Vatican
City, 26 November 2013 (VIS) - “The joy of the Gospel fills the
hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus”; thus begins the
Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, by which Pope Francis
develops the theme of the proclamation of the Gospel in the
contemporary world, drawn from, among other sources, the contribution
of the work of the Synod held in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October
2012 on the theme “The new evangelization for the transmission of
the faith”. The text, which the Holy Father consigned to a group of
thirty-six faithful following the closing Mass of the Year of Faith
last Sunday is the first official document of his pontificate, since
the Encyclical “Lumen fidei” was written in collaboration with
his predecessor, Benedict XVI. “I wish to encourage the Christian
faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by
this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in
years to come”, he continues. It is a heartfelt appeal to all
baptized persons to bring Christ’s love to others, “permanently
in a state of mission”, conquering “the great danger in today’s
world”, that of an individualist “desolation and anguish”.
The
Pope invites the reader to “recover the original freshness of the
Gospel”, finding “new avenues” and “new paths of creativity”,
without enclosing Jesus in our “dull categories”. There is a need
for a “pastoral and missionary conversion, which cannot leave
things as they presently are” and a “renewal” of ecclesiastical
structures to enable them to become “more mission-oriented”. The
Pontiff also considers “a conversion of the papacy”, to help make
this ministry “more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ
wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization”. The
hope that the Episcopal Conferences might contribute to “the
concrete realization of the collegial spirit”, he states, “has
not been fully realized”. A “sound decentralization” is
necessary. In this renewal, the Church should not be afraid to
re-examine “certain customs not directly connected to the heart of
the Gospel, even some of which have deep historical roots”.
A
sign of God’s openness is “that our church doors should always be
open” so that those who seek God “will not find a closed door”;
“nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any
reason”. The Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect but a
powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak”. These convictions
have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with
prudence and boldness”. He repeats that he prefers “a Church
which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the
streets, rather than a Church … concerned with being at the centre
and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and
procedures. If something should rightly disturb us … it is the fact
that many of our brothers and sisters are living without … the
friendship of Jesus Christ”.
The
Pope indicates the “temptations which affect pastoral workers”:
“individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour”.
The greatest threat of all is “the grey pragmatism of the daily
life of the Church, in which all appears to proceed normally, which
in reality faith is wearing down”. He warns against “defeatism”,
urging Christians to be signs of hope, bringing about a “revolution
of tenderness”. It is necessary to seek refuge from the
“spirituality of well-being … detached from responsibility for
our brothers and sisters” and to vanquish the “spiritual
worldliness” that consists of “seeking not the Lord’s glory but
human glory and well-being”. The Pope speaks of the many who “feel
superior to others” because “they remain intransigently faithful
to a particular Catholic style from the past” whereby “instead of
evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others” and those who
have “an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine
and for the Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the
Gospel have a real impact” on the needs of the people. This is “a
tremendous corruption disguised as a good … God save us from a
worldly Church with superficial spiritual and pastoral trappings!”.
He
appeals to ecclesial communities not to fall prey to envy and
jealousy: “How many wars take place within the people of God and in
our different communities!”. “Whom are we going to evangelize if
this is the way we act?”. He highlights the need to promote the
growth of the responsibility of the laity, often kept “away from
decision-making” by “an excessive clericalism”. He adds that
there is a need for “still broader opportunities for a more
incisive female presence in the Church”, in particular “in the
various settings where important decisions are made”. “Demands
that the legitimate rights of women be respected … cannot be
lightly evaded”. The young should “exercise greater leadership”.
With regard to the scarcity of vocations in many places, he
emphasizes that “seminaries cannot accept candidates on the basis
of any motivation whatsoever”.
With
regard to the theme of inculturation, he remarks that “Christianity
does not have simply one cultural expression” and that the face of
the Church is “varied”. “We cannot demand that peoples of every
continent, in expressing their Christian faith, imitate modes of
expression which European nations developed at a particular moment of
their history”. The Pope reiterates that “underlying popular
piety … is an active evangelizing power” and encourages the
research of theologians, reminding them however that “the Church
and theology exist to evangelize” and urging them not to be
“content with a desk-bound theology”.
He
focuses “somewhat meticulously, on the homily”, since “many
concerns have been expressed about this important ministry and we
cannot simply ignore them”. The homily “should be brief and avoid
taking on the semblance of a speech or a lecture”, should be a
“heart-to-heart communication” and avoid “purely moralistic or
doctrinaire” preaching. He highlights the importance of
preparation: “a preacher who does not prepare is not ‘spiritual’;
he is dishonest and irresponsible”. Preaching should always be
positive in order always to “offer hope” and “does not leave us
trapped in negativity”. The approach to the proclamation of the
Gospel should have positive characteristics: “approachability,
readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and welcome which is
non-judgemental”.
In
relation to the challenges of the contemporary world, the Pope
denounces the current economic system as “unjust at its root”.
