shepherd, the
service of salvation is accomplished in making Christ's redeeming action
present in some sacraments, etc. This priestly service is so important that
generally a particular Church is considered mature when it has a sufficient
9 ? On the universal aspect of Collegiality, see: W. Bertrams, De Episcopis quoad universam Ecclesiam, «Periodica» 55 (1966) 153-169; M. Bonet, Solicitud pastoral de los obispos en su dimensión universal, in: La función pastoral de los obispos, Salamanca 1967; L'Episcopat et l'Eglise universelle, Unam Sanctam 39 (1962); H.M. Legrand, Nature de l'Eglise particulière et rôle de l'Evêque dans l'Eglise, en: La Charge pastorale des Evêques, Paris 1969; W. Onclin, Les évêques et l'Eglise universelle, in: La charge pastorale des Evêques, o.c., 87-101; J. Saraiva Martins, Il dovere missionario dei Pastori, en: Chiesa e missione (Roma, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana, 1990) 141-157. «Fidei Donum», AAS 49 (1957) 237. «Redemptor Hominis», n. 5: AAS 71 (1979) 257-324.
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number of priests or ministers10.
The gift received in priestly ordination has the universal mission of
Christ as its objective (PO 10; cf. AG 38-39; LG 28; PDV 18). The post-
conciliar documents stressed this missionary obligation of priests (EN 68; RMi
67-68; can. 529). «The priestly vocation is also missionary» (John Paul II,
Letter for Holy Thursday 1979).
Priestly life is a participation in the Good Shepherd's mission of
totality and universalism: «giving one's life», serving all without forgetting
the «other sheep» (Jn 10:1-18; 15:1-7). The conciliar documents of Vatican II,
which bring together the biblical and ecclesial tradition, present the
priesthood as a participation in the being, mission and life style of the Good
Shepherd. Priests are ontologically configured to Christ as «sharers in his
consecration and mission» (PO 2) so that they may be his «living instruments»
(PO 12).
The purpose of this priestly configuration to Christ is to «build up the
Body of Christ, the Church» (PO 12). Only in the light of this missionary
dimension can one fully understand the reality of «working in the name and
person» of Christ the Head and Good Shepherd (cf. PO 2-6).
The priest is the qualified animator of the ecclesial missionary
community, particularly starting from the local Church or diocese, always
within the perspective of the universal Church. The goal of the ministerial
service in the particular Church is to make it an echo and concrete expression
of the whole Church since «the local Church must represent the universal Church
as perfectly as possible» (AG 20). It is in her that «the one, catholic and
apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and active» (CD 11). The priest
helps the ecclesial community to reach the maturity of being an «implanted»
Church and thus responsible for the universal missionary dimension (cf. AG 6)11.
The priestly mission is exercised as cooperation with the episcopal order
10 ? PO 10; LG 28; AG 6,19-20,37; RMi 67-68.
11 ? On missionary spirituality of the priests, see chap. 3, note 13. C. Bertola, I have called you Friends, Sacramental, Theological and Existential Aspects of Priestly Fraternity, New York, Alba House 1989; J. Esquerda Bifet, Priestly Spirituality, Sign of Christ, Barrackpore, W.B., Morning Star Col. 1974; Idem, The priest's missionary spirituality and availability according to the Apostolic Exhortation «Pastores Dabo Vobis», «Omnis Terra» n.234 (1993) 24-29; J. Saraiva Martins, The Missionary Formation of Priests in the light of the 1990 Synod of Bishops and the «Pastores dabo vobis», in: Mission for the third Millennium, o.c., 335-361. See: Directory for the ministry and life of the priests (Congregation for the Clergy 1994).
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(cf. LG 28; AG 39) within the particular Church and within the brotherhood of
the Presbyterium. The Bishop, the diocese and the Presbyterium, by their very
nature, are prone to local and universal missionary activity.
The whole particular Church (diocese) must be «aware of being sent» to
all nations (AG 20; cf. AG 37; can. 782 and 291). The priestly ministry is a
privileged instrument for animating the whole ecclesial community for the
missions.
Due to the fact that they are the necessary cooperators of the Bishop and
of the episcopal order (LG 28; CD 28; AG 39), priests are called to fulfil the
missionary responsibility of the Bishop and the particular Church.
C) The laity
The service of the laity is carried out by introducing the signs of
prophecy, priesthood and kingship in human structures as from within and like
leaven (LG 31 and 36). It is not a service for replacing the priest. So a
particular Church cannot consider itself mature until there are lay people who
are permanently faithful to their own responsibility. «Lay people, whose
particular vocation places them in the midst of the world and in charge of the
most varied temporal tasks, must for this very reason exercise a very special
form of evangelization»12.
The specific nature of lay cooperation in the first proclamation (mission
«ad gentes») comes from the lay vocation itself: being an evangelical leaven in
human structures from within, within the Church's communion and responsibility.
