In his Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Verbum Domini" , published on Thursday
November 11th Benedict XVI highlights the call to strengthen the missionary conscience
in the Church. The Pope writes: "The Church must go out to meet each person in
the strength of the Spirit and continue her prophetic defence of people's right and
freedom to the word of God while constantly seeking out the most effective ways
of proclaiming that word , even at the risk of persecution. The Church feels duty-bound
to proclaim to every man and woman the word that saves ." One person whose job
it is to form new generations in the area of missiology is the Dean of this faculty
at the Pontifical Gregorian University here in Rome, Jesuit Father Felix Körner.
In an interview with Veronica Scarisbrick he shines the spotlight on a statue
representing Christ , which dominates the entrance of the premises of this Jesuit-run
place of learning. Symbolic to him is the gesture of the Christ figure captured by
the artist : the outstretched arm. Many who come here, he claims , believe it
refers to a gesture of teaching or blessing, but it's not : ".. it's Christ sending
you out ..because the message of Ignatius is following the message of Christ , you
have a job to do, not a career within this cosy house, but to bring your discovery
... of ... Salvation to others...". In this interview Father Körner also defines
the word missiology as: "..Theology in context, in the contexts of today ". Highlighting
among other things the European context where a new evangelization is needed, but
also how the frontiers of the Church are no longer geographical but intellectual. Listen: