|
|
PREFACE With the surprise announcement of 6 January 1989, the Holy Father communicated that, in response to the suggestions expressed in a wide consultation of the African Episcopate, he had decided to convene a Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. At the same time he set in motion the synodal process of preparation for this providential event. The Instrumentum laboris carries forward the process of consultation by collating and presenting in an ordered way the responses to the Lineamenta which have come from the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, the concerned Bodies of the Roman Curia and the other concerned organs of the Church. The interest generated by the announcement by His Holiness of a Synod for Africa is shown by the percentage of responses, so far the highest ever recorded for a Synod. Of the 34 Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar, fully 31 sent in responses; the remaining three were under very difficult circumstances at the time. Many Particular Churches used the Lineamenta for the mobilisation of the Christian faithful, such that the Synod can be said to have already begun to bear fruit in this increased awareness and involvement of the entire Christian faithful in Africa. The Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops for the Special Assembly for Africa met in Rome at the end of March, 1992 to consider the responses. It divided itself into five sub-commissions according to the five sub-themes of the Synod, each commission being helped in its work by one of five African theologians nominated for this. This March meeting produced a first draft of this "Working Paper". The next meeting was in Luanda, Angola, 8 - 12 June, during the papal visit there, a meeting which prepared a second draft. Then a select committee of three bishops (one from each of the three language areas) met with the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops from 24 to 28 September and produced a third and final draft which is now being offered in English, French and Portuguese for use by the delegates of the Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar and the other concerned Bodies of the Church. The Instrumentum laboris has an Introduction and two parts. The Introduction seeks to locate the Synod for Africa within the dynamism of the synodal process in the Church. Part I is a theological framework which highlights the central concern of the Synod, namely, the theme of evangelisation, and which shows how the five sub-themes are related to the central theme. Part II considers each of the five sub-themes: Proclamation, Inculturation, Dialogue, Justice and Peace, and Means of Social Communication. It needs to be stressed that everything in this "Working Paper" has come from the responses to the Lineamenta. An attempt has been made to arrange in each section doctrinal elements and pastoral considerations in order to facilitate reflection. As already said, the Instrumentaum laboris constitutes a reference point for the possible agenda of the Synod. It is offered to all the Bishops' Conferences to help them prepare their participation at the Synod, to see which points they will want to examine in the Synod and which priorities to propose. As it has pleased the Holy Father to release this "Working Paper" for publication, the bishops may also wish to use it for the further animation of their Churches and the participation of the entire faithful in the Synod process. The Instrumentum laboris is by its very nature a document of preparation. It should not be seen as in any way anticipating the conclusions of the synodal assembly, although the consensus that emerges with regard to certain points in the answers to the Lineamenta will be reflected in the results of the synod. May Mary who was present with the disciples in the Upper Room guide us in these final stages of preparation and be with the delegates during the deliberations of the Synod, so that the Synod will bring many to Christ, confirm Christ's faithful in Africa and give fresh dynamism to evangelisation in the continent and surrounding islands as the Church moves towards her Third Millennium. JAN P. SCHOTTE
C.I.C.M.
I. The Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops has as its theme: "The Church in Africa and her Evangelising Mission towards the Year 2000: 'You shall be My Witnesses' (Acts 1:8)". Through calling a Special Synod Assembly, His Holiness intended to promote in a particular way the proclamation of the gospel in Africa during these closing years of the twentieth century, which in many ways will mark a turning point in the history of the continent. The object of the Synod would be to assist the Church in Africa to deepen, in communion with Peter and the other Particular Churches, her commitment to the mission of evangelisation, taking into account her history and development as well as the whole cultural, social, political and economic context in which she lives. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). It is the Holy Spirit who is responsible for mission, and the Synod is above all the work of the Spirit. 2. A synod is an ecclesial meeting or assembly at which bishops, gathered cum et sub Petro, have opportunity to interact with one another and to share information and experiences in the common pursuit of pastoral solutions which have a universal validity and application. Pope John Paul II has referred to the Synod as "without doubt an instrument of collegiality and a powerful factor in communion". The bishops are chosen from different parts of the world to meet at stated times: to foster a closer unity between them and the Roman Pontiff, to assist him with their counsel in safeguarding and increasing faith and morals and in preserving and strengthening ecclesiastical discipline, also to consider questions concerning the Church's pastoral activity in the world. "During the preparatory stage the bishops are consulted. They bring to the meeting the faith-experiences of their Particular Churches. In the meeting itself an exchange of information and suggestions takes place, and propositions may be made in the light of the gospel and the Church's doctrine. These are submitted to the successor of St. Peter who will decide how they may best be used so that the entire Church may grow in faith while maintaining communion in a plurality of cultures and situations". It is thus that the Synod of Bishops appears as a particular expression of the Church's reality of communion in which the Episcopal College, "insofar as it is composed of many, expresses the variety and universality of the People of God, but insofar as it is assembled under one head, expresses the unity of the flock of Christ". This collegiality is "demonstrated in a remarkable way by the collegial manner in which the Pastors of the Particular Churches express their opinion. At first, there is community preparation in the various Particular Churches; this is followed by collegial preparation in the Episcopal Conferences, always in the consciousness both of the duties of bishops towards their own communities and of their care for the whole Church". 3. From l967 to 1991, there have been eight Ordinary General Assemblies. The Ninth Ordinary General Assembly is scheduled for 1994 and will treat the theme, "The Consecrated Life and its Role in the Church and in the World". In the history of the Synod there have been two Extraordinary General Assemblies. The first Extraordinary General Assembly met in September 1969, to seek and examine ways and means of putting into practice the collegiality of the bishops with the Pope. The second met from 24 November to 8 December, 1985 on the theme: "The Twentieth Anniversary of the Conclusion of the Second Vatican Council". The Synod of Bishops meets in Special Assembly
when the issues concern more directly a definite region or regions of the
Universal Church. Between 1980 and 1992 there have been two such assemblies,
and two are in the process of preparation. The Special Assembly for the
Netherlands, 14 - 31 January 1980, considered the pastoral situation of that
country. The Special Assembly for Europe, 28 November to l4 December, 1991
had the following theme: "So that We might be Witnesses to Christ who has
Set us Free". The next scheduled synodal gathering is the Special
Assembly for Africa which has as its theme, "The Church in Africa and
her Evangelising Mission towards the year 2000: 'You shall be my Witnesses' (Acts
1:8)". A Special Assembly for Lebanon, now in the initial stages of
preparation, has recently announced its theme: "Christ is Our Hope:
Renewed by his Spirit, in Solidarity We Bear Witness to His Love".
III.
THE SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR AFRICA 4. As in the other Special Assemblies, the focus of the Special Assembly for Africa will be on certain pastoral concerns of the continent. As no Particular Church or group of Particular Churches is ever in isolation from the whole, the concerns of the Church in Africa interest the whole Church. Reflection on the demands of evangelisation in Africa at the present time is part of a widespread current of renewal in the proclamation of the Word of God, in older Churches as well as in the younger ones. It is thus that we find the theme of renewal expressed in various Episcopal Bodies, national and international, for example, the meeting of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences at Bandung, July 1990, and in that of the Fourth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America which met in Santo Domingo, 12 - 28 October, 1992. Evangelisation seeks to induce interior change and true conversion through the power of the message proclaimed. The Church in Africa is called upon to renew, through the Word of God, the people's culture, their values, thought patterns and models of life. This calls for genuine inculturation. It will entail theological investigation and research in the light of Scripture and Tradition. "Thus it will be more clearly seen in what ways faith can seek for understanding in the philosophy and wisdom of these peoples. A better view will be gained as to how their customs, outlook on life, and social order can be reconciled with the manner of living taught by divine revelation". Renewed in the Spirit, the people become true witnesses to Jesus Christ who is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14:6). When Christians live in conformity with the gospel this fact never fails "to stir up irresistible questions in the hearts of those who see how they live and who are impelled to ask, what or who is it that inspires them? Such a witness is already a silent proclamation of the Good News and a very powerful and effective one". Nevertheless, even the finest witness of life calls for and demands, in the words of Peter, "your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pt 3:15). "The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the Word of life". Common reflection on evangelisation in Africa today will help identify the varieties of situations on the continent as well as certain common concerns. It is hoped that the Synod will be an occasion for demonstrating solidarity among the Particular Churches in Africa as well as between these Churches and the worldwide Church, and indeed between them and the other Christian Churches and Communities, and all who work for the welfare of mankind. 5. The Instrumentum laboris is a synthesis of the responses to the Lineamenta which come from the Episcopal Bodies in Africa both of the Latin and Oriental rite, from the concerned departments of the Roman Curia, and from other concerned organs of the Church. This "Working Document" has endeavoured to be faithful to the contents of these documents. It has, of course, not been possible to include everything submitted, but the essential concerns and questions raised have been represented, and are being proposed for consideration by the Synod. There has been a real effort of reflection on evangelisation by Church communities in Africa; everywhere there is a desire to renew evangelisation on the continent and to give it dynamism, especially in view of the new challenges which the third millennium will bring. The Church in Africa is preparing herself for the new situations of humanity and of religion, and the new socio-cultural and political developments. The "Working
Document" is submitted to the Synod members in order to facilitate their
immediate preparation. It is released to the Church in Africa for its further
reflection, and in this way it can further promote the work of evangelisation
in Africa today and tomorrow. PART I THE EVANGELISING MISSION OF THE
CHURCH Evangelisation: Unifying Theme of the Synod 6. The Special Assembly for Africa of the
Synod of Bishops has evangelisation as its central and unifying theme. It is
the hope and prayer of His Holiness that the Synod may result in a "deep
renewal of the Church in Africa" so that Christians on that continent
may be fired with zeal to live the gospel fully and to share Christ's salvation
and liberation with all humanity. I.
