Confront the challenges with courage: Cardinal Filoni to Bishops

Port of Spain, 30 Nov 2013: ‘The ethnic and cultural diversity is of great significance for the life of the local Church and for the enculturation of the Gospel. It also poses many challenges in making common decisions and in developing common strategies for the formation of the clergy and for needed pastoral responses to different problems. Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, made these comments while meeting with the Episcopal Conference of the Antilles on Saturday, November 30 in St. John Maria Vianney Seminary, Port of Spain. Cardinal Filoni is on a pastoral visit to the West Indies from November 19 to December 4.

In his first visit to the Church in the Caribbean, the first area of the Americas to hear the Good News of Christ over 400 years ago, Cardinal cited three major challenges the local church faces there - a scarcity of priests and religious, falling numbers of Catholics engaged in the life of the Church, and a constant diminution of financial resources. The Cardinal citing the exhortation of Pope Francis to the Bishops gathered in Brazil, said that they must not yield to disillusionment, discouragement and complaint.’

Reflecting on the Scarcity of Priests and Religious, Cardinal Filoni acknowledged the work the bishops have already done to appointing vocation directors in every Diocese and by establishing a vocation commission on the Conference level. He also suggested that much more must be done in the area of ongoing formation of priests and their accompaniment by their Bishop.

About the falling numbers of active Catholics, Cardinal Filoni cited reasons such as emigration for employment; poor quality of pastoral care - poorly prepared homilies, inadequate liturgical preparation and animation, sub-standard catechesis, and a poor sense of community. On the positive side, the Cardinal appreciated New Lay Ecclesial Movements. He also applauded their efforts in reaching out to Catholics who have lost their way.

On the Scarcity of Financial Resources, Cardinal Filoni said that this challenge calls us to be much more attentive to the way we administer the economic resources of the Church. We must find ways of cutting costs, by living more simply, taking our example from the Holy Father, and by finding new sources for financial assistance at home and abroad. He also suggested absolute transparency in the financial management of Dioceses.

Cardinal Filoni concluded his address inviting the Bishops to confront the challenges with courage because they are ultimately responsible for the spiritual well-being of the local Church.Source: VR Sedoc