The encyclical «Redemptoris Missio» speaks of this «specific contribution» on a
prophetic, priestly and kingly level, according to their «secular character»
and of the fact that they «are called to seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in
temporal affairs and ordering these in accordance with the will of God» (RMi
71). In fact the lay state is a particular participation in the Church's
evangelizing activity both in the field of proclamation (prophecy) and in that
of liturgical celebration (worship, priesthood), and also in the spread of the
Kingdom and in charitable social services (kingship or pastoral work). The
evangelizing responsibility is always one of proclamation, celebration and
communication of Christ's paschal mystery13.
12 ? EN 70; AG 41; RMi 71-72.
13 ? Cf. LG 31; GS 38; AA 2, 6, 13; EN 70-73; CFL, passim; can. 225. On missionary spirituality of the laity see chap. 3 note 19. J. Aumann, The role of the Laity in the Church and in the World, «Angelicum» 65 (1988) 157-169; J.
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The laity are essential for the mission «ad gentes» and for the
«plantatio Ecclesiae»: «The Church is not truly established and does not fully
live, nor is a perfect sign of Christ unless there is a genuine laity working
alongside the hierarchy» (AG 21). Consequently, the contribution of the lay
faithful to the mission «ad gentes» will be in «the younger Churches... an
essential and undeniable element in the plantatio Ecclesiae» (RMi 72).
The fields where the laity are present and active, also within the sphere
of the first evangelization, can be individuated both within the Church
(«services, functions, ministries and ways of promoting the Christian life»),
and within society (family, charitable services, youth, politics, economics,
secular work, culture, education, means of social communication...). It always
involves impregnating human realities with the «Gospel spirit» (cf. RMi 72; EN
70).
By its very nature this specific characteristic of the lay apostolate and
identity involves the insertion of the Gospel values (truth, justice, peace,
freedom, love...) in society. «The laity enjoy a principle role in the
universal fulfilment of this task» (LG 36). This is mainly because of Christ's
missionary command. But we must also consider that without the universalistic
perspective this lay work of the «incarnation» of Christian values in human
realities would not be possible. In fact, peace, justice and freedom have no
boundaries; with limits and reductions, these values would never be attainable.
D) Consecrated life
In order to reach maturity, every particular Church must possess the
permanent sign of eschatology and of the final restoration. This is the sign
of consecrated life or of the practice of the evangelical counsels. Without
this sign or without these vocations, which are awakened in the local Christian
community, the diocesan Church could not consider itself mature. So «religious
have a special importance in the context of the witness which... is of prime
importance in evangelization»14.
One of the fundamental signs of evangelization is prayer life, especially
Anderson, E. Jones, Ministry of the Laity, New York 1986; Y.M. Congar, Priest and Layman, London, Darton 1967; L. Doohan, Laity's Mission in the Local Church: Setting a new Direction, San Francisco, Harper and Row 1986; J. Esquerda Bifet, The missionary spirituality of the Laity, «Omnis terra» n.173 (1987) 48-58; P. Giglioni, Lay Ministries and Services for the Mission, «Omnis Terra» 21 (1987) 266-284; D. Spada, The Laity and their Mission in the Development of Modern Theology, in: Elements for a Theology of the Laity, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1979, 19-56.
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liturgical and contemplative prayer. There will be the due maturity in the
particular Church to the extent in which there are, as a sign and incentive,
communities of prayer and vocations to contemplative life. «In this
perspective one perceives the role played in evangelization by religious men
and women consecrated to prayer, silence, penance and sacrifice»15.
Institutes of «consecrated life» have a special responsibility for the
universal mission «ad gentes». The history of evangelization «ad gentes» gives
us some unforgettable witnesses to this responsibility. There are three
principal facts that have encouraged mission: the grace of baptism brought to
the expression of consecrated life, the grace of consecration through the
permanent practice of the evangelical counsels, the specific charism of each
Institute. The encyclical «Redemptoris Missio» repeats the doctrine of the new
Code: members of Institutes of Consecrated Life, «because of the dedication to
the service of the Church deriving from their very consecration, have an
obligation to play a special part in missionary activity, in a manner
appropriate to their Institute» (can. 783; RMi 69).
Mission derives from consecration as a participation in Jesus'
consecration and mission (Lk 4:18; cf. can. 758). The «sequela Christi» would
be inconceivable without the responsibility to bear witness to the Gospel
beyond one's own limits of geography, race and culture and also beyond the
limits of one's own local Church. «The Church needs to make known the great
Gospel values of which she is the bearer. No one witnesses more effectively to
these values than those who profess the consecrated life in chastity, poverty
and obedience, in a total gift of self to God and in complete readiness to
serve man and society after the example of Christ» (RMi 69).
«Ad Gentes» and «Evangelii Nuntiandi» give a good summary of the
missionary dimension of (contemplative and active) consecrated life. They
«have up to this time played, and still play, the greatest part in the
evangelization of the world» (AG 40). «Religious... find in their consecrated
life a privileged means of effective evangelization. At the deepest level of
their being they are caught up in the dynamism of the Church's life, which is
thirsty for the divine Absolute... They embody the Church in her desire to
give herself completely to the radical demands of the beatitudes. By their
lives they are a sign of total availability to God, the Church and the
14 ? EN 69; AG 40; RMi 69-70.