EVANGELISATION: TRINITARIAN AND ECCLESIAL ASPECTS Evangelisation is Essentially Trinitarian 7. Evangelisation draws humankind into the very life of the Trinity. It is "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit" (2 Cor 13:13), made available in order to "make all things new" (Rev 21:5), and lead humankind in the Spirit, through the Son, back to the Father, so "that God may be everything to everyone" (1 Cor 15:28). Jesus, the First Evangeliser 8. "Jesus himself, the Good News of God, was the very first and greatest evangeliser; he exercised this role to perfection and to the point of sacrificing his earthly life". At the centre of his Good News was the Reign of God, an expression of God's caring authority over the whole of life. The Kingdom is also salvation, that "great gift of God which is liberation from everything that oppresses man but which is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One". The Evangelising Mission of the Church 9. Evangelisation "flows from 'the fountain of love' within God the Father. From Him, who is 'the origin without origin', the Son is begotten and the Holy Spirit proceeds through the Son". For the continuation of his mission, the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, promising to be with them until the end of time (cf. Mt 28:20) so that they would be his "witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Evangelisation: Vocation Proper to the Church 10. Evangelisation is nothing but the continuation of the mission of the Son in the Spirit; for this reason the Church is referred to as the community of "those who sincerely accept the Good News ... gather together in Jesus' name in order to seek together the Kingdom, build it up and live it. They make up a community which is in its turn evangelising". Evangelisation is thus the "grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelise". Evangelisation Transforms Humanity from Within 11. "For the Church, evangelising means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new... The purpose of evangelisation is precisely this interior change. If it had to be expressed in one sentence the best way of stating it would be to say that the Church evangelises when she seeks to convert, solely through the divine power of the message she proclaims, both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieu which are theirs". Evangelisation: A Complex Process 12. Evangelisation is a complex process made up of complementary and mutually enriching elements, such as proclamation of Christ to non-believers, inner adherence to Christ, entry into the community, witness and apostolic initiative. It also includes human promotion, and the transformation of cultures and unjust structures of society. Evangelisation: A Task for All 13. The evangelising mission of the Church in Africa is a task incumbent on each and every one of Christ's faithful on the continent - bishops, priests, religious and the lay faithful - each according to the gift received from the Lord. To all of these, but particularly to the lay faithful, Christ addresses the challenge of spreading his Kingdom: "with even greater urgency the 'householder' repeats his invitation: `you go into my vineyard too'". Some Tasks Which lie Ahead 14. How will the Church in Africa undertake "her Evangelising Mission Towards the Year 2000"? How will African Christians truly become "witnesses" (cf. Acts 1:8) to Christ and to his salvation in the midst of their brothers and sisters? What initiatives and tasks are called for in the troubled situation of the continent in order to bring to bear this salvation and liberation? After a process of discernment of the current situation and an identification of the new challenges, it would seem that the following tasks, among others, are deserving of special attention at this Synod: -proclaiming the Good News of Salvation;
Each of these five sub-themes forms a part of the central, unifying theme of evangelisation which will occupy the participants at the Special Assembly. II.
EVANGELISATION AND THE SUB-THEMES OF THE SYNOD Evangelisation as Proclamation 15. The first form of proclamation is the witness of a truly Christian life - by individual and community - in response to the demands and values of the gospel. Such Christian living is the testimony of sincere love, humble service and "solidarity with the efforts of all for whatever is noble and good". It is to be noted, as His Holiness pointed out, that "people today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories". "Evangelisation will always contain as the foundation, centre and at the same time summit of its dynamism a clear proclamation that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of God's grace and mercy". This proclamation calls non-believers to faith and baptism. It also continually nourishes the community of believers with the word and seals their adherence to Christ. "The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature"; hence, as His Holiness says, "the missionary thrust belongs to the very nature of the Christian life". 16. There are still teeming millions of unevangelised peoples in Africa. Therefore the Church in the continent is faced with an enormous and urgent mission of bringing to them the saving message of Jesus Christ. Paul VI said at Kampala: "By now, you Africans are missionaries to yourselves. The Church of Christ is truly planted in this blessed soil ... Missionaries to yourselves, in other words, you Africans must now continue upon the continent the building up of the Church". It is now generally accepted that Africa's obligation to be missionary to itself necessarily implies missionary cooperation among the Particular Churches within each African country and among different African nations. Such inter-African missionary cooperation has been a leit-motif of many of Pope John Paul II's addresses in the course of his pastoral visits to Africa. There is a need to deepen in African major seminarians an awareness of missionary commitment as an essential component of the life and ministry of the diocesan priest. In this connection, initiation into the workings of the Pontifical Mission Societies is desirable. African diocesan priests should zealously reach out to non-Christians and unevangelised groups within their parishes, and willingly offer themselves to the bishop for missionary work in distant and abandoned areas of their own diocese or of other dioceses. No less important is the active promotion of a missionary awareness among the religious and the lay faithful in every parish. Indeed each parish needs an ongoing process of such "awareness-raising" without which it could easily lose its missionary vision and drive, and become content with merely looking after those already baptised. "As members of the Body of Bishops which succeeds the College of Apostles, all bishops are consecrated not just for one diocese, but for the salvation of the entire world. Christ's mandate to preach the gospel to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15) primarily and immediately concerns them, with Peter and under Peter. From this fact arises that communion and cooperation between Churches which is so necessary today for carrying on the work of evangelisation. In virtue of this communion individual Churches carry a responsibility for all the others". Younger Churches embed the tradition of faith in their own cultures and enter into "a certain mutual exchange of energies" with the older Churches. The Church in Africa cannot limit herself to the horizons of the continent; she has values which she can offer to the entire Church. She can do this in part through missionary activity beyond her confines. Such a movement has already begun, but it needs to be intensified. Evangelisation as Inculturation 17. "The seed which is the Word of God sprouts from the good ground watered by divine dew. From this ground the seed draws nourishing elements which it transforms and assimilates into itself. Finally it bears much fruit. Thus, in imitation of the plan of the incarnation, the younger Churches, rooted in Christ and built up on the foundation of the apostles, take to themselves in a wonderful exchange all the riches of the nations which were given to Christ as an inheritance (cf. Ps 2:8)... Particular traditions, together with the individual patrimony of each family of nations, can be illumined by the light of the gospel, and then be taken up into Catholic unity. Finally, the individual younger Churches, adorned with their own traditions, will have their own place in the ecclesiastical communion, without prejudice to the primacy of Peter's See, which presides over the entire assembly of charity". The image of seed absorbing food from the ground which it transforms into itself shows that "the synthesis between culture and faith is not just a demand of culture, but also of faith. A faith which does not become culture is a faith which has not been fully received, not thought through, not fully lived out". Inculturation is the evangelisation in depth of every aspect of the individual and societal life of a people; it is - as one Particular Church put it - "Jesus leading the community in a new dance and drumming a new rhythm". Evangelisation as Dialogue 18. Paul VI traced the "concentric circles of dialogue" with the Catholic Church herself at the innermost core. Dialogue with other Churches and Ecclesial Communities is usually called ecumenism, whereas interreligious dialogue refers to dialogue with the world's religions. Efforts at the unity of all Christians are based on the prayer of Christ, "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (Jn 17:21). They are based also on the conviction that "whatever is truly Christian never conflicts with the genuine interests of the faith". Although "this unity... dwells in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose", nevertheless there is need for "an honest and careful appraisal of whatever needs to be renewed and achieved in the Catholic household itself, in order that its life may bear witness more loyally and luminously to the teachings and ordinances which have been handed down from Christ through the apostles". It is for this reason that John Paul II in his very first encyclical insisted that "all of us who are Christ's followers must meet and unite around him. This unity in the various fields of the life, tradition, structures and discipline of the individual Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities cannot be brought about without effective work aimed at getting to know each other and removing the obstacles blocking the way to perfect unity. However, we can and must immediately reach and display to the world our unity in proclaiming the mystery of Christ, in revealing the divine dimension and also the human dimension of the redemption, and in struggling with unwearying perseverance for the dignity that each human being has reached and can continually reach in Christ, namely the dignity of both the grace of divine adoption and the inner truth of humanity". In his incarnation Christ has united himself in a certain manner to every person thus initiating a "dialogue of salvation". Through the action of the Holy Spirit his grace is secretly at work in all men of good will, offering them in a manner known only to God the possibility of sharing in the paschal mystery of Christ. Hence a "mystery of unity" pervades all human history despite the differences in religion and practice. The Church, as "the universal sacrament of salvation", has been entrusted with the ministry of unity and has the duty of continuing the "dialogue of salvation" with all men. She is called to continue discovering and acknowledging the signs of Christ's presence and of the working of the Spirit in history, and to cooperate with all men and women of good will for the salvation and welfare of all. Evangelisation as Justice and Peace 19. "A commitment to peace, justice, human rights and human promotion is also a witness to the Gospel when it is a sign of concern for persons and is directed towards integral human development". This is so because "the liberation and salvation brought by the Reign of God come to the human person both in his physical and spiritual dimensions... Jesus' many healings clearly show his great compassion in the face of human distress, but they also signify that in the Kingdom there will no longer be sickness or suffering, and that his mission, from the very beginning, is meant to free people from these evils". Hence, "it is impossible to accept that in evangelisation one could or should ignore the importance of the problems so much discussed today concerning justice, liberation, development and peace in the world. This would be to forget the lesson which comes to us from the gospel concerning love of our neighbour who is suffering and in need". The Second Vatican Council has asserted that "the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts". Evangelisation as Communication 20. "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers...but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1:1). Meditating on this fact, His Holiness has stated that "in him and through him, God has revealed himself fully to mankind and has definitely drawn close to it; in him and through him, man has acquired full awareness of his dignity and of the meaning of his existence". Pentecost was a miracle of communication; the crowds which gathered could all say: "we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God" (Acts 2:11). The Synod is an opportunity to re-examine the process of communication of the Good News to see how effectively it enables Africans to grasp, live and tell in their own manner "the mighty works of God". "The first
Areopagus of the modern age is the 'world of communications', which is
unifying humanity and turning it into what is known as a global village".
