MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER PAUL VI
FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 1973

The solemnity of Pentecost has always offered us the opportunity to address our Message for World Mission Day to Pastors and the faithful, in the conviction that this date was more significant than ever before and propitious for drawing attention to the problem of preaching the Gospel, which is the essential and primary mission of the Church. We thought, in fact, and we think that, on the day sacred to the Holy Spirit, hearts and minds were more disposed and open to welcoming his divine breath, which only arouses and nourishes missionary fervour. And if on that same day the spiritual movement of the Holy Year was begun in the local Churches, which will culminate in Rome in the Holy Year 1975, this does not distract our thoughts from the missionary cause,

The theme of the renewal and reconciliation of men with God and with each other must from now on polarize the interest, reflection and initiatives both of the Churches of ancient Christian tradition and of the young Churches existing in mission countries: it will be a matter of common research, it will be a convergent direction, it will be like the coordinating and unifying track of energies and intentions. Renewal certainly includes the renewal of the missionary spirit of the Church, and, after all, isn’t the ultimate and finalistic goal of her evangelizing action perhaps reconciliation? And isn’t reconciliation the salient aspect that configures and defines and reveals the successful “conversion”? We say conversion not in the obsolete and improper sense of an extrinsic and triumphalistic conquest or a superficial proselytism,

This Message for Mission Sunday is therefore placed in exact perspective with the celebration of the Jubilee that has just begun, and we want to hope that those who will listen to it, precisely sensing this fundamental thematic consonance, will be able to share our anxieties and respond, according to their concrete possibilities, to the invitation it contains.

The Phenomenon of the Decrease
of Missionary Vocations

There is, in fact, this year a particular topic which is very close to our hearts and which recalls, in a special way, our solicitude as Pastor of the Church, because it arises from the observation of a painful phenomenon which has been under everyone’s eyes for some time. We mean the diminished number of missionary vocations, which occurs precisely at the moment when the contribution of strength to our missions is most necessary. It is superfluous now to resort to the language of figures and statistics, nor do we want to attempt comparative or interpretative calculations. The discovery of the fact is enough for us to evaluate the meaning and the dangers of this lack of “staff” in a vital sector for the development of the faith and for the growth of the Church. The reality of the data is enough for us to repeat, with a sense of profound trepidation,Messis quidem multa, operarii autem pauci ( Matt . 9, 37-38; cf. Luc . 10, 2).

There is certainly no lack of historical and sociological reasons that explain this lack; some will say that it is the religious crisis of the secularized world, that it is the systematic criticism of certain spiritual values, that it is the contestation of certain methods, used in the past, which have brought about the serious phenomenon. Priests are decreasing a little everywhere, and it is no wonder, therefore, that also the Missionaries and their collaborators are decreasing. Is it then a question of an eclipse of faith or an exhaustion of the evangelical proclamation? It would not be a healthy attitude to be saddened by denouncing negative facts, in order to then dispense with personal action and responsible commitment. The lack must, rather, be a reason to reflect, to stimulate generosity,ibid .).

 

The Relationship Between Indigenous Missionaries and Missionaries from Other Countries

There is an expression of the Second Vatican Council which enlightens us in this regard and helps us to consider what our duties are in relation to the Missions: “The Church, in order to be able to offer to all the mystery of salvation and the life brought by God, must insert herself into all human groupings with the same movement – eodem motu – with which Christ himself, through his Incarnation, linked himself to that particular socio-cultural environment of men, among whom He lived” (Ad Gentes , 10 ) . In this too Jesus is our Master, showing us which way must be for the mission to be effective and fruitful: that of direct contact, of psychological affinity, of the habit of life with the populations to which the proclamation of his Gospel is brought.

It must be recognized that, from the beginning of the Christian era until today, the Missionaries have made admirable efforts, preaching the Gospel according to the mentality and language of the men to whom they were sent. They have laid the foundations on which the existence and independence of the young Churches rest, whose original and consoling vitality we ourselves have admired during our travels in Africa, Asia and Oceania.

But today, under the pressure of so many social and cultural transformations, there are many Missionaries who ask themselves with an anguished heart: “What will be the development of the work which we have begun?”. Of course, the evangelical seed has borne fruit and, compared to the past, there are more indigenous missionaries who proclaim the Gospel, but for a long time to come African and Asian countries will need vocations, that is, priests, nuns and lay people to meet the needs of evangelization. We still hear many Bishops who repeat the invitation: “Come, you Missionaries, come to your people in our countries and help us!”.

The proportional increase of the natives who fulfill the missionary mandate is thus intertwined with the absolute decrease of the Missionaries of European, American and Canadian origin who decide to leave their country. Added to this is the equally disturbing fact of the age limit, because half of the personnel of foreign origin are already advanced in years, while few young people take their place.