15 ? EN 69.
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brethren. As such they have a special importance in the context of the witness
which, as we have said, is of prime importance in evangelization. At the same
time as being a challenge to the world and to the Church herself, this silent
witness of poverty and abnegation, of purity and sincerity, of self-sacrifice
in obedience, can become an eloquent witness» (EN 69). The «hidden apostolic
fruitfulness» of contemplative life (PC 7) is explained by «Ad Gentes»:
«Institutes of the contemplative life, by their prayers, penances and trials,
are of the greatest importance in the conversion of souls since it is in prayer
that God sends workers into his harvest, opens the minds of non-Christians to
hear the Gospel and makes fruitful the word of salvation in their hearts» (AG
40).
Among the apostolic values of consecrated life the theme of «virginity
for the sake of the Kingdom» emerges, which «is transformed into a motherhood
in the spirit that is rich and fruitful. It is precisely the mission ad gentes
that offers them vast scope for "the gift of self with love in a total and
undivided manner"» (RMi 70)16.
3. The distribution of apostolic forces
The Second Vatican Council indicated the need for a greater distribution
of apostolic forces. All members of the ecclesial community are involved in
this problem: Bishops, priests, religious, laity (cf. CD 6,22-23; PO 10; AA
2,10; PC 20; AG 35-41; PDV 74).
Immediately after the celebration of Vatican II the Motu Proprio
Ecclesiae Sanctae (6-8-66) gave instructions that «a special council shall be
instituted at the Apostolic See to lay down general principles to secure,
taking account of the needs of the various Churches, a more suitable
distribution of clergy» (Ecclesiae Sanctae 1,1).
The «norms» of the Congregation for the Clergy (Postquam Apostoli, 25-4-
80) give doctrinal and practical guidelines for apostolic help to the younger
or more needy Churches. The title of this document is a real programme: «Norms
for cooperation among local Churches and for a better distribution of the
clergy». The encyclical «Redemptoris Missio» insists on these guidelines (RMi
64).
16 ? On missionary spirituality of consecrated life see chap. 3 note 20. M. Azevedo, Vocation for Mission: the Challenge of Religious Life Today, New York, Paulist Press 1988; J. Garcia Martin, The missionary duty of Institutes of Consacrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, «Omnis Terra» n. 226 (1992) 120-125.
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It is not sufficient to indicate some theological principles for the
missionary responsibility of every vocation, but is it necessary also to
indicate concrete ways and obligations. The document on the distribution of
clergy insists on studies of reality, on the revision of life and on the
concrete planning of the missionary apostolate.
There are two basic errors that slow down the process of evangelization
and at the same time ruin the vitality of the particular Church and the
Christian communities: the lack of availability for the universal mission and
the wrong distribution of apostolic forces. The lack of availability is the
main reason for the second error.
If one lives missionary spirituality and one carries out an adequate
missionary activity in the particular Church, a missionary conscience is
awakened that is then manifested in a fair distribution of apostles and
apostolic means.
The number of vocations is an indication of vitality, but it is also the
fruit of a previous sowing. This same index decreases when the missionary
spirit decreases. The charisms of each particular Church are preserved if they
are placed at the disposal of the universal Church.
The purpose of the distribution of apostolic forces is to share the gifts
received with other sister Churches so that every Christian community may be
«self-sufficient» and help others (AG 16). But the distribution of these
forces is not directed only to mission countries, but to every diocese, to
every region and nation. In fact, in every age, and particularly in our own
age, socio-economic changes produce a situation of inequality. Migration, the
change from the agrarian society to the industrial society, wars, centres of
interests, etc., create new situations and bring together enormous masses of
people (sometimes, baptised) which lack even the most elementary religious
assistance. The missionary nature of the Church helps us to discover our
mutual responsibility in these common problems.
In spite of this, the distribution of apostolic workers cannot be made
either through simple statistics or obligatory dispositions. An awareness of a
missionary responsibility that goes far beyond the boundaries of one's own
ecclesial community must be created. Above all one must rely on the generosity
of many people who will be ready for overall pastoral work or for missionary
cooperation.
A numerical distribution or territorial distribution is not sufficient.
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It is necessary to concentrate on the quality of the people prepared for a
specialized mission. And it is also necessary to concentrate on the crucial
points of our society with a view to the future. Successes in the field of
evangelization have always been prepared through a previous work and through
the sacrifices of many.
The distribution is necessary both in rich Churches and in poor Churches.
The former in order to reorganize their scope and services, eliminating what is
less urgent. The latter to make use of the forces that are sent to them so
that they may create their own evangelizing forces within certain time limits.
From the very beginning the ecclesial community that receives must create
within itself an awareness of having to give something of its own resources to
the universal Church. There is no Church so rich that it does not need to
receive; nor is there a Church so poor that it cannot give to others.