The world of communications is both a culture to be evangelised, and a
possibly potent means of evangelisation. This world should be examined to see
how it can best be harnessed for evangelisation, and what threats it may pose
to African identity and values. CHAPTER I PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF
SALVATION 21. Vast and often rapid changes in the cultural, economic, social and political fields are taking place in Africa. African peoples are aspiring to attain human rights and freedoms, including the freedom of belief and worship. This is part of the context in which the Church has to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Africa. In so doing the Church bears in mind two important considerations. The first is the need for continuity, that is, the need to build on the work of the early missionaries, fathers in the faith, who planted and nurtured the Particular Churches of Africa with outstanding dedication and zeal. It is the duty of those coming after them to water what they planted, to tend the plant and by God's grace bring it to maturity. The second is the need for change, to avoid what may have been the errors of the past and to pursue unremittingly the programme of implementing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. The Signs of the Times 22. The responses to the Lineamenta call attention to both positive and negative elements in the "signs of the times". The following were among the positive signs
commonly mentioned: - The Church in North Africa has borne witness to Christ in often trying circumstances and has given proof of strength and resilience. Those Particular Churches have persevered until today, often through persecution and adversity. The ancient Church of Carthage left a rich theological heritage in the African Fathers of the Church. Among the contributions of the Church in Egypt the monastic tradition stands out, and this has enriched the Universal Church. - The missionaries showed a pioneering spirit worthy of emulation. From the 15th century onwards they brought Christianity to central and other parts of Africa in spite of all the hazards of the day. - Christ's faithful in the Particular Churches have maintained a communal spirit and bonds of communion with the Church of Rome and the other Particular Churches. - The number of African Fidei Donum missionaries is increasing. - There are many dynamic apostolic movements and a greater lay involvement in the life of the Church. - The African is in search of truth and spiritual awakening. African men and women hunger for the fundamental values of existence and aspire towards religious experience and commitment. - The African continent is witnessing the awakening of a profound cultural, social, economic and political consciousness. With the collapse of totalitarian regimes there are new hopes of revival everywhere. - There is genuine effort at true conversion of the total person and at inculturating the Christian faith. This includes liturgy, bible translation, etc.. Genuine inculturation is here taken to be an integral evangelisation process leading to maturity in faith, integration of faith and culture, doctrine and life, worship and daily living. - Fidelity to the gospel message is exemplified by current centenary celebrations marked in many parts of Africa. - Africa too is experiencing the biblical and catechetical renewal. - Serious attempts are being made to implement the Second Vatican Council. Scientific research is being carried out in the theological, spiritual and pastoral domains. 23. In addition to the many positive signs
mentioned above are the following concerns: - Some Christians seem to have a faith that is still fragile. The various currents of the moment seem to leave them perplexed and confused, sometimes looking for salvation elsewhere. - Church personnel in most places is insufficient and this leads in some places to lack of pastoral initiatives or insufficient follow-up of those initiatives that have been taken. - In some places lack of trust still persists between the clergy and the lay faithful, in spite of the option of many Episcopal Conferences to promote the involvement of the laity. - In some countries Islam seems to be becoming more politicised and intolerant in its attitude towards the other religions. - Everywhere on the continent the proliferation of sects is of great concern. - Certain aspects of western culture seem to put people off balance and to lead to individual moral laxity, widespread corruption and materialism. Money is becoming an idol and social advancement a myth. - Many Christians seem indifferent in matters of religion. - Some negative foreign influences are leading to a general social malaise and the growth in society of secularism. - The continent as a whole is witnessing an alarming increase of poverty. The gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" is growing wider. A class of helpless and uprooted people is being created. - Family values, once the strength of Africa, are being eroded; family uprooting disturbs both the moral sense and the sense of identity. 24. It is in an African world with these signs of grace and of human sinfulness that the gospel of salvation has to be proclaimed anew today. An "hour of Africa" appears to have come, a favourable "hour" which calls on Christ's messengers to launch out into the deep in order to haul in an abundant yield for Christ. Since there are millions of unevangelised people in Africa, it is absolutely necessary and urgent for the Church in Africa to engage in the task of initial proclamation because "to reveal Jesus Christ and his gospel to those who do not know him has been, ever since the morning of Pentecost, the fundamental programme which the Church has taken on as received from her Founder". To the above-mentioned task of initial proclamation must be added an indispensable renewed evangelisation of those already baptised. Such "formation in the faith" is essential if Christians are to remain firm amid the contemporary social, political and religious currents, which include family uprooting, urbanisation, unemployment, materialism and the clash of cultures. There are challenges emanating from "intellectual perturbation accentuated by an avalanche of ideas insufficiently scrutinised, and by the influence of the media". These new challenges demand new approaches. They render renewed evangelisation even more indispensable in Africa. The gospel message encounters deeply-rooted cultural and religious values in the traditional life of the people of Africa. This traditional religious heritage has to be taken into account as well as the different political and economic contexts, without neglecting the particular local history of Christianity. For these reasons, the Church in Africa must examine its missionary activity. Methods of evangelisation need to be renewed; there must be improved training for the agents of the gospel. There is need to generate greater awareness among lay people and to involve them more actively in the mission of evangelisation. Not only must any mistakes of the past be remedied but the Church in Africa must programme itself to face the challenges of the present and seize the opportunities of the future. 25. Among the biblical images of the Church enumerated in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, that of the Church as the House of God (cf. 1 Tm 3:15) the Household of God in the Spirit (cf. Eph 2:19-22) is particularly relevant for Africa. Paul VI called the family a "domestic Church" and considered that "there should be found in every Christian family the various aspects of the entire Church. Furthermore, the family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the gospel is transmitted and from which the gospel radiates. In a family which is conscious of this mission, all the members evangelise and are evangelised". In many answers to the Lineamenta, there is a strong emphasis on the notion of the Church as the Family of God among human beings. It is felt that Africans can be more easily enabled to experience and to live the mystery of the Church as communion by utilising to good advantage the African's understanding of the family, especially as regards the values of family unity and solidarity. 26. The Church is a living family made up of bishops, priests, men and women religious and lay persons. Through baptism every Christian becomes co-responsible for the proclamation of the gospel. The responses to the Lineamenta insist on the importance of the life and witness given by the agents of evangelisation. This implies deep spiritual formation. The Church gives to bishops, as successors of the apostles, the leading role in proclaiming the Gospel (cf. Mk 1:15; Lk 4:43; Jn 18:37). They are to preach the Gospel wholeheartedly, putting aside other preoccupations (cf. Acts 6:2-4). The apostolic mission of the bishops is shared by priests, men and women religious and lay persons, each within his or her own sphere. Proclamation is made both by the silent witness of a life lived in conformity with the gospel and by explicit preaching of the name of Jesus and of his teaching, life and promises. 27. The Church in Africa is well aware that, if there is to be an effective witness to the gospel, priests should themselves be men who are well-formed, who lead truly Christian and priestly lives and who are dedicated to the pastoral needs of the faithful. The priest is called above all to give the witness of a holy life. A deep spiritual life is a necessary condition. In choosing candidates to the priesthood quality must not be sacrificed for the sake of numbers. Adequate human and intellectual formation must also be given, and this formation must be adapted to the demands and conditions of the times. For, as His Holiness has said, "the whole work of priestly formation would be deprived of its necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable human formation". Continuing formation after ordination enables the priest to remain in tune with developing times and new pastoral challenges. This formation can be gained, not only by formal courses of further studies but also through private study and through seminars and workshops. Continuous spiritual renewal can be promoted by such exercises as days of recollection and annual retreats. The Higher Catholic Institutes, such as those in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Kinshasa (Zaire), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Harcourt (Nigeria) and Yaounde (Cameroon), should be further developed so as to provide more facilities for forming apostolic personnel within the African ambience. 