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Pope Francis’ address to Missionary Institutes in Italy
Consistory Hall – Thursday, 11 May 2023
I am pleased to welcome you on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of your foundation. For half a century you have dedicated yourselves to the promotion of the mission ad gentes in Italy, acting as the voice of thousands of missionary men and women who, in dedicating themselves to the proclamation of Christ, are in fact speaking to everyone about a dimension of Christian life, the missionary dimension, which belongs to every baptized person by virtue of Baptism.
The Second Vatican Council clearly states: “The whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a fundamental duty of the People of God” (Decree Ad gentes, 35). For this reason, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium invites Christians to place in a permanent state of mission throughout the world” (25).
For the Church, proclamation is not an optional or marginal aspect, but rather a vital dimension, since she was born apostolic and missionary, formed by the Holy Spirit as an “outgoing” community (cf. Catechesis, 15 March 2023).
Mission is the oxygen of Christian life, which, without it, suffers and withers (cf. ibid.), and becomes bad, bad.
It is precisely in this sense that you act, through the sharing of experiences, the missionary animation of local communities, the sensitization of young people in seminaries, the vocational animation, the contribution to the drafting of missionary documents at various levels, the synergy with other ecclesial realities such as Caritas, Missio and Migrantes for the promotion of acceptance between peoples and cultures and for the dignity of the person in every part of the world.
I encourage you to go forward with courage, so that the power of the Spirit may always find in the Church and in the world minds and hearts eager to sow the Word and to bring the joy of the Risen Lord to all, breaking down barriers and promoting the building of a society founded on the evangelical principles of charity, justice and peace.
It was in the years of your foundation that Saint Paul VI, speaking of the mission, recalled some of its fundamental dimensions of it: the witness of life, the preaching of the Word, catechesis and the celebration of the Sacraments (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 40-48). F ounded on these pillars and animated by the Holy Spirit, the first Christian community drew from them inspiration and srength from them for the proclamation of the Gospel (cf. Acts 2:42-47).
May this also be your style. It is not a matter of proselytizing, this is not Christian, no; the style is this: proclaim Christ first of all with the testimony of life.
For this reason, I recommend that you cultivate first of all charity within and among your communities, within and among your institutes, reconciling differences of culture, age, mentality, so that in communion each charism may be at the service of all (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-7; Catechesis, 1 October 2014).
And take to heart the welcoming of the poor and the little ones, among yourselves and toward the people you serve in your ministry, in a spirit of inclusion and service. Let this be your first joyful Easter proclamation.
To this end, like the first disciples, do not neglect to nourish your life and your apostolate with the Word of God, the Eucharist and prayer. For the mission, like communion, is first and foremost a mystery of grace. It is not our work, but God’s; we do not alone do it alone, but moved by the Spirit and docile to his action.
Mission and communion are born from prayer, are formed day by day by listening to the Word of God – listening in prayer – and have as their ultimate goal the salvation of the brothers and sisters whom the Lord entrusts to us. Without these foundations, they become empty and end up being reduced to a mere sociological or welfare dimension. And the Church is not interested in charity…yes, she is interested in helping, but above all she is interested in evangelization, in witnessing: if you give help, let it come from witnessing, not from proselytizing methods.
Therefore, not only your life and your missionary work, but also your planning, your meetings and your decisions should always be marked by listening to the Word, celebrating the Eucharist and by prayer. Together and individually entrust everything to God, purifying your hearts and the institutions in which you work from everything that might hinder the free and creative action of the Spirit.
In conclusion I would like to recall another passage from Evangelii Gaudium, where it is recalled that mission is not a business or a corporate project, nor is it a humanitarian organization or proselytism. It is “something much deeper, which defies measurement” (cf. 279).
This is an invitation to give of ourselves with commitment, with creativity and generosity, but without being discouraged when the results are not what we expected; to give the best of ourselves, without sparing ourselves, but then trusting everything into the hands of the Father; to give our all, but leaving it to Him to make our efforts as fruitful as He desires (cf. ibid.).
This, dear friends, is what I wish for your work. Thank you for your service to the mission and to the community. May the Blessed Mother accompany you. I cordially bless you and ask you to pray for me.