A specialization by apostles would strengthen the available forces and so
would influence the more needy sectors and those with greater repercussions:
liturgy, catechesis, means of social communication, centres of formation,
youth, etc.
The vitality of a particular Church is the wellspring for an equitable
distribution of apostles. So, rather than concentrating directly on
distribution, the particular Church must be «animated» so that it will awaken
an effective awareness of the worldwide mission.
In the concrete plan of distribution, the doctrinal or pastoral formation
of apostles must be guaranteed as well as their deep spiritual formation,
accompanied by great availability. When suitable means are available, fewer
personnel are needed. And the same can be said when there is harmony among the
various apostles (laity, religious, priestly ministers), each in accordance
with his or her own vocation and charism.
Fewer personnel are needed when there is pastoral planning on a diocesan,
interdiocesan, national and international level.
The specialization of services and centres of formation strengthens the
personnel and avoids useless sacrifices. Moreover, many organisms work better
when they are at the common service of various dioceses: centres for doctrinal
and pastoral formation, organisms for interecclesial service, etc.
Within this whole problem we must also consider the present effectiveness
of common work or overall pastoral work. We see an indication of this in the
tendency for unity that is seen in our society.
14
The main reason for the distribution of apostles always remains the
nature of the Church which requires a Christian communication also in what
regards apostolic resources17.
4. Promoters of the missionary Spirit
A) Animation and cooperation
Missionary «animation» denotes a pastoral activity that allows people,
institutions and Christian communities to really live the universal missionary
spirituality and responsibility. So it means reorganizing personal and
community life with a view to mission.
This pastoral activity should be carried out mainly in the particular
Church since, as we have already seen, it is missionary of its very nature.
All those who have some responsibility in this pastoral activity have their own
specific form of participation, according to their own vocation.
Particular attention must be paid above all to the missionary dimension
of children and young people, of centres for formation, of prayer and
contemplation centres, of people who suffer, of apostolic lay movements, of
consecrated life (institutes of perfection) and of priestly life.
It is not only a matter of an occasional, more or less generous,
cooperation in the missionary field, but it means orienting the whole of life
and all institutes to the missions from the very beginning, since the Church's
nature is missionary. Spirituality, prayer life and the life of the
apostolate, the vocational field, liturgical life, etc., of their very nature
need a profound missionary orientation.
Also institutions and structures should be planned according to the
missionary spirit. This will be manifested both in financial and educational
plans, and in statutes or rules of life and programmes in general. The
structures that need to be influenced may be local (parish, small community,
diocese...), regional, national or international. Everything should bear the
17 ? Aa.Vv., Chiesa locale e cooperazione tra le Chiese, Bologna, EMI 1973; Aa.Vv., The world is my parish, Rome, Congregation for the Clergy 1971. J. Esquerda Bifet, La distribución del clero, teología, pastoral, derecho, Burgos 1972; Idem, Cooperación entre Iglesias particulares y distribución de efectivos apostólicos, «Euntes Docete» 34 (1981) 427-454; R. Zecchin, I sacerdoti fidei donum, una maturazione storica ed ecclesiale della misionarietà della Chiesa, Roma, Pont. Opere Missionarie 1990. See the document of the Congregation for the Clergy on the distribution of apostles: Notae directivae de mutua Ecclesiarum particularium cooperatione promovenda ac praesertim de aptiore cleri distributione, «Postquam Apostoli» (25.3.80): AAS 72 (1980) 343-364 (EV 7, 232-281).
15
imprint of universal evangelization. The vitality of people and structures are
measured by the extent in which they live and feel the missionary vocation.
The means of cooperation are the normal means indicated by the missionary
encyclicals: prayer, sacrifice, suffering, vocations, economic aid, missionary
formation, coordination by the Pontifical Missionary Societies... In spite of
this there are new aspects among which the following emerge: the organization
of the sick («the sick themselves become missionaries», RMi 78), the importance
of specific missionary vocations («a full and lifelong commitment to the work
of the missions», RMi 79), the meaning of help (giving generously and knowing
how to receive other Christian values), new forms of cooperation (tourism,
migration, missionary returnees, cultural groups), the teaching of missionary
theology, the evangelical task of animation and cooperation («the poor are
hungry for God», RMi 83).
The concrete goals of missionary animation can be reduced to the
following:
- to create a mentality, presenting the Church's doctrine (Gospel,
teaching, theology...) (AG 29, 36-39; RMi 83);
- to arouse spiritual cooperation: prayer, sacrifice, personal dedication
to the missionary cause... (AG 36; RMi 78);
- to promote missionary vocations, especially lifelong missionary
vocations (missionary Institutes, missionary origin of the particular
Church...) (AG 23, 27; RMi 32, 65-66, 79);
- to encourage a fair distribution of apostolic forces (LG 23; ChD 6; RMi
68);
- to contribute financially to the needs of particular communities and
especially to cooperate with the whole universal Church through the services of
the Pontifical Missionary Societies and the Congregation for the Evangelization
of Peoples (AG 38);
- to coordinate efforts for animation and cooperation through the Roman
Dicastery, the Episcopal Conferences and the Pontifical Missionary Societies,
according to cases and jurisdictions (AG 29)18.