28. Many of the respondents to the Lineamenta stressed the need for adequate formation in both minor and major seminaries. Many dioceses have minor seminaries; these should be true seminaries with their own specific aim. For this reason there must be careful selection of candidates. The answers to the Lineamenta note the existence of different categories of major seminaries: diocesan, inter-diocesan, regional, national and seminaries belonging to religious. Great emphasis is placed on the need for the pastoral care of vocations. All Christian people have a responsibility in this matter: bishops, diocesan vocations directors, priests at every level, lay persons, families and Small Christian Communities. As far as major seminaries are concerned, the bishops of Africa lay great emphasis on the importance of careful selection and on the continuous assessment of candidates. This same point was made at a seminar organised by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in 1988 at Yaounde (Cameroun) for the Rectors and Spiritual Directors of major seminaries of West and Central Africa. The participants in this Seminar insisted that the current abundance of vocations in Africa was a grace of God to be welcomed with joy and gratitude. Nevertheless, it is to be remembered that today's seminarian is tomorrow's priest. It is therefore imperative to establish firm procedures and criteria for the selection of candidates at all levels so that those candidates not adapted to the ministry might be directed beforehand to seek their vocation in other areas of Church life. These procedures and criteria should be observed without compromise, fear or favour. It is imperative to have a national Ratio Institutionis Sacerdotalis which can help those concerned to avoid ambiguities and errors by giving a clear profile of the kind of priest needed for the Particular Church. At this stage of formation the missionary spirit is to be instilled into the candidates so that their attitude towards and outlook upon the ministerial priesthood might from the very beginning be missionary. As priests they would then gladly be sent outside their area to proclaim the Good News of salvation. 29. Those entrusted with the task of training candidates in seminaries must be well prepared for carrying out this important ministry. Bishops should give their first priority to this matter. Formators should be sufficient in number, and should be qualified, suitable, convinced and committed to their ministry, so that they may transmit to students the authentic spiritual and academic values needed for their future ministry. 30. "The counsels ... are a divine gift, which the Church has received from her Lord and which she ever preserves with the help of his grace". The life of the members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is in itself a proclamation that this world cannot be transformed except in the spirit of the Beatitudes. Such consecration is also "a better symbol of the unbreakable link between Christ and his Spouse, the Church". It is in virtue of this profound link between Spouse and Bride that the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church declared as follows: "By the charity to which they lead, the evangelical counsels join their followers to the Church and her mystery in a special way. Since this is so, the spiritual life of these followers should be devoted to the welfare of the whole Church. Thence arises their duty of working to implant and strengthen the Kingdom of Christ in souls and to extend that Kingdom to every land". Pope John Paul II has stated his conviction that such a life of consecration "which has, throughout history, been of such great service to the Church, is still today most suitable for the new apostolic challenges which the proclamation of the gospel message must face". Members of communities totally dedicated to contemplation contribute to the growth of God's people by imparting a hidden apostolic fruitfulness. Christian monasticism originated in Africa and from there spread to other parts of the world. Early African monasticism played a crucial role in the evangelising mission of the Church in Egypt and North Africa. The Church in Africa today could perhaps reflect on the role that monastic communities could and should play in the present and future evangelisation of the continent. "In fact, these communities are urged to found houses in mission areas, as not a few of them have already done. Thus living out their lives in a manner accommodated to the truly religious traditions of the people, they can bear splendid witness there among non-Christians to the majesty and love of God, as well as to man's brotherhood in Christ". 31. By their profession of the evangelical counsels, Religious Brothers "have handed over their entire lives to God's service in an act of special consecration which is deeply rooted in their baptismal consecration and which provides an ampler manifestation of it". The vocation of Brothers has not always been well understood; however, many answers to the Lineamenta underlined the importance of the witness and apostolate of Brothers, particularly among youth. There is need for greater intellectual and professional training, adequate and inculturated formation and a spirituality relevant to the circumstances of Africa. 32. As of 31 December 1989 there were 885.645 women religious and 33.375 members of women's secular institutes in the Church. Africa had 41.863 women religious. It is a matter for thanksgiving to God that, as many answers to the Lineamenta attest, more and more indigenous African women are being called to the consecrated life. Pope John Paul II has a special word of appreciation for religious Sisters in whom virginity for the sake of the Kingdom is transformed into a fruitful spiritual motherhood. The mission ad gentes offers them a vast scope for "the gift of self with love in a total and undivided manner. The example and activity of women who through virginity are consecrated to love of God and neighbour, especially the very poor, are an indispensable evangelical sign among those peoples and cultures where women still have far to go on the way toward human promotion and liberation". Many new diocesan institutes are springing up in many places on the continent. These are welcome as they contribute to the fullness of the being and apostolate of the Church. It would seem, however, that some of these new diocesan institutes are being created for apostolates already being undertaken by many others. Others seem to lack a distinctive charism and spirit. In addition, some new institutes do not seem to have adequate means to form their members and engage in effective mission. To avoid duplications the amalgamation of institutes with similar charisms and apostolic goals would seem to be in order. Multiplying diocesan institutes for their own sake could be a counter-witness by creating jealousy, prejudice, possessiveness and narrowness of outlook. Care should be taken to give Sisters an inculturated and relevant spiritual and academic formation. MAC: An Instrument of Partnership in Mission 33. Since 1974, the Meetings for African Collaboration (MAC) have brought together representatives of institutes working in Africa and those of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar in reflection on the ongoing mission of religious and apostolic institutes in Africa. Among requests on the part of religious and apostolic institutes are: a clear pastoral plan developed with the participation of all concerned, better coordination between the priorities of dioceses and those of institutes, greater willingness on the part of bishops to sign contracts, closer dialogue between bishops and superiors in the matter of appointments and transfers, and adequate remuneration for the apostolate of Sisters. At the same time bishops are requesting, among other things, that consecrated persons be more clearly a sign of the presence of Christ among the people, that they show greater respect for the religious and spiritual sensitivities of the people, that they be more ready to cooperate in the mission of the diocese, especially mission in areas not easily accessible or involving difficult tasks, and that they be more willing generally to be guided by the pastoral authority of the bishops. They also request greater stability in personnel and, above all, adequate formation of the members of institutes. 34. In Christifideles Laici Pope John Paul II presented in clear terms the vocation and ministry of the lay faithful in the Church and the world. In virtue of baptism, they participate in Christ's threefold ministry of Priest, Prophet-Teacher and King. The Second Vatican Council stated that the whole People of God participates in this same threefold ministry which is continued in the Church. John Paul II emphasises that through their participation in the prophetic mission of Christ "who proclaimed the Kingdom of his Father by the testimony of his life and by the power of his word, the lay faithful are given the ability and responsibility to accept the gospel in faith, to proclaim it in word and deed, and courageously without hesitation to identify and denounce evil. United to Christ the Prophet (cf. Lk 7:16), and in the Spirit made 'witnesses' of the Risen Christ, the lay faithful are made sharers in the appreciation of the Church's supernatural faith that cannot err in matters of belief, sharers as well in the grace of the word and the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 2:17-18). They are also called to allow the newness and the power of the gospel to shine out every day in their family and social life, as well as to express patiently and courageously in the contradictions of the present age their hope of future glory even through the framework of their secular life". The laity are encouraged to assume their missionary responsibility as agents of evangelisation. It is important to overcome "clericalism", that is, a monopoly of mission by the clergy which would not integrate or promote the mission of the lay faithful. In their everyday life the laity are in constant touch with the world and sometimes know it better. Their competence should be recognised and accepted so that they may become real witnesses to the gospel and effective agents of salutary change. Some of the responses to the Lineamenta call upon the African hierarchy to offer the laity a genuinely religious formation through such means as the biblical apostolate, spiritual formation, instruction in the social teaching of the Church, workshops, retreats and seminars. Such a lay religious culture would include elements such as prayer, acceptance of the obligation of Christian witness and a commitment to bringing up children in the Christian life. It may also call for the provision of Christian schools - in name and in fact - where an integrated Christian education can be given. Formation of Christ's lay faithful in theology and in the Church's social teaching will enable them to assume their indispensable role as agents of evangelisation. 35. The term "catechist" has a variety of meanings. Sometimes it means simply one who works in the field of catechetics. But the title may also be used more broadly to include anyone involved in some kind of apostolic activity: a teacher of religion, a community animator, a family welfare officer or a development worker. The responses to the Lineamenta also show that in Africa, the term applies to a number of functionaries. The Second Vatican Council speaks of "that army of catechists both men and women, worthy of praise, to whom missionary work among the nations owes so much. Imbued with the apostolic spirit they make a singular and absolutely necessary contribution to the spread of the faith and of the Church by their strenuous efforts". Catechesis or the teaching of the faith constitutes the specific vocation of the catechist but he is also involved as a collaborator in the whole apostolic endeavour. Pope John Paul II emphasises that "the ministry of the catechist has its own characteristics. Catechists are specialists, direct witnesses and irreplaceable evangelisers who, as I have often stated and experienced during my missionary journeys, represent the basic strength of Christian communities, especially in the younger Churches". Catechists stand at the centre of the history of the Church in Africa and of its missionary success. As close cooperators of the missionaries, they have in recent times become specialised teachers of religion and general pastoral agents, with a prophetic role in the community and in schools, both in the towns and in the countryside. Many responses to the Lineamenta echo both the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II in recognising the importance of the training of catechists. They need careful training in doctrine as well as initiation into pedagogical methods, and should be given opportunities for spiritual and apostolic development. Training can be given in special centres as well as in occasional seminars, workshops and retreats. The aim is to prepare efficient animators of the community who can act as teachers and witnesses of the gospel under the direction of the Pastors in the Africa of today. Some of the answers to the Lineamenta ask whether it would not be in line with the work already being done by catechists to orientate some of them to become permanent deacons. Other responses, however, were reticent concerning this proposal. 