What should be done in this situation? First of all, we want to recall the terms of the problem: there is the native personnel, who are called to assume a growing role in the evangelization of their own people; there is the original personnel of other Churches who, animated by a sincere spirit of service, must continue in their missionary commitment. It is not just a question of balance: the common cause of the Kingdom of God closely associates both groups of evangelical messengers for an always necessary and undoubtedly fruitful collaboration. We are not saying, therefore, a simple relationship of “labour forces”, but rather their harmonious coordination which is also, and must be, indeed, an exemplary expression of ecclesial communion. For this reason, we renew to our Brothers in the Episcopate the urgent invitation to consider whether the dioceses cannot and should not encourage the sending of priests, so that their number is better distributed in the different Churches. This is a work of pastoral planning which is by now imposed, beyond national or regional limits, and will have its reflection in the future canonical order.

The Care of Indigenous Vocations

But we also make the same appeal in favor of indigenous vocations, so that they have an adequate formation and are never extinguished or suffocated for economic or environmental reasons. No vocation must be lost, none must remain in uncertainty, none must lack maturity due to lack of means! Here we touch upon another aspect of the problem. The young Churches, for the most part, share the condition of poverty and economic precariousness of the men and peoples among whom they carry out their mission. Thus the duty arises for all Christians to help and do justice to the priests, men and women religious and brothers and catechists who work, with no means or with very scarce means, for the good of their fellow countrymen. Already in the Encyclical Populorum Progressio we have said that development is the new name for peace (Nos. 76-77). Now it must not be forgotten that, in the gigantic enterprise for the social and economic development of new peoples, the Missionaries are precisely among the first collaborators and assistants, because they know best the needs of their fellow citizens, and they also inscribe this service in their missionary mandate. It is they who, to the extent of the aid they receive, welcome the sick into hospitals, run the schools, promote, for a large part, the often-tiring development of their people. Taking care of the formation of indigenous personnel therefore means serving the evangelical cause and at the same time the cause of progress and peace.

The Elements of Our Hope

If we have, up to now, outlined the picture of the most urgent needs, we must also recall, in order for the analysis to be complete and for the judgment to be serene, the elements which form the basis of our trust. There is always God behind our efforts, because he is the cause of the Gospel: all our trust is in him, and above all for the apostolic work sufficienta nostra ex Deo est (cf. 2 Cor . 3, 4-6). But we also like to recall the positive aspects that can already be glimpsed on the horizon of the missionary Church. Above all, let us think with great satisfaction of the many young people from the old countries who go there, albeit ad tempus, in parishes and mission posts, where they offer a magnificent expression of their personalities and gather precious experiences: there they get to know the real and concrete problems of development without distorting screens, there they exercise their creative abilities, while making useful contributions to the indigenous populations in the organisational, cultural and social fields.

Then we think of the priests, regular and secular, who travel from dioceses or from the seats of their institutes to the countries of Latin America and Africa, establishing and developing unique relationships of “twinning” between their places of origin and places of mission: behind them are the ancient churches and parishes, which support their work and help, with direct commitment, their apostolic and charitable initiatives. Finally, let us think of the contacts, at the ecumenical level, of Catholic missionaries with the missionaries of other ecclesial communities: inspired by evangelical charity, these contacts, especially in the field of health and civil assistance, as in that of culture and development,

It was necessary, it was right to say this too, so that the painful phenomenon, which was the subject of this Message, was suitably framed and did not obscure the vision of missionary reality.

The Pontifical Mission Societies as a Tool for the Formation of Missionary Awareness

Mission Sunday, which will be celebrated next October, must have a stimulating and salutary effect, like a wing-stroke that reawakens the missionary dynamism in the hearts of the faithful, which is an immanent element of our faith. This renewed missionary spirit will not only lead to prayers and works of penance being offered to God, but will cause new vocations to blossom with the influx of those aids which the Missions need (cf. Ad Gentes, 36 ) .

But once again, at the conclusion of our considerations, we return to recommending the Pontifical Mission Societies, as institutions which, at the service of the Pope and the Bishops, foster fraternal relations between the local Churches and are particularly suitable for increasing the missionary spirit of all the People of God. The main purpose of these Societies is precisely the formation of missionary awareness (cf. Ad Gentes, 38) and, if they are called pontifical, it is not because they are detached from the diocesan framework, but so that the local Church, thanks to their service, can better carry out its function in the missionary Church as a whole. If we underline their importance now, it is in response to the declarations of the Council, which assigned them a position of more relevant responsibility. We therefore exhort all Christians to support them and to follow their work, which is truly universal, while we urge Bishops and Priests to promote them in their respective Churches and parishes, giving them the necessary articulation.

May the Lord bless Mission Sunday, in favor of which we make this insistent appeal. We want to place her under the special protection of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, whose centenary we celebrate of her birth, and place her in the pastoral perspectives of the new Holy Year. For the Church, the time for mission has not yet passed, indeed for many peoples it begins right now. In the present hour of the Church, the wise words of our Predecessor Pius XI of vm are valid: Nihil actum, si quid agendum . Nothing is done, if many, too many things still remain to be done!

From the Vatican, on the solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul, 29 June of the year 1973, the eleventh of our Pontificate.

PAUL VI

Credit: Dicastery for Communication, to the Holy See