18 ? See the theme in the pontifical missionary documents: «Maximum illud», part three; «Rerum Ecclesiae», part two; «Saeculo Exeunte», n. 170; «Evangelii Praecones», part three. Also in chapter VI of «Ad Gentes» and in chapter VII of «Redemptoris Missio». Aa.Vv., Missione ad gentes, Chiesa locale, Istituti Missionari, Bologna, Emi 1985; M. Bianchi, The Missionary Animation of ecclesial communities, in: Mission for the third Millennium, Rome (Bangalore), PUM 1933, 241-172; J. Esquerda Bifet, Pastoral for a missionary Church, Rome, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1993 (chap. 11); B. Jacqueline, L'organisation de la
16
Animators born of the missionary spirit are parents, priests, educators,
rectors of Seminaries and houses of formation, spiritual directors, novice
masters, leaders of apostolic movements, etc. But the most normal means for a
comprehensive animation are those that exist in those particular Churches that
have a pastoral plan (Pastoral Council, Vicariates for pastoral work, Diocesan
Secretariats or Centres for the missions, etc.).
B) Missionary Institutes
People who have received the specific missionary vocation, especially if
they have already acquired a vast experience of missionary service «ad gentes»
have a privileged place in this missionary animation of the particular Church.
As well as being aimed at their own missionary Institute, their work of
animation must above all have as its goal a more universal animation and
cooperation, i.e. they must strive to animate institutions of the universal
Church and the particular Church. Missionary Institutes were created for
direct cooperation in the missions, not for missionary promotion in itself;
members of these Institutes will be people who are very well prepared for
missionary promotion if they work in the dimension of the particular and
universal Church.
«While acknowledging the validity of various ways of being involved in
missionary activity, it is necessary at the same time to reaffirm that a full
and lifelong commitment to the work of the missions hold pride of place,
especially in missionary Institutes and Congregations. Promoting such
vocations is at the heart of missionary cooperation... In some countries,
while monetary contributions are on the increase, missionary vocations... are
in danger of disappearing» (RMi 79).
C) The Pontifical Missionary Societies
Some institutions for missionary promotion started through private
initiatives and have remained on the same level; they have the advantage of
spontaneity. Others were created or adopted from more or less official
institutions; they have the advantage of an organization and some backing. Some
institutions give concrete and specialized services. Others organize and
coordinate all the missionary promotion in the Christian community. Among the
coopération missionnaire après le concile oecuménique Vatican II, «L'Année Canonique» 18 (1974) 125-140; A. Jousten, Animation missionnaire ou animation d'une Eglise missionnaire, «Eglise et Mission» n.199 (1975) 43-48. See note 19.
17
latter the Pontifical Missionary Societies hold pride of place for the fact
that they are the organ of animation used by the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples and the Episcopal Conferences (in the respective
Episcopal Commissions and their Diocesan Secretariats)19.
Each of the Pontifical Missionary Societies is responsible for a definite
and fundamental field of missionary promotion. One of the aims of the Society
for the Propagation of the Faith is «to awaken an interest in worldwide
evangelization in all sectors of the People of God - families, basic
communities, parishes, schools, movements, associations - so that each Diocese
may become aware, at all levels, of its worldwide missionary vocation»20. The
Society of St. Peter Apostle is a service «to awaken Christian peoples to the
problem of training local clergy in the mission Churches»21. The Society of the
Holy Childhood «is at the service of the local Churches, to help educators to
awaken progressively a missionary awareness in children (and young people), so
as to lead them to a sharing of spiritual and material resources with children
in regions and Churches that are less well-off in this regard»22. The
Pontifical Missionary Union is at the special service of the Pontifical
Missionary Societies; its purpose is «to stimulate growth in mission awareness
among priests, men and women religious.. among candidates to the priestly and
to the religious life, as well as among persons engaged in the pastoral
ministry of the Church. Briefly, the Union addresses itself to those who are
called to animate the People of God»23.
19 ? «Regimini Ecclesiae Universae» 85; AG 29, 38; «Ecclesiae Sanctae» III, 7, 11, 13; can. 791; RMi 84. See studies on cooperation in the previous note. O. Degrijse, Les Oeuvres Pontificales Missionnaires et l'évangelisation, «Eglise et Mission» 4 (1983) 2-14; Progetto missione, Progetto educativo per l'animazione e la cooperazione missionaria delle Pontificie Opere Missionarie, Roma 1990. Relationship with missionary Institutes: Aa.Vv., Missione ad gentes, Chiesa locale, Istituti missionari, Bologna, EMI 1985.
20 ? Statutes, art. II, 9a. (Published by the PMS). Cf. Vademecum, Rome, International Secretariat Pontifical Missionary Union 1963.