36. Several of the responses to the Lineamenta noted that at least 40% of the present population of Africa is under the age of eighteen. The importance of children and youth for the Church of the future can therefore hardly be exaggerated. Children "are a continual reminder that the missionary fruitfulness of the Church has its life-giving basis not in human means and merits, but in the absolute gratuitous gift of God". Concerning youth, the Pope has also stated: "Youth must not be simply considered as an object of pastoral concern for the Church. In fact young people are and ought to be encouraged to be active on behalf of the Church as leading characters in evangelisation and participants in the renewal of society". Every effort must be made to provide young people with a solid Christian upbringing. The family is particularly important in this respect since the home is the place where the Christian formation of children begins. "Christian education should aim at bringing young people to maturity in faith and preparing them for life. It does this by forming them in chastity, protecting them from ideological and moral danger, bringing them into the ecclesial and civil community, helping them to choose a vocation and in general offering mutual support". Both in the school and the community effort must be made to help young people to become men and women of conviction and "leading characters of evangelisation" for their own people and others. It seems evident that youth holds the promise of the future for the Church. Many dioceses have Youth Directors and Youth Centres which provide good service. Many youth activities and youth associations have as their aim not simply the welfare of their members, but the formation of young people as witnesses to their peers. It needs, however, to be repeated that there is no substitute for the family as the primary locus for training youth and bringing them up in the faith. Schools 37. Catholic Schools are envisaged as important places for bringing youth up as committed Christians. Every effort should be made to instill Catholic convictions into teachers. It is expected that Catholic schools should give education for life and a genuine training of the Christian conscience. The Church is to provide teachers and chaplains, and also Teachers' Training Colleges where this is possible, in order to produce an efficient and committed body of Catholic teachers equipped to teach religion and train youth. It is recommended that Catholic education policy take better into consideration the different cultural, social, political and economic elements in the life of the people. The Religious Syllabus should also include the Church's Social Teaching and promote knowlegde of the relevant elements of African Traditional Religion. 38. Pope Paul VI stated that "at different moments in the Church's history and also in the Second Vatican Council, the family has well deserved the beautiful name of 'domestic Church'. This means that there should be found in every Christian family the various aspects of the entire Church. The family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted and from which it radiates. Parents not only communicate the Gospel to their children, but from their children they can themselves receive the Gospel as deeply lived by them". A special characteristic of African families noted in the answers to the Lineamenta is that they often contain members who belong to different religious confessions. This can be an opportunity for witness and evangelisation. Christian values can be accepted even when they are not recognised as Christian. Differences in religious conviction should be approached in a spirit of mutual respect and tolerance. Such an attitude would indeed be one way in which evangelisation could take place within the African family. At the same time, Christian families, real domestic cells of the Church, remain the ideal, and many are now emerging in Africa. 39. The communion of the Church is promoted when the lay faithful work together in groups, thus exercising in common their responsible participation in the life and mission of the Church. The formation of lay groups is promoted by the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council which explicitly referred to such an apostolate as "a sign of communion and of the unity of the Church of Christ". Pope John Paul II offers the following criteria by which the genuinely ecclesial character of lay groups can be recognised: - the primary aim is an expression of the call
of every Christian to holiness; Many of the answers to the Lineamenta confirm the importance of apostolic movements as dynamic agents of evangelisation in Africa. The emphasis is placed on formation, and on direction by suitable and well-trained chaplains. These monitor progress and seek to instill the Christian spirit into the groups. 40. The answers to the Lineamenta recognise the fundamental role in evangelisation of the witness of Christian life and the sacraments, especially the eucharist, the source and apex of the Christian life. For evangelisation touches the natural life and gives it a new meaning, thanks to the continual encounter with Christ in the sacraments. Three priorities were, nevertheless, singled out as of particular relevance: - the centrality of the Word of God; The Word reveals to us the mystery of the divine plan of salvation. By the Son's incarnation and through the Spirit man has access to the Father and comes to share in the divine nature (cf. Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). God out of love reveals himself and speaks to men as friends, he lives among them and invites them to fellowship with him. Through words and deeds, he unveils his plan for the salvation of mankind. The words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them. "By this revelation, then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man is made clear to us in Christ who is the mediator and at the same time the fullness of all revelation". He, the one in whom the full revelation of the Supreme God is brought to completion (cf. 2 Cor 1:20), commissioned the apostles to preach to all humankind the gospel, source of all saving truth and moral living (cf. Rm 10:14-27; Mt 19:20). The Word is also a tradition handed down through contemplation and study by believers. "The Church constantly moves forward towards the fullness of divine truth, until the words of God reach their complete fulfilment in her". Preaching should be Christ-centred and should help believers to grow towards Christian maturity. Sermons should offer doctrine and moral directives which are relevant to the concrete situation of the hearers so that these feel themselves challenged to improve their relationship with God and with people in the community. The aim of preaching is to help the hearers make a response to Christ - as individuals and as community. The grace of conversion comes from God; the preacher is his instrument. It is God who both acts through the preacher and moves the minds and hearts of the hearers so that they may understand and follow the message of salvation. Under the impulse of the Holy Spirit the Church's ministry of preaching continues that of Christ. Preaching aims ultimately at manifesting the glory of God which saves mankind through faith and love. The preacher and the hearers are all elements in a divine activity which is directed to believer and unbeliever, just and sinner, in their life situation as Africans. The homily should be adapted to the understanding of the hearers and be inspired by scripture, tradition, and the teaching of the Fathers and the magisterium. Preaching makes great demands on the preacher, both intellectually and spiritually. The Word of God needs to become more and more an integral part of Christian life in Africa and the foundation of Christian spirituality and life. For this to happen, initiation by means of seminars, workshops and other means may be needed. Vernacular translations are to be encouraged; in fact they are appearing in greater numbers. The Biblical Apostolate is to be promoted and bibles and biblical material made more readily available. In 1981 at Yaounde, (Cameroon), the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) reiterated the crucial importance of the Biblical Apostolate, and agreed to assume complete responsibility for the African apostolate of the bible. 44. By "catechesis" is meant the education of children, young people and adults in the faith. It includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine in an organic and systematic way so as to initiate the hearers into the fullness of the Christian life. Catechesis initiates the catechumens into the following elements of Church life: the initial proclamation of the Gospel, or "kerygma", apologetics, experience of Christian living, celebration of the sacraments, integration into the ecclesial community and apostolic and missionary witness. Catechesis and proclamation complement each other, and both are "moments" in the entire process of evangelisation. Proclamation leads to initial faith; catechesis advances this faith by educating the neophyte in the duties of discipleship and giving him or her a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and message of our Lord Jesus Christ. Newly-initiated Christians are, it is evident, in need of further formation. It is the task of the catechist, under the guidance of Pastors, to bring Christians to greater faith-awareness. Many of the responses to the Lineamenta stress the importance of an adult catechumenate. One of the tools of catechetical instruction is the "catechism", or summary of belief. Pope John Paul II outlines four essential features of good catechisms, as follows: - "they must be linked with the real life of the generation to which they are addressed, showing close acquaintance with its anxieties and questionings, struggles and hopes; - they must try to speak a language comprehensible to the generation in question; - they must make a point of giving the whole message of Christ and of his Church, without neglecting or distorting anything, and in expounding it they will follow a line and structure that highlights what is essential; - they must really aim to give to those who use them a better knowledge of the mysteries of Christ, aimed at true conversion and a life more in conformity with God's will". Many countries in Africa have diocesan and inter-diocesan catechisms, written in the local language and often composed in the missionary period. They have done good service as tools of evangelisation, but some of them may need to be brought up-to- date to answer to the needs of the new generation and the new reality of the Church. The guidelines for this may be found in the General Catechetical Directory. