Pope to bishops: Be bold heralds of New evangelisation

(Vatican Radio) – “Every believer is called to the challenge of the new evangelization” Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday morning, and bishops must “boldly invite the people from every walk of life to an encounter with Christ and to render more solid the faith”.

The Holy Father was addressing a group of bishops whom he appointed during the course of the past year at the end of a conference organized for them this week here at the Vatican by the Congregation for Bishops. Emer McCarthy reports:

Pope Benedict reminded the bishops, drawn from across the five continents, that they should always have a special solicitude for the universal Church: Firstly by promoting and defending the unity of the faith. The faith, he said, "needs credible witnesses" and the bishop as the "first witness of faith" can not beat the service of men, “unless he is first the servant of God”.

Referring to the upcoming Synod on the new evangelization, the Pope noted that the work of evangelization is not exclusive to some specialists, rather of all those baptized in Christ.

Indicating the Second Vatican Council as the beginning of the new evangelization, and a new Pentecost, Pope Benedict concluded: I encourage you, therefore, to make an effort so that everyone, according to their age and living conditions, are presented with the essential contents of the faith, in a systematic and organic manner, to respond to questions posed by our globalized and technological world.

Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s Address to newly appointed bishops.

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,

Your pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter for these days of reflection on the Episcopal ministry, takes on particular importance this year. It is the eve of the Year of Faith, of the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and of the Thirteenth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme: "New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian faith." These events, to which the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church must be added, are an opportunity to strengthen the faith of which, my dear Brothers, you are teachers and heralds (cf. Lumen Gentium, 25). I greet you, one by one, and I express my deep gratitude to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, for the words he addressed to me, and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. This gathering together in Rome at the beginning of your Episcopal service, is a propitious occasion for you to concretely experience communication and communion among each other, and, in meeting with the Successor of Peter, nourish your sense of responsibility for the entire Church. As members of the Episcopal college, in fact, you should always have a special solicitude for the universal Church, firstly by promoting and defending the unity of the faith. Jesus Christ has entrusted the mission of proclaiming the Gospel primarily to the body of pastors who need to work together and with the Successor of Peter (cf. ibid., 23), so that it reaches all people. This is particularly urgent in our time, who calls on you to boldly invite the people from every walk of life to an encounter with Christ and to render more solid the faith (cf. Christus Dominus, 12).

Your primary concern must be to promote and support "a more determined commitment of the Church in favor of the new evangelization in order to rediscover the joy in believing and find the enthusiasm to communicate the faith" (Apostolic Letter. Porta fidei, 7). Here too you are called to encourage and foster communion and collaboration between all the realities of your dioceses. Evangelization, in fact, is not the work of some specialists, but of the entire People of God, under the guidance of the Pastors. Each believer, in and with the ecclesial community should feel responsible for announcing and witnessing to the Gospel. Blessed John XXIII, opening the great assembly of Vatican II envisaged "a leap forward toward a doctrinal penetration and a formation of consciences," and for this reason - he added - "it is necessary that this certain and unchangeable doctrine, which must be faithfully respected, be both deepened and presented in a way that meets the needs of our time "(Address at the Opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, October 11, 1962). We could say that the new evangelization began precisely with the Council, which Blessed John XXIII saw as a new Pentecost that would see the Church flourish through its inner wealth and maternally extend to all fields of human activity (cf. Address The closing session of the Council, December 8, 1962). The effects of the new Pentecost, despite the difficulties of the times, spread to reach the life of the Church in all its forms: from the institutional to the spiritual, from the participation of the lay faithful in the Church to the charismatic flowering and holiness. In this regard, we can not but think of both Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, as well as the many figures of bishops, priests, religious and lay people who have rendered the face of the Church beautiful in our time.

This legacy was also entrusted to your pastoral care. Draw from this wealth of doctrine, of spirituality and of holiness to form the faith of your people, so that their testimony is more credible. At the same time, your Episcopal service demands you "give reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Pet 3:15) to those who are in search of faith or the ultimate meaning of life, " in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way. For, since Christ died for all men, and since the ultimate vocation of man is in fact one, and divine,"(Gaudium et Spes, 22). I encourage you, therefore, to make an effort so that everyone, according to their age and living conditions, are presented with the essential contents of the faith, in a systematic and organic manner, to respond to questions posed by our globalized and technological world. The words of the Servant of God Paul VI are still timely, who said: "We need to evangelize man's culture and cultures (not in a purely decorative way, as it were, by applying a thin veneer, but in a vital way, in depth and right to their very roots),... always taking the person as one's starting-point and always coming back to the relationships of people among themselves and with God "(ibid., n. Evangelii nuntiandi, 20). For this purpose it is essential to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a sure norm for teaching the faith and communion in the creed. The reality in which we live demands that the Christian should have a solid formation!

The Faith needs credible witnesses, who trust in the Lord and trust Him to be "living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world" (Apostolic Letter. Porta Fidei, 15). The Bishop, the first witness of faith accompanies the journey of believers offering the example of a life lived in trusting in God . He, therefore, in order to be an authoritative teacher and herald of the faith, must live in the presence of the Lord, as a man of God. In fact, one cannot be in the service of men, unless being first a servant of God. Your personal commitment to holiness requires that each day you assimilate the Word of God in prayer and nourish yourselves in the Eucharist, to draw from this dual table the lifeblood of your ministry. Charity spurs you to be close to your priests, with a fatherly love that knows how to support, encourage and forgive; they are your first and most precious collaborators in bringing God to men and men to God. In the same way, the love of the Good Shepherd will make you attentive to the poor and the suffering, to support and console them, as well as to guide those who have lost the meaning of life. Be especially close to the families: parents, helping them to be the primary educators of the faith of their children, the children and young people so that they can build their lives on the solid rock of friendship with Christ. Take special care of seminarians, concerned that they are formed humanly, spiritually, theologically and pastorally, so that the community can have joyful and mature pastors and reliable guides in the faith.