21 ? Ibidem, art. II, II-15.
22 ? Ibidem. art. II, III,17.
23 ? Ibidem, art. II, IV, 23. See: Graves et Increscentes» AAS 58 (1966) 750-756. On the missionary formation of priests, consult the document of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, in: Guida delle missioni cattoliche, 1975. The Pope has entrusted a new task to the Pontifical Missionary Societies: «Another purpose of the Missionary Societies is the fostering of lifelong vocations ad gentes, in both the older and younger
18
D) Coordination in services for animation
All these services should operate: 1) in keeping with their own charism
and special characteristics; 2) in harmony and coordination; in a universal
missionary dimension. Coordinating these services presupposes a reference
point, which, in the particular Church can be no one but the successor of the
Apostles, the bishop, as the principle of unity for guaranteeing the specific
nature of each Institution (LG 23; CD 11; can. 369).
Every service for missionary promotion must strive above all to ensure
that the local Church recovers its missionary dimension. Apart from
cooperation among sister Churches, pastoral services on a diocesan level seek
coordination that will safeguard the autonomy and specific fields of each
service. Apart from the help they can give to diocesan services and the
Pontifical Societies, the specific purpose of Missionary Institutes (lay,
religious, priestly) is to encourage aid and vocations for their own Institute
and their own missions. The Pontifical Missionary Societies have a prime role
in forming a missionary awareness among the whole community and also in
encouraging financial aid and vocations for all the missions.
E) The community's missionary formation
Cooperation is stressed particularly also with regard to the missionary
formation of the Christian community: «Activities aimed at promoting interest
in the missions must always be geared to these specific goals: namely,
informing and forming the People of God to share in the Church's universal
mission, promoting vocations ad gentes and encouraging cooperation in the work
of evangelization» (RMi 83). But this formation requires specific preparation
in formation leaders: «Such formation is entrusted to priests and their
associates, to educators and teachers, and to theologians, particularly those
who teach in seminaries and centres for the laity. Theological training cannot
and should not ignore the Church's universal mission, ecumenism, the study of
the great religions and missiology. I recommend that such studies be
undertaken especially in seminaries and in houses of formation for men and
women Religious, ensuring that some priests or other students specialize in the
different fields of missiology» (RMi 83).
When the Church deepens her «maternal» nature in the light of Mary, she
Churches. I earnestly recommend that their promotional work be increasingly directed to this goal» (RMi 84).
19
rediscovers her missionary nature. «The Church, therefore, in her apostolic
work too, rightly looks to her who gave birth to Christ, who was thus conceived
of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that through the Church he
could be born and increase in the hearts of the faithful. In her life the
Virgin has been a model of that motherly love with which all who join in the
Church's apostolic mission for the regeneration of mankind should be animated»
(LG 65)24.
There will be a generous response to missionary cooperation when
ecclesial communities are able to come together as brothers in the Upper Room
with Mary, to listen to the word, to pray, celebrate the Eucharist, share their
resources so as to receive new graces from the Spirit in order to evangelize
the modern world (RMi 51). «Like the Apostles after Christ's Ascension, the
Church must gather in the Upper Room "together with Mary the Mother of Jesus"
(Acts 1:14), in order to pray for the Spirit and to gain strength and courage
to carry out the missionary mandate. We too, like the Apostles, need to be
transformed and guided by the Spirit» (RMi 92).
5. Towards the missionary diocese
One of the aims of pastoral activity is to make every diocese truly
missionary. The person primarily responsible for this is the Bishop: «By
arousing, fostering and directing missionary work in his own diocese, with
which he is one, the bishop makes present and, as it were, visible the
missionary spirit and zeal of the people of God, so that the whole diocese
becomes missionary» (AG 38)25.
24 ? Aa.Vv., De aspectu missionali in sacerd. form., «Seminarium» (1973), n.4; Aa.Vv., La formazione del missionario oggi, Roma, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1978; Aa.Vv., De aspectu missionali in sacerdotibus formando, «Seminarium» (1973) n. 4; P. Chiocchetta, La formazione allo spirito missionario, «Seminarium» (1979) 573-595; J. Esquerda Bifet, Pastoral for vocations and missionary formation, in: Pastoral for a Missionary Church, o.c., chap. XII; Idem, Spiritualità, vocazione e formazione missionaria, in: Chiesa e Missione, Roma, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1990, 199-225; A. Nicolas, Formation and spirituality for mission, «Est Asian Pastoral Review» 17 (1980) 104-116.142; J. Saraiva Martins, The Missionary Formation of Priests in the light of the 1990 Synod of Bishops and the «Pastores dabo vobis», in: Mission for the third Millennium, o.c., 335-361. See also: Pastoral Guide for Diocesan Priests in Churches dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Rome, 1989; (Pont. Council for Laity), The formation of the Laity, Vatican City 1987; (S.C. for Cath. Education), The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School: Guidelines for Reflection and Renewal, Rome 1988.
