Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) – The
bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Congo were received in
audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of their “ad
Limina” visit. The Holy Father handed them a written discourse in
which he emphasises the vitality of the Catholic Church in this
country, which has led to the creation of three new dioceses, and the
work of pastors in the work of evangelisation, as well as the
Church's contribution in the education and healthcare sectors and her
role in national reconciliation following the grave crisis of the
1990s.
Francis praises the work of the
Episcopal Conference with regard to the mission of the laity in the
Church and society, and mentioned the importance of forming and
accompanying laypeople to offer Christian witness in socio-political
sectors, which constitute a specific sector for the apostolate.
“Family pastoral ministry is an integral part of this
accompaniment. The reluctance of the faithful to embark on Christian
marriage reveals the need for profound evangelisation, which involves
not only the inculturation of faith, but also the evangelisation of
local traditions and culture”.
In these sectors, as in many others,
priests are the bishops' first collaborators and as a result, their
living conditions and sanctification must be central to their
concerns. “The immense pastoral needs of the local Church require
rigorous discernment, so that the People of God are able to count on
zealous pastors who edify the faithful through their testimony of
life, especially in relation to celibacy and the spirit of
evangelical poverty”. The Pope also remarks that in some dioceses
there are great difficulties due to the lack of available financial
and material resources.
“I am aware of the magnitude of the
problems and the worries related to this situation in the heart of a
pastor. Therefore, I encourage you to resolutely engage your dioceses
in embarking on the path of autonomy, a gradual takeover of control
and solidarity between the particular Churches in your country,
following a tradition that dates back to the first Christian
communities. In this respect, you must be careful to ensure that
economic aid to your particular Churches in support of your specific
mission does not limit your freedom as pastors or obstruct the
freedom of the Church, which must have a free hand to proclaim the
Gospel in a credible way. … With regard to mutual aid and
solidarity between local Churches, this must also be reflected in the
promotion of the missionary spirit first within Africa”, affirmed
Francis, quoting Paul VI in his 1969 discourse in Kampala: “By now,
you Africans are missionaries to yourselves”.
In-depth evangelisation is another
great challenge for the bishops, and one which requires “special
attention to the concrete conditions of life for the populations;
that is, ultimately, to the development of the human person. Again
here the commitment of the Catholic Church in the Congo is important:
in the fields of education, healthcare, and aid to the various
categories of people in need, including refugees from neighbouring
countries, your diocese contribute in a significant way. As pastors,
continue to ensure that your social ministry is increasingly carried
out in the spirit of the Gospel and perceived as a work of
evangelisation, and not as the action of a non-governmental
organisation”.
The Pope concludes by noting that in
certain sectors of society, the wounds caused by the grave crisis
that affected the Congo at the end of the 1990s have left deep scars
that have not yet fully healed. “In this respect, in particular,
the Church, strong in the Gospel of Jesus, has received the mission
of building new fraternity anchored in forgiveness and solidarity.
You, pastors, continue to be models and prophets in this sense!”.
No comments:
Post a Comment