Archbishop Fisichella: New evangelisation needs “joyful” evangelizers
On Saturday, a meeting titled; "New Evangelizers for the New Evangelization - The
Word of God grows and spreads", organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting
the New Evangelization takes place here at the Vatican. Held in the New Synod Hall,
the meeting starts with a report by the Council President, Archbishop Rino Fisichella,
and will proceed with discussion among Church leaders involved in “New Evangelization”.
Saturday afternoon the meeting will continue in the Paul VI Hall with a series
of interventions by guest speakers, followed by a short concert by world renowned
tenor Andrea Bocelli. Pope Benedict XVI is due to join participants and address the
meeting Saturday evening.
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Fisichella
stated that the aim of the meeting is to “present the representatives of the various
church realities who, for some time now, have been carrying out the new evangelisation
to Pope Benedict”. “Let us not forget”- he adds, - “ that the event is taking place
in the month dedicated to mission – October”. The theme of the meeting is also important
he says; “we want to visibly present the Church with the new evangelisers, because
in this way we make the Word of God known and we can increase the disciples of the
Lord”.
As a practical example of this, on Saturday evening different groups,
different ecclesial realities will go out onto the streets of Rome, to the historic
squares, and churches to carry out the work of new evangelization. “Many of these
ecclesial groups already have experience of this,” - points out Archbishop Fisichella
- “they will give the city of Rome, a visible sign of a new evangelization. And we
hope that their efforts will bear fruit”.
In the Italian prelates’ opinion,
the meeting is one of many contributions in the lead up to the 2012 Synod of Bishops
on new evangelization, because it will help bishops around the world to understand
that new evangelization has already been going on for some time: “The new evangelization
was not born because the Holy See established a new department; for 27 years Blessed
John Paul II "provoked" the Church in every possible way into recognizing the urgent
need for new evangelization. Pope Benedict XVI, with a truly prophetic act, instituting
the Pontifical Council, wanted the different realities - those that already exist
and those that will arise in the future – to find a common point of reference, in
short, a concrete expression of the service of the Pope for the Church in favour of
the new evangelization. So, I would say that the synod will witness already extremely
positive experiences: just think that thousands of these [new evangelizers – ed] are
young people, so there is also the enthusiasm of the many young people who are already
living this experience!
The meeting will also reflect on the Synod “Lineamenta”,
or guidelines. Archbishop Fisichella says that particular attention will be paid
to the role of the family which he says “obviously must take first place”. Other
areas include the liturgy, commitment and action in the field of politics, culture,
mass media and social communications. However special focus, he reveals, will be given
to immigration: “For new evangelization, this is certainly a factor to be taken seriously,
because we have millions of Christians on the move in different countries, bringing
with them not only the richness of their Christian experience, but who also come to
meet the challenges which Europe in particular but also the United States present,
with regards to secularization”.
According to Archbishop Fisichella, this Saturday’s
meeting together with the Lent 2012 campaign “Mission Metropolis” are signs of the
goals that the Pontifical Council has set for itself, but above all signs for the
upcoming Synod and the Church. “The aim is to promote awareness and knowledge of
the experience of new evangelisation through these initiatives”, he says but also
to quash still existent illusions that “everything was alright in the past, or that
everything will be fine in the future” thanks to the invention of a ”new formula”.
Through these initiatives, he concludes, “we want to reinforce that evangelisation
is the very mission of the Church and it has been going on for over two thousand years,
but it needs to find a new language, a new lifestyle one that is respectful but has
a deeply rooted identity”, evangelisers “who have a profound sense of belonging to
the Church and the Christian community but at the same time who are open to others.
And also a good dose of joy and enthusiasm, which is never a bad thing!”. Listen
to Emer McCarthy's report: