VATICAN CITY, MAY 5, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope received participants in the meeting of the senior council of the Pontifical Missionary Works and in the world congress of "fidei donum" missionaries. Both events were held this week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Servant of God Pius XII's Encyclical "Fidei donum," which was published on April 21, 1957.
Benedict XVI pointed out how Pius XII, in conceiving of a new kind of missionary known as "fidei donum," sought "to encourage, alongside traditional forms, another kind of missionary cooperation between so-called 'ancient' Christian communities and those just born or taking their first steps in recently evangelized territories."
Pope Pius' aim was, "on the one hand, to awaken a renewed missionary 'flame' in all Christian people and, on the other, to promote more conscious collaboration between dioceses of ancient tradition and regions of primary evangelization." Over the last fifty years, Pope Benedict went on, the number of "fidei donum" priest's has grown. They, "together with religious and lay volunteers, have departed on mission for Africa and other regions of the world, sometimes at the cost of no small sacrifice for their dioceses of origin.
"I would like," he added, "to express my special thanks to these our brothers and sisters, some of whom spilt their blood to spread the Gospel."
Going on to consider the difficulties faced by the missions, Benedict XVI referred to the "diminution and aging of the clergy in dioceses that once used to send missionaries to distant lands. Within the context of a widespread vocational crisis, this clearly represents a challenge that has to be faced," he said.
Despite such problems, however, "we must look with trust to the future" because "all over the world signs of hope bear witness to the encouraging missionary vitality of Christian people. ... The Lord, before leaving His disciples for heaven, in sending them out to announce His Gospel in all corners of the earth, said: 'Remember I am with you always, to the end of the age'."
"The Lord of the harvest," the Holy Father concluded, "will ensure that there is no lack of workers in His harvest if we, trustingly and insistently, ask this of Him in prayer and in the docile acceptance of His Word and His teachings."
AC/FIDEI DONUM/... VIS 20070507 (390)
Benedict XVI pointed out how Pius XII, in conceiving of a new kind of missionary known as "fidei donum," sought "to encourage, alongside traditional forms, another kind of missionary cooperation between so-called 'ancient' Christian communities and those just born or taking their first steps in recently evangelized territories."
Pope Pius' aim was, "on the one hand, to awaken a renewed missionary 'flame' in all Christian people and, on the other, to promote more conscious collaboration between dioceses of ancient tradition and regions of primary evangelization." Over the last fifty years, Pope Benedict went on, the number of "fidei donum" priest's has grown. They, "together with religious and lay volunteers, have departed on mission for Africa and other regions of the world, sometimes at the cost of no small sacrifice for their dioceses of origin.
"I would like," he added, "to express my special thanks to these our brothers and sisters, some of whom spilt their blood to spread the Gospel."
Going on to consider the difficulties faced by the missions, Benedict XVI referred to the "diminution and aging of the clergy in dioceses that once used to send missionaries to distant lands. Within the context of a widespread vocational crisis, this clearly represents a challenge that has to be faced," he said.
Despite such problems, however, "we must look with trust to the future" because "all over the world signs of hope bear witness to the encouraging missionary vitality of Christian people. ... The Lord, before leaving His disciples for heaven, in sending them out to announce His Gospel in all corners of the earth, said: 'Remember I am with you always, to the end of the age'."
"The Lord of the harvest," the Holy Father concluded, "will ensure that there is no lack of workers in His harvest if we, trustingly and insistently, ask this of Him in prayer and in the docile acceptance of His Word and His teachings."
AC/FIDEI DONUM/... VIS 20070507 (390)
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