RELATIO POST-DISCEPTATIONEM

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2001 (VIS) - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, read the 'Relatio post-disceptationem' today in Latin. This report followed the speeches of the 18th General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops. Following are some extracts from the English text of the document, made public this afternoon:

INTRODUCTION: "The aim of the report is to point out the main topics that should be studied to finally achieve the desired Synodal consensus. ... In this particular moment of our history - as various brothers in this Synodal Hall have already said - peace and the unity of human coexistence are threatened. The Bishop, servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the hope of the world, facing this reality, hears the calling to be a man of peace, of reconciliation and of communion."

I. THE BISHOP IN COMMUNION WITH THE LORD. "The figure of the praying Bishop emerged various times presenting him as a witness of prayer and holiness, witness of salvific time, time of grace. ... Since sanctification is also included in the triple 'munus' conferred on the Bishop through sacramental ordination, it has also been underlined that his responsibility cannot be limited to the administration of sacraments, but must also include his every act and all behavior, so that through his life he may lead the faithful towards holiness. Each Bishop must be a model of holy life for them and the first teacher and witness of that pedagogy of holiness that John Paul II wrote about in the Apostolic Letter 'Novo Millennio Ineunte'."

II. THE BISHOP AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH. "Certain questions concerning the relationship between diocesan Bishops and the missionary religious congregations have emerged from the Synodal interventions, requiring a deeper reflection, such as the great contribution that a particular Church may receive from the congregations of consecrated life ... which can ensure maintaining the liveliness of the missionary dimension. ... On the same line as communion with the universal Church, the Bishop's need to increase and nurture communion, in the first place with the Vicar of Christ and with the close collaborators that form the Roman Curia, was rightly pointed out. ... The ecumenical issue is one of the greatest challenges of the beginning of the new millennium and a central point of the pastoral work of the Bishop. A great deal can be done starting now, while we walk towards the full communion around the table of the Lord. First of all, one should expect ecumenism in daily life; with attitudes of charity, welcome and cooperation; to which one must add the reception of the valid results of the ecumenical dialogue, One must not lose sight of the ecumenical formation not only of the lay faithful and priests but, first and foremost, of our Bishops. ... The suggestions of some speakers on the eventual need for a revision of the Synod methodology, can perhaps be tackled elsewhere and with adequate preparation, since it seems that an in-depth discussion on this theme exceeds the specific limits of this Synod. Some interventions proposed holding meetings with the Holy Father and the presidents of the episcopal conferences to deal with common pastoral issues. You may recall that already the Extraordinary General Assemblies, envisaged by the 'Ordo Synodi' are specifically a synodal expression of these types of meetings. Therefore, one could reflect on the eventual possibility of convening these assemblies more frequently in the future to deal with well defined themes and to inform the Holy Father about pastoral situations emerging in the world."

III. THE BISHOP IN SERVICE TO COMMUNION IN THE PARTICULAR CHURCH. "The 'munus docendi' of the Bishop has been shown as a priority and as the munus which excels among the main duties of the Bishop. ... He is a public witness of the faith. The Bishop exerts his magisterial role, as it has also been stressed here, within the episcopal body and in hierarchical communion with the head of the College and with the other members. Even more. ... It has also been stated that the Bishop is the first catechist in his particular Church and that, consequently, he also has the duty to get valid collaborators, promoting and taking care of the doctrinal formation of his seminarians and priests, of the catechists, as well as of the religious men and women and the lay faithful. ... Inculturation in the Gospel is, on the other hand, linked to pastoral work in culture, which takes into account both modern and post-modern cultures, autochthonous cultures and new cultural movements, in other words everything which forms new and old 'areopagi' for evangelization. ... Within the proclamation of the Gospel and inculturation, a special role is taken on by the means of social communication, especially in our age which sees huge technological potential. As has been stressed, the world of communication is ambivalent. However, we have the possibility of using these instruments to promote the truth of the Gospel and to spread those messages of hope and faith, which the world continues to need. What was pointed out was to develop in our dioceses a pastoral communication plan, encouraging creativity and competence especially of our lay faithful. ...This also implies assigning to formation in communication those spaces which are necessary in our seminaries, in our religious houses and in the programs for the permanent formation of priests, of religious and lay faithful."

IV. THE BISHOP IN SERVICE TO COMMUNION IN THE WORLD. "Nowadays the war of the powerful against the weak has opened a gap between the rich and the poor. The poor are legion. In the face of an unjust economic system with very strong structural mismatches, the situation of the marginalized is worse. Today there is hunger. The poor, the young and the refugees are victims of this 'new civilization'. Women in many parts are not appreciated and are the object of hedonistic civilization. The Bishop must never tire of preaching the social doctrine which comes from the Gospel and which the Church has made explicit since the times of the First Fathers."

CONCLUSION. "'With you I am Christian and for you, I am Bishop'. We would like to end this paper with the same words by St. Augustine. Let us allow the Fathers to reflect on the aforementioned points and many more in order to outline the profile of the image of the Bishop which the Church needs in order to accomplish its mission in this beginning of the Third Millennium: a man of God on his journey with his people, a man of communion and missionarity, a man of hope, servant of the Gospel for the hope of the world."

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