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which has now been published, will serve as the standard reference-book. 45. Several Episcopal Conferences have adopted Small Christian Communities as a priority of their pastoral plan. Their form varies from country to country, but in general they bring together several families from an area of the town or village within the parish territory. The advantage of such communities is that they give Christians a sense of belonging and a sense of being united in a common purpose. The family and clan structure of traditional African society makes these Small Christian Communities particularly appropriate. Paul VI enumerated certain conditions for the ecclesial reality of these communities. Although his words seem to refer directly to the Basic Communities of Latin America, some of these conditions apply also to the African situation. They are the following: - "that they remain firmly attached to the local Church within which they exist and to the Universal Church, thus avoiding the very real danger of becoming isolated; ... - that they maintain a sincere communion with the Pastors whom the Lord gives to his Church, and with the Magisterium which the Spirit of Christ has entrusted to these pastors; ... - that they constantly grow in missionary consciousness, fervour, commitment and zeal". It is very important to train and educate the leaders of these Small Christian Communities. 46. Other ways of communicating the message of salvation include religious books and use of the media. Some responses to the Lineamenta advocate the use in evangelisation of sociological methods of evaluation and research. 47. The Second Vatican Council teaches that "the Church is a kind of sacrament or sign of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind. She is also an instrument for the achievement of such union and unity". This being the case, one of the primary tasks of the Church in Africa in her evangelising mission towards the third millennium must be a commitment to becoming more fully the sign and instrument of communion with God, and of communion and reconciliation among men. The bishops of Africa have often explicitly called attention to the mystery of the Church as the sign and instrument of communion as well as to the obligation of the Church in Africa to render that sign ever more effective, visible and credible. That is why the Sixth Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar held in Yaounde (Cameroon) in 1981 made the following declaration: "In the Churches of Africa and Madagascar apostolic workers come from practically everywhere. There are indigenous people and expatriates in all the variety of their origins and cultures. This diversity must be consciously accepted in mutual respect and with the feeling that all are involved in one and the same task, the proclamation of the gospel. Each in his own place must feel responsible for the image given by his or her Particular Church. All must strive to eliminate every trace of racialism and discrimination. No one should encourage tribalism by his words or attitudes... We must find joy in stressing that the qualities and talents of each human group contribute to the good of all and promote mutual enrichment". Promoting Ecclesial Communion in Africa 48. The Synod of 1974 was an occasion for the African bishops to restate the continued need of foreign missionaries in Africa, for "between the different parts of the Church there are bonds of intimate communion with regard to spiritual riches, apostolic workers and temporal assistance". Since the Church is a communion, it must embody participation and co-responsibility at all levels. The effort to promote such participation among all Christ's faithful, including the lay faithful, will constitute one of the principal tasks in the evangelising mission of the Church in Africa. It is suggested that regional seminaries, inter-diocesan apostolic work on the part of seminarians, and National Missionary Institutes might be ways of promoting communion in the Particular Churches. There must also be true communion between the different members of the African hierarchy, between priests and religious, and between all members of Christ's faithful. Particularly important is the sense of unity between Africans and the expatriate missionaries. For the Church in Africa to live the mystery
of Church communion more intensely, it is necessary that catechesis,
preaching and other practical ways be found to promote a solid sensus Ecclesiae
among Christ's faithful, as well as a profound conviction and living
awareness of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. This sensus
Ecclesiae necessarily implies a fundamental attitude of a sentire cum
Ecclesia, by which Christ's faithful in Africa will accept with Christian
obedience, docility and humility the leadership of their bishops in communion
with Peter and the College of Bishops. INCULTURATION 49. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (Jn 1:14). The content of what would come in time to be called "inculturation" is contained in these words of the Gospel According to Saint John. God became man so that human beings might become his children. "The process of the Church's insertion into peoples' cultures is a lengthy one. It is not a matter of purely external adaptation, for inculturation 'means the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures'". Jesus confided the mission of proclaiming the Good News to the disciples (cf. Mt 28:20). Paul in fulfilling this mission entered into dialogue with the Gentiles, peoples whose cultural and religious values were different from those of the Jews (cf. Acts 14:8; 17:22). The process inculturation follows is one that the Word of God followed, taking flesh in the life and the beliefs of peoples who welcome Christ and the values of the gospel. It follows that inculturation does not consist only in transforming the mentality of human beings or groups of people, but also implies approaching cultures in such ways that they are enabled, from within themselves, to be fertile. Christianity becomes itself enriched when through inculturation it enters into dialogue with peoples and with their cultures. An inculturated evangelisation will help peoples give flesh to evangelical values in their language and symbols, their history, politics, business life and own ways of developing. Inculturation facilitates not only the integration of cultural values but also the purification of those elements not in keeping with the exigencies of the gospel. Inculturation is written into the very logic of the Incarnation. God became man so as to share with man his plan of salvation (cf. 1 Tm 2:4). In this way the gospel finds expression in the genius of a people, and will continue to find expression in the genius of every people that accepts it. In the answers to the Lineamenta the
necessity and the urgency of inculturation are justified in Africa. I.
THE NECESSITY OF INCULTURATION 50. Inculturation is looked upon by the great majority of the Particular Churches in Africa as a task that is urgent, necessary and even a priority. It consists, in fact, of a process by which Christian belief takes flesh in the cultures, a process inherent in the announcing of God's Good News. "Because the incarnation of the Son of God was concrete and integral, it was a cultural incarnation". Scriptural Basis 51. Already in the Old Testament Isaiah foretells the glory of Jerusalem: "The nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising... Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Saba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord" (Is 60:3, 5-6). In this manner the universal nature of salvation is forcefully stated. Inculturation will show much more clearly that, in the biblical perspective, every people is given to Christ as his inheritance, and that by the inculturation process peoples can offer to Christ what they received from him. From that point on, the marvels of God will be told to the peoples, each one in its own tongue (cf. Acts 2:11). Theological Aspects 52. If the necessity that the evangelical message be inculturated is drawn from the very mystery of the incarnation, the Church must set out to follow the path traced by her master, who came not to abolish but to complete (cf. Mt 5:17). The Word being God himself took on a real human nature in his own person and lived every aspect of human existence - except sin - in a definite place and time. So, "through her work, whatever good is in the minds and hearts of men, whatever good lies latent in the religious practices and cultures of diverse peoples, is not only saved from destruction but is also healed, ennobled, and perfected unto the glory of God". The gospel should reach into the heart of human beings, because "the Kingdom which the gospel proclaims is lived by men who are profoundly linked to a culture, and the building up of the Kingdom cannot avoid borrowing the elements of human culture or cultures". Pastoral Dimension 53. Inculturation makes evangelisation begin at the very depths of hearts and customs. Christianity remains for many Africans "a stranger religion", there being some part of their very selves and lives that stays outside the gospel. This is the source of a certain double quality in living their beliefs, holding them divided between their faith in Jesus Christ and custom's traditional practices. Inculturation will help the African Christian resolve the tension between the two ways of living, and to accept what it costs to abandon beliefs and practices that are incompatible with the gospel. Without inculturation the faith of the African will remain fragile and superficial, lacking depth and personal commitment. Inculturation will additionally relativise the problem of the sects, enabling the African Christian to express his faith in his own tongue and in attitudes and gestures natural to him, in catechesis, liturgy and pastoral work as well as in theological reflection. Nevertheless, it has to be admitted that the process of inculturation is not universally welcomed, something that one might after all have expected. What is brought out in fact by the fears and the hesitancies the inculturation process arouses in various quarters is that the process calls into question the understanding and accustomed ways not only of the Christian people but of some pastors too. Historical Perspective 54. It is generally accepted by African Episcopal Conferences that the Christian western world is now paying more attention to the hidden riches of African cultures. Moreover, the Second Vatican Council gave recognition to the importance and timeliness of the matter when it said, "although the Church has contributed much to the development of culture, experience shows that, because of circumstances, it is sometimes difficult to harmonize culture with Christian teaching". A Church that does not attain success in
integrating its proper cultural values into its belief will not be able to
stand against the influences of other religious currents. This is certainly
one of the causes of the failure of evangelisation in certain regions of
Africa. II.