25 ? See: Instructio «De ordinanda cooperatione missionali Episcoporum» AAS
20
Reaching this reality of ecclesial maturity involves a pastoral process
in which all members of the particular Church are involved. At the beginning
of this chapter, we indicated the fundamental bases of the missionary nature of
the diocese. Now we must briefly analyze the evolutionary aspects that bring
us to make this necessity a concrete reality.
It is not simply a question of the fact that helpers set out with the
label of the particular Church that sends them, but it means thoroughly
reorganizing the whole diocese and all its possibilities. This missionary
projection will lead to the discovery of new possibilities for evangelization
and local apostolate.
If those sent and missionary institutions work together as a local Church
that sends, new responsibilities arise, among which we must remember the
sending itself and assistance for the apostolic personnel who are sent.
The need to reorganize the particular Church in the missionary sense
involves an entire evolutive process that affects its very heart. The shortage
of missionary vocations, for example, can mean that those that already exist
become stronger, thanks to a better pastoral coordination. This coordination
itself is a source of new vocations.
If we wish to help other Christian communities or particular Churches
(mission Churches) in their process of maturation, this help must be an
expression of the work undertaken together by all the institutions and people
who offer their help. So mission aid is an incentive to carry out pastoral
work, together, in the particular Church that sends. In this way the diocese
that sends is enriched, strengthening and coordinating all its possibilities.
The particular Church is reorganized in view of an «apostolic life» that
mainly includes three aspects:
- life of communion, in order to create responsible communities of prayer
and charity;
- evangelical generosity, in order to awaken permanent signs of Christian
perfection in the dynamics of the beatitudes;
- universal availability for missionary activity among all people and
institutions.
This does not mean that only some people and some institutions should
generously approach the missionary problem, but it must be the whole particular
Church that does so. Therefore the missionary perspective must enlighten all
61 (1969) 276-281; PDV 31-32, 65, 74.
21
the diocese's Christian and pastoral planning. A reorganization in this
missionary perspective gives the local Church missionary benefits since it
gives new vitality to its forces, and keeps them available for a worldwide
service that solves many of its internal or local problems.
Apart from sending personnel with a specific vocation to the permanent
mission, above all today, specialized people must be sent for a limited time
and for a precise service. With the ease of travelling, this possibility of
sending specialized helpers can enrich both Churches: the one that sends and
the one that receives. In spite of this, this new help means that specialized
people must be available and there must be separation from the particular
Church so that the time of these personnel is not occupied in other work.
Also the apostolic and spiritual movements that exist within the
particular Church must be reorganized in this missionary sense. In fact, it is
these that give tone to the apostolic activity of the diocese. Their very
missionary dimension will allow them to escape from the «impasse» in which they
find themselves because of their immediate social and economic problems.
The apostolate of these movements will recover its vitality when it
discovers that the Church's universal mission is the responsibility of the
diocese and all its institutions.
The missionary hour of the diocese is not accomplished everywhere at the
same time, even though their missionary nature is always the same. In spite of
this, we can speak of a revival of the missionary spirit and responsibility.
We can also speak of the missionary hour in the sense of a renewal and of some
new providential possibilities. This is what happened in history. This
diocesan missionary hour occurs only after suffering, persecution,
difficulties, and after a long period of trial and spiritual and doctrinal
formation.
Each diocese may also have an influence on social sectors that have
interdiocesan and international repercussions: means of social communication,
institutions and worldwide bodies for social aid, migration, cultural and
commercial exchanges, etc.
The personnel sent by a particular Church always belong in some way to
the diocese or Christian community of origin. Promoting exchange will be a
good thing for everyone: for the missionaries who are assisted, encouraged,
received, etc. and for the original diocese that will receive experience and
help for missionary promotion, especially when there is a temporary or
22
definitive return of its missionaries. In organizing assistance before, during
and after the mission of these people, the diocese enriches itself, making
itself available for service to the universal Church.
This collective consciousness as a missionary diocese will ensure that
the local Churches that help develop with a greater missionary vision, i.e.,
with the prospect that the Christian communities helped may become «self-
sufficient» and collaborate, in their turn and from the beginning, with the
universal Church (AG 19). When there is not this missionary conscience in the
Church that sends, a large part of its help becomes a new colonialism. To
avoid this extreme, it is necessary that people and missionary institutions are
able to appreciate the reality of the particular Church (of the Church that
sends and the Church that receives) above and beyond its own institution and
missionary work.
One of the means for making the local Church missionary are missionary
Institutes (RMi 66). Their work is certainly essential for evangelization «ad
gentes»; and due to the fact that they «carry out this work in the name of the
Church» (AG 27), they can collaborate effectively in reawakening the missionary
conscience of the particular Church as such.
