Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Pope Says Church Must Face Vocations Crisis

While the church must continue to be a missionary church reaching out and giving support to younger churches, it must also face the widespread crisis of vocations, Pope Benedict XVI said.

As the church continues its missionary activities around the world, "we cannot help but see the difficulties that emerge today in this field," he said in a May 5 speech to participants of two separate missionary conferences.

The Superior Council of the Pontifical Missionary Works and the World Mission Congress "Fidei Donum" met in Rome recently to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius XII's encyclical, "Fidei Donum" ("The Gift of Faith").

The letter highlighted the missionary needs of Africa and urged established churches to help younger churches with prayers and funding. It also called on diocesan priests, religious and laypeople to help in the missions.

Pope Benedict thanked all those who have dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel.

Missionary work has helped make every baptized person feel part of one church and has led to "reciprocal enrichment" as cultures and communities exchange their gifts and talents, he said.

However, some of the difficulties facing the church today in continuing its missionary mandate include the declining numbers and advanced age of "clergy in the dioceses that once sent missionaries to faraway regions," the pope said.

"In this context of a widespread vocations crisis, this certainly represents a challenge that must be faced," he said.

Nonetheless, without ignoring the problems, the church must look to the future with hope and confidence, he said, "giving a renewed and more authentic identity to 'Fidei Donum' missionaries" that responds to a world that is much different from that of 50 years ago.

Some of the things to strive for, he said, are the promotion of real communion among local churches and helping young churches with formation.

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