INCULTURATION AND CHURCH COMMUNION 55. The efforts made to achieve inculturation will certainly bring enrichment both to the Particular Church and the Church at large, for inculturation calls the Christian to a life of communion that is more committed and more in keeping with the gospel. The first positive outcome surely is a great strengthening of the salvific action of the Redeemer working through a living liturgy that employs means that are proper to Africa. In this way Africa brings enrichment to the spiritual patrimony of the Universal Church. The use of certain African cultural traditions helps the African better understand and live the sacraments. The crowning of all efforts towards
inculturation is before all else the contribution Africa makes to the glory
of God. Saint Irenaeus said "the glory of God is the living human
person", which here means the believer fully alive, enabled to praise
God with every last one of his cultural values. III.
MAIN FIELDS OF INCULTURATION 56. The majority of the Episcopal Conferences in Africa believe that the matter of inculturation cannot be restricted to one aspect of evangelisation. The objective is instead to see inculturation as a process that should underpin the entirety of the new evangelisation. Experiments or attempts in inculturation are being made, in most instances, in the domains of bible, liturgy, pastoral method and theological research. Bible 57. The Church in Africa responded very rapidly to the recommendation of the Second Vatican Council in the Constitution Dei Verbum that Christians be given easy access to sacred scripture. Almost everywhere in Africa translations into the local language were undertaken, often in a joint effort with other Christians. This led to the bible becoming in a special way an area of ecumenical dialogue. Liturgy 58. It is in the domain of liturgy that the great majority of attempts at inculturation have been undertaken. The development moved rapidly from simple adaptations to creative efforts. Several initiatives may be mentioned: - a rediscovery of the importance of the Word of God; Pastoral Work 59. In the work of the apostolate the African Church has, in the Living Church Communities, something that promises to be fruitful. A theology of communion is beginning to develop, thanks to them, through which the faithful are starting to appreciate that they are themselves involved in preaching the gospel. The parish is increasingly seen as a structure which both expresses this communion of parts and holds them together. In some Particular Churches, parish structures have been re-ordered into Living Christian communities, and this helps members share responsibility better and feel themselves more a Church family. Retreats and preparation for the reception of the sacraments are done in groups. Manuals for catechesis make every effort to take African symbols and cultural values into account. Evangelisation of some traditional rites has been undertaken: concerning twins, widows, initiation, burial, etc.. Some parishes have been selected to be pilot projects, places for experimentation in inculturation before these practices are extended to a region (diocese) or a country. Research 60. Inculturation is not just a matter of
languages, rather the fresh examination, thanks to the gospel, of everything
that makes up the lives of African people. In the field of theological
research there is intense activity, for example, doctoral theses are being
written, and periodicals and books are being published. Teaching institutes
exist where courses are offered on the theme of inculturation (universities,
higher institutes, pastoral centres, seminaries). Associations of theologians
and exegetes are being set up in great numbers, and they are organising
symposia and colloquia. This research work, combined with the Christian sense
of the African faithful, could result in a particularly African theology
which, by a deep reflection on the African way of seeing God, human beings
and life, would enrich the Universal Church. IV.
AGENTS OF INCULTURATION 61. The work of inculturation involves the
entire Church community because it is the whole Church that must be
missionary. Therefore it must never be thought that inculturation falls under
the responsibility of foreign missionaries or of a handful of experts. It is
the responsibility of the whole believing community. In fact, if pastors and
theologians, for the most part, organise pastoral work and theological
reflection, the gestures, attitudes, expressions, prayers and songs, along
with musical instruments and rhythms will spring from the spiritual depths of
the faithful people. The drive for inculturation is therefore a movement with
which everyone is associated. In cases where there is conflict, it is the
duty of the bishop to take a decision. V.
CHRISTIANS' REACTION TO THE EFFORT FOR INCULTURATION 62. Inculturation can seem a novelty as a way of evangelising, so there is always need to explain the process before trying to put it into action. In those instances where inculturation has been badly received, the failure will have resulted because proper explanation in advance was lacking. It would seem that reactions to efforts at inculturation may not be the same everywhere. In certain countries it is necessary to distinguish various sorts of reaction to the attempts at inculturation. Some reactions in fact point to understandable hesitancies in face of anything new. Others, however, are a result of failure to understand the basis upon which alterations are being made in accustomed ways for expressing the faith. There are also Christians who reject the new initiatives, particularly in liturgy, because they are overly attached to ceremonies in Latin, and even in the european languages. In liturgy, at least, it may be claimed that people welcome the changes enthusiastically. It can be noticed in the growing numbers who approach holy communion. Again, it can be seen how people are moved by preaching that is done within the cultural categories they are familiar with. Overall it can be said that those who habitually take part in the life of the community are the ones who best understand the basis of inculturation. In such cases there is no surprise in finding that the younger generation is better disposed to accept the changes, where older people are far more hesitant. The different reactions come from the fact that in many instances the explanations that were done before the introduction of the changes have been understood differently. Hence, it is to be desired that every effort to try out inculturation should be preceded by explanation, so people may understand the reasons for it and its purpose. In fact, negative reactions are often bound up
with hesitancies when confronted with the demand to change mentality and
habits. At times some changes are discredited or rendered suspect through
exaggeration on the part of the people who are putting them into effect.
VI.
SOME SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS AT INCULTURATION 63. It is incontestable that the Church has flourished in those areas where the principle of inculturation was taken seriously. The experience of the early Church community deserves to be cited in evidence here as a model. As it moved from the Jewish to the Hellenic world the early Church felt it necessary to inculturate the message and to share out responsibilities (cf. Acts 6:1-6). At the Council of Jerusalem the Hellenists had to accept - for the sake of unity (cf. Acts 15:28) - to maintain what was strictly necessary. The history of the Church, from Pentecost to the Second Vatican Council, and the transition from Greek to the Latin and Byzantine traditions shows that the principle of unity in diversity, better perhaps, the particular in the universal, has always been upheld. The Ethiopian and the Coptic Churches have survived only because from the outset inculturation was part of their being. In fact, "in Egypt and in Ethiopia from very early times the Christian faith was presented (the bible, liturgy, etc.) in the Coptic and Ethiopian languages, even if they were the spoken tongue of only a minority of people". In our day Christianity lives on in the north of Ethiopia, with its proper liturgy (Ethiopian Rite) and its theological heritage. Here, it is preferable to speak of a rooting of God's word in the community - instead of inculturation. The Church in Egypt wanted from the beginning
to inculturate the gospel message into what was at first a pagan and later a
Muslim milieu. The same effort is still asked of her today as she strives to
make contact with Arabic culture which is also called to be influenced by
gospel values. She is adapting to the modern world, keeping intact its faith
and its Church tradition. Elsewhere in Africa there are different efforts
towards inculturation going on. VII.
SOME QUESTIONS THAT ARISE CONCERNING INCULTURATION Diversity of Peoples and Cultures 64. In some of the answers to the Lineamenta, questions are asked concerning inculturation, based on the great diversity of peoples in most African countries many of whom host over a hundred indigenous languages. Some of these peoples are relatively few in number. Furthermore, as most countries of Africa are striving towards national unity and national identity on the psychological level a stress on inculturation would seem to be detrimental to such identity. Some people hold the theory of "convergence of industrial societies", that is, that traditional societies become more and more similar as they become industrialized and urbanized. Some would extend this to a gradual dominance of the western type of culture over all traditional cultures. It needs be remembered that "whatever is received, is received according to the manner of the receiver"; each group and people hears the gospel from within its own traditional experiences. This may lead to distortions and misplaced emphases which may need to be corrected by a proper approach to inculturation. It may also have a positive effect in buttressing certain essential aspects of the gospel or revealing "new faces" of Christ. It would be the task of inculturation to integrate these "faces" within an balanced Christian point of view particular to the group or people. The principle should be adopted that, as far as possible, each group should hear the gospel in its own tongue, and have necessary translations made available, especially if the majority of people cannot communicate in any other language. It should be a goal of inculturation to so order missionary work and pastoral action as gradually to do away with interpreters. Culture should not be confused with the actual practices of a culture. The practices may differ from place to place, and in the same place from one epoch to another, without essential change in the culture. The trained or experienced person can discover similarities of culture (depth level) where others see only diversity. Nor is culture synonymous with language even if language is an important element. Some peoples with diverse practices and languages can share an overall culture; such seems to be the case of Africa, south of the Sahara; there one tends to speak of African Traditional Religion in the singular, this without prejudice to the existence of sub-cultures. The Challenge of the Present Situation 65. Industrialization, urbanization and the mass media are certainly agents of cultural evolution, so have been the factors of colonialism and neo-colonialism. They have brought such enormous changes to Africa, especially on the level of material culture and the forms and functions of certain elements of culture, that the new Africa is a culture in transition. However, when it comes to values and the basic assumptions of a people, the resistance is still strong and the underlying African identity still intact. Culture, like the human organism which grows by absorbing life from the environment, retains its identity even while undergoing profound changes. Efforts at inculturation may not neglect the factor of change. Especially in urban centres, it will be found that attempts at inculturation which take account both of social change and the underlying resources of the African mentality will be a force for unity rather than a source of discord. In parish situations, care is to be taken that inculturation efforts are not based on the ideas of some cultural sub-groups to the exclusion of others. Since inculturation is a community project, it calls for dialogue between all levels of the community with a view to arriving at expressions which have universal appeal and lend themselves to acceptance by all. The caveat of His Holiness is apposite: "inculturation is a slow journey, which accompanies the whole of missionary life". Since culture is a dynamic reality and not
static, it is in constant evolution. Internal re-structurings are continually
in progress because of the contact between cultures. Inculturation is,
therefore, an ongoing process, never a finished product. VIII.
