Vatican
City, 13 June 2013
(VIS) – This morning the Pope received members of the 13th Ordinary
Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, gathered
in Rome to help the pontiff choose the theme of the next Ordinary
General Assembly.
The
13th assembly of the synod took place last October in the Vatican
and was dedicated to “The New Evangelization for the Transmission
of the Christian Faith”. “There is a close connection,” the
Pope said, “between these two elements: the transmission of the
Christian faith is the purpose of the new evangelization and of all
the Church's evangelizing work, which exists precisely for this. The
expression 'New Evangelization', therefore, highlights the
increasingly clear awareness that, even in countries with an ancient
Christian tradition, a renewed proclamation of the Gospel is
necessary to bring us back to the encounter with Christ that truly
transforms our lives and that isn't superficial or marked by routine.
This has consequences for pastoral activity.”
In
this context, the Bishop of Rome quoted the words of Paul VI's
address to the College of Cardinals in June of 1973: “The
conditions of the society in which we live oblige all of us therefore
to revise methods, to seek by every means to study how we can bring
the Christian message to modern man. For it is only in the Christian
message that modern man can find the answer to his questions and the
energy for his commitment of human solidarity.”
“I
would like,” Pope Francis added, “to encourage the entire
ecclesial community to be evangelizing, to not be afraid to 'go out'
of themselves to proclaim, above all trusting in the merciful
presence of God who guides us. The techniques are certainly
important, but even the most advanced ones couldn't substitute the
gentle but effective action of He who is the principal agent of
evangelization: the Holy Spirit. It is necessary to let yourselves be
led by him, even if He takes us along new paths. It is necessary to
let yourselves be transformed by him so that our announcement might
be made with words that are always accompanied by the simplicity of
our lives, our spirit of prayer, and our charity towards all,
especially the lowliest and poorest, by our humility and
self-detachment, and by the holiness of our lives.”
The
Synod of Bishops “has been one of the fruits of the Second Vatican
Council. Thanks to God that, in these almost fifty years, we have
been able to feel the benefits of this institution that, in a
permanent way, is at the service of the Church's mission and
communion as an expression of collegiality. … Open to the grace of
the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church, we are confident that the
Synod of Bishops will know further developments to facilitate even
more the dialogue and collaboration between the bishops and between
them and the Bishop of Rome,” concluded the Holy Father.
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