The missionary responsibility of the Episcopal College and individual
Bishops cannot be reduced to giving just any help and «letting» some vocations
depart, but it must direct the whole Episcopal College's and individual
Bishops' way of thinking and acting. The conciliar decree cited in the
encyclical indicated both Christ's command and the reality of sacramental
consecration: «The task of announcing the Gospel in the whole world belongs to
the body of pastors, to whom, as a group, Christ gave a general injunction and
imposed a general obligation» (LG 23). «All bishops, as members of the body of
bishops which succeeds the college of the apostles, are consecrated not for one
diocese alone, but for the salvation of the whole world» (AG 38)26.
26 ? As well as the bibliography of note 1, see: Chiesa locale e cooperazione tra le Chiese (Week of missionary studies, Assisi 1973), Bologna, Emi 1973; G. Ghirlanda, Universal Church, Particular Church and Local Church at the second Vatican Council and in the New Code of Canon Law, in: Vatican II Assesment and Perspectives, twenty Years after (1962-1987), vol. II, New York, Paulist Press 1989; L.E. Legazpi, The Theology of the Particular Church in the new Code, «Philippiniana Sacra» 21 (1986) 245-257; H. de Lubac, Les églises particulières dans l'Eglise universelle, Paris, Aubier-Montagne 1971; M. Mariotti, Apostolicità e missione nella Chiesa particolare, Roma 1965; M. de Membro, Inserimento dell'attività missionaria della Chiesa universale nelle Chiese particolari, «Euntes Docete» 24 (1971) 291-328; R. Rossignol, Vatican II and the Missionary Responsability of the Particular Church, «Indian Theological
23
6. Bodies for direction and coordination
Missionary activity is always carried out starting from ecclesial
communion. The variety of leaders and workers in missionary activity finds its
strength in the unity desired by Christ, as a reflection of the unity and
communion of the Trinity (cf. Jn 17:21; LG 4). «Leaders and agents of
missionary pastoral activity should sense their unity within the communion
which characterizes the Mystical Body... The fruitfulness of missionary
activity is to be found in this communion» (RMi 75). A visible sign of this
communion, on a universal level, is the missionary Congregation, as a service
of the charism of the successor of Peter who «presides over charity»27.
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (formerly «Propaganda
Fide») is responsible for coordination and supreme direction in the missionary
field «ad gentes»: «There should be only one competent congregation for all
missions and missionary activity, namely that of the "Propagation of the
Faith", which would direct and coordinate missionary work and missionary
cooperation throughout the world» (AG 29). «In order to re-launch the mission
ad gentes, a centre of outreach, direction and coordination is needed, namely,
the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples» (RMi 75).
It is the responsibility of the missionary Dicastery to «direct and
coordinate throughout the world the work of evangelizing peoples and of
missionary cooperation» (Pastor Bonus 85; AG 29). The encyclical «Redemptoris
Missio» summarizes the tasks of the Congregation: «to recruit missionaries and
distribute them in accordance with the more urgent needs of various regions...
draw up an ordered plan of action, issue norms and directives, as well as
principles which are appropriate for the work of evangelization, and assist in
the initial stages of their work... The same Congregation, which has behind it
Studies» 17 (1980) 34-46; I. Ting Pong Lee, Dioecesuum pro missionibus incepta, «Commentarium pro religiosis et missionariis» 59 (1978) 125-137; 238-247; 345-347; S.J. Ukpong, The local Church and missionary consciousness, in: Portare Cristo all'uomo, II, Rome, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1985, 559-578.
27 ? St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Romanos: PG 5, 685. The encyclical «Redemptoris Missio» clearly mentions this ecclesiology of communion: «In an ecclesiology of communion in which the entire Church is missionary, but in which specific vocations and institutions for missionary work ad gentes remain indispensable, the guiding and coordinating role of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples remains very important in order to ensure a united effort in confronting great questions of common concern, with due regard for the competence proper to each authority and structure» (RMi 75).
24
a long and illustrious history, is called to play a role of primary importance
with regard to reflection and programmes of action which the Church needs in
order to be more decisively oriented towards the mission in its various forms»
(RMi 75; cf. Pastor Bonus 86)28.
Episcopal Conferences (with their various groupings) and major Superiors
(of Orders, Congregations or Institutes) in full collaboration with the
missionary Congregation, have their own sphere of activity. Episcopal
Conferences coordinate missionary activity on a national and regional level,
particularly in dealing with «more important questions and urgent problems,
without, however, overlooking local differences, and... the complex issue of
inculturation» (RMi 76; cf. AG 31 and 38).
Leaders of missionary bodies, but particularly Conferences of Major
Superiors should coordinate «forces and initiatives... maintaining contact with
Episcopal Conferences in accordance with established directives and norms» (RMi
76; cf. AG 32-33).
28 ? The Apost. Const. «Pastor Bonus», art. 86-88, also specifies «research on missionary theology, spirituality and pastoral work» (art. 86), «the missionary spirit» (art. 87), «missionary vocations» (art. 88). For the history of the Congregation: J. Metzler, Sacrae Congregationis di Propaganda Fide Memoria Rerum, 5 vols. 1622-1972, Roma, Herder 1971-1976.