“Such an economy kills” because the law of “the survival of the
fittest” prevails. The current culture of the “disposable” has
created “something new”: “the excluded are not the ‘exploited’
but the outcast, the ‘leftovers’”. “A new tyranny is thus
born, invisible and often virtual”, of an “autonomy of the
market” in which “financial speculation” and “widespread
corruption” and “self-serving tax-evasion reign”. He also
denounces “attacks on religious freedom” and the “new
persecutions directed against Christians. … In many places the
problem is more that of widespread indifference and relativism”.
The family, the Pope continues, “is experiencing a profound
cultural crisis”. Reiterating the indispensable contribution of
marriage to society”, he underlines that “the individualism of
our postmodern and globalized era favours a lifestyle which …
distorts family bonds”.
He
re-emphasizes “the profound connection between evangelization and
human advancement” and the right of Pastors “to offer opinions on
all that affects people’s lives”. “No one can demand that
religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life,
without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society”.
He quotes John Paul II, who said that the Church “cannot and must
not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice”. “For the
Church, the option for the poor is primarily a theological category”
rather than a sociological one. “This is why I want a Church that
is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us”. “As long
as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved … no
solution will be found for this world’s problems”. “Politics,
although often denigrated”, he affirms, “remains a lofty vocation
and one of the highest forms of charity”. I beg the Lord to grant
us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by … the lives of
the poor!”. He adds an admonition: “Any Church community”, if
it believes it can forget about the poor, runs the risk of “breaking
down”.
The
Pope urges care for the weakest members of society: “the homeless,
the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are
increasingly isolated and abandoned” and migrants, for whom the
Pope exhorts “a generous openness”. He speaks about the victims
of trafficking and new forms of slavery: “This infamous network of
crime is now well established in our cities, and many people have
blood on their hands as a result of their comfortable and silent
complicity”. “Doubly poor are those women who endure situations
of exclusion, mistreatment and violence”. “Among the vulnerable
for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern
are unborn children, the most defenceless and innocent among us.
Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their human dignity”. “The
Church cannot be expected to change her position on this question …
it is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating
a human life”. The Pope makes an appeal for respect for all
creation: we “are called to watch over and protect the fragile
world in which we live”.
With
regard to the theme of peace, the Pope affirms that “a prophetic
voice must be raised” against attempts at false reconciliation to
“silence or appease” the poor, while others “refuse to renounce
their privileges”. For the construction of a society “in peace,
justice and fraternity” he indicates four principles: “Time is
greater than space” means working “slowly but surely, without
being obsessed with immediate results”. “Unity prevails over
conflict” means “a diversified and life-giving unity”.
“Realities are more important than ideas means avoiding “reducing
politics or faith to rhetoric”. “The whole is greater than the
part” means bringing together “globalization and localization”.
“Evangelization
also involves the path of dialogue”, the Pope continues, which
opens the Church to collaboration with all political, social,
religious and cultural spheres. Ecumenism is “an indispensable path
to evangelization”. Mutual enrichment is important: “we can learn
so much from one another!”, for example “in the dialogue with our
Orthodox brothers and sisters, we Catholics have the opportunity to
learn more about the meaning of Episcopal collegiality and their
experience of synodality”; “dialogue and friendship with the
children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus’ disciples”;
“interreligious dialogue”, which must be conducted “clear and
joyful in one’s own identity”, is “a necessary condition for
peace in the world” and does not obscure evangelization; in our
times, “our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on
great importance”: the Pope “humbly” entreats those countries
of Islamic tradition to guarantee religious freedom to Christians,
also “in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in
Western countries!”. “Faced with disconcerting episodes of
violent fundamentalism” he urges us to “avoid hateful
generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the
Koran are opposed to every form of violence”. And against the
attempt to private religions in some contexts, he affirms that “the
respect due to the agnostic or non-believing minority should not be
arbitrarily imposed in a way that silences the convictions of the
believing majority or ignores the wealth of religious traditions”.
He then repeats the importance of dialogue and alliance between
believers and non-believers.
The
final chapter is dedicated to “spirit-filled evangelizers”, who
are those who are “fearlessly open to the working of the Holy
Spirit” and who have “the courage to proclaim the newness of the
Gospel with boldness (parrhesía) in every time and place, even when
it meets with opposition”. These are “evangelizers who pray and
work”, in the knowledge that “mission is at once a passion for
Jesus and a passion for his people”: “Jesus wants us to touch
human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others”. He explains,
“In our dealings with the world, we are told to give reasons for
our hope, but not as an enemy who critiques and condemns”. “Only
the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in
desiring their happiness, can be a missionary”; “if I can help at
least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the
offering of my life”. The Pope urges us not to be discouraged
before failure or scarce results, since “fruitfulness is often
invisible, elusive and unquantifiable”; we must know “only that
our commitment is necessary”. The Exhortation concludes with a
prayer to Mary, “Mother of Evangelization”. “There is a Marian
“style” to the Church’s work of evangelization. Whenever we
look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary
nature of love and tenderness”.
To
read the full text of the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii
Gaudium”, or to download it in PDF format, click on or copy the
following link:
http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
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