INCULTURATION AND POSSIBLE ERRORS 66. Certain initiatives in inculturation have been considered deviations or abuses because they were not accompanied by anthropological and theological reflection of adequate depth. There are rites or customs that cannot without discernment be adapted for use. Again, there have been attempts on too limited a cultural basis. It must be admitted that some of the things attempted in inculturation lend themselves to equivocal interpretation. Tactless initiatives put valid ones at risk and are to be avoided: - abuses in the use made of holy water, incense, candles and the laying on of hands; - prayer groups tending towards sects, and not attending Sunday Mass; - danger that the liturgy evolve into a non-sacred folk ritual. The danger of syncretism has to be noted. IX.
PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 67. Inculturation is not a new method of evangelising, it is rather an idea about which all plans for evangelisation must turn. Today inculturation appears to be an urgent task for the Church in Africa. Inculturation ought to be in all respects an effort men and women make to be converted down to the very roots of their culture. It is imperative then that the Synod aid the peoples of Africa to avoid separating conversion of mind from the conversion of their way of life. Inculturation should enable African Christians to live their faith in all its depth and to be able to give it expression in their own way. Before that stage is attained, it is necessary to face up to some pastoral challenges. Marriage and Family Living 68. "Marriage", says an African proverb, "is the main post of the hut". If the house, that is, the Church of Christ in Africa, should sway, perhaps that is because its main support does not plunge deep enough into the earth of Africa. There is a great number of Catholics excluded from the sacraments, the source of unity and strength, by reason of their irregular marital situation. Still others are barred from coming into the Church by reason of already existing relationships. It is good that all of these problems should be treated so as to find out what pastoral solutions are possible. In any case, it is opportune in this matter of marriage to go back to the two principles that should direct every effort of inculturation, namely, "compatibility with the gospel and communion with the universal Church". Again, "holding fast to the two principles of the compatibility with the gospel of the various cultures to be taken up and of communion with the Universal Church, there must be further study...and greater pastoral diligence so that this inculturation of the Christian faith may come about ever more extensively, in the context of marriage and the family as well as in other fields". Priestly and Religious Life 69. Some of those who become priests or religious in Africa may feel themselves alienated from their own culture. So some Episcopal Conferences in Africa judge that the training being given to future priests and religious fails to root them well enough into their cultural inheritance. This state of things can lead to their living in a very insecure state, perpetually wearing a mask. Could a spirituality steeped in African wisdom perhaps provide a remedy to this condition? What needs be done to inculturate religious life? How does one lead a truly priestly life and remain a man of one's people? These are questions that must be asked. African Spirituality 70. Recent study of African Traditional Religion has demonstrated that the traditional African possesses a deep and very rich spirituality. He not only believes in a Supreme Being but gives expression to his faith by means of religious convictions and practices. A spirituality, whole and entire, surges up from the depths, even in the case of Christians, at certain vital moments in human living - birth, initiation or rite of passage to adulthood, pain and death. Completed and purified by the light of the gospel, the concepts of life and death, of veneration for the ancestors and belief in the afterlife, can enrich Christian spirituality and make certain aspects of the mystery of salvation more understandable to the African. Health Care 71. There can be no doubt that Catholics provide a great service in the field of health. Yet experience shows that illness, suffering and death lead Christians to look to other sources of help, for example, traditional healers, sects and the Independent Churches. Some who follow these practices say that the Church does not have power over illness and suffering. This is, of course, false, but it is possible that the approach of the Church is not sufficiently holistic in practice for the African. If the gospel is Good News for every human person, then the Synod must turn its attention to the belief in witchcraft and divination which is disturbing the African's peace of mind, to see what ministry can cope with this preoccupation. Ancestors and the Communion of Saints 72. In Africa there is still a widespread conviction that life and death, the living and the dead, even the as-yet-unborn, are mutually dependent. This network of beliefs constitutes the bedrock of the African worldview. It is a question that the Synod ought to face, to discover if those beliefs could not be harmonised with the Communion of Saints. The fact that the ancestors hold a key position in African Traditional Religion makes this all the more important. Research in this field should be undertaken in different parts of Africa to reach, possibly a fresh understanding of the Communion of Saints. It is necessary that the mysteries of life and death as the African lives them be held in consideration and, what is more, that rituals which concern death and burial be christianised in such a way that the ancestors are brought into the Christian understanding of the Communion of Saints. Inculturation and African Traditional Religion 73. The process of inculturation must
constantly take into account the positive elements of African Traditional
Religion. These elements form part of the cultural heritage of the peoples of
Africa, and the establishing of relationships between them and Christianity
could be to the enrichment of the latter. Some of the positive elements of
African Traditional Religion are outlined in Chapter Three which deals with
Dialogue. CONCLUSION 74. The inculturation process will help the
Particular Churches of Africa make their evangelising more extensive and of
greater depth. Perhaps it is well to restate here that inculturation is not a
missionary methodology by which one passes into a new stage of
evangelisation. It is rather a new awareness, a requirement that has Jesus
Christ at its centre. This new requirement demands a profound change in
mentality and conviction. Inculturation enables the Church in Africa to take
its own place in the ongoing process of the mystery of the incarnation, for
wherever the Word is proclaimed by the Church there it must take flesh in and
for the culture. Evangelisation has to be carried through in every culture
"in depth and right to its very roots". The missionary task of the
Church in Africa at the dawn of the third millennium is to make possible in
an adapted way the event of two thousand years ago, the incarnation of the
Word of God. DIALOGUE 75. Dialogue is an important characteristic of the world we live in. The revolution in the modern means of transport and social communications has brought the world closer together. The whole world has become one big market place where dialogue and encounter have become inevitable. Never before in the history of humanity has there been so much contact between adherents of different religions and among different religions of the world. In making dialogue an important part of her programme of action in today's world, the Church wishes to respond to this external and clear "sign of the times", but also and especially to give fresh vitality to an integral aspect of her mission of evangelisation. The programme outlined by Pope Paul VI in his first Encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam, in 1964 - a document described by Pope John Paul II as the "'Magna Carta' of dialogue under its various forms" - was spelt out more clearly in the Second Vatican Council. Various conciliar and post-conciliar documents are available as precious records of what the Spirit is saying to the Church. On the practical level, structures have been established to ensure the implementation of the conciliar directives. 6. Dialogue "is demanded by deep respect for everything that has been brought about in human beings by the Spirit who blows where he wills". Hence, the Church is not free with respect to dialogue nor does she enter it with ulterior motives. Striving to live in a state of continual conversion and of docility to the Holy Spirit, she cooperates with his activity wherever it is found. To a certain extent, the Holy Spirit is also active in the other Churches and Christian Communities as well as in the other religions of the world. The Church has a duty to discern this activity and to promote it to the best of her energy, and this calls for dialogue and mutual challenge. In this way, she grows into the fullness of Christ, the foundation and norm of God's self-manifestation and self-communication to man. 77. The Church is a kind of sacrament of the intimate union with God and of the unity of all mankind; she is also an instrument for the achievement of such union and unity. She continues the initiative of God himself, who established a dialogue of salvation with man, a dialogue gratuitously undertaken on God's part, with full respect for human freedom and destined for all. On the other hand she follows the example of her divine Founder who during his ministry used dialogue as the means of progressively revealing his divinity and the mysteries of the Kingdom (cf. Jn 3:1-21, 4:1-42, 6:26-69). Dialogue is, therefore, an important aspect of the Church's mission of evangelisation: "authentic dialogue becomes witness, and true evangelisation is accomplished by respecting and listening to one another". Dialogue is not an alternative for proclamation nor a substitute for it; one implies the other, and both are different aspects of the same mission of the Church. The obligation of preaching the gospel and bearing witness to Christ lies on every Christian: "woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1 Cor 9:16) and again, "we cannot but proclaim what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). The Christian engaged in dialogue responds to the exhortation found in 1 Pt 3:15 to give "an account of the hope that is in you, but to give it in gentleness and reverence". A Christian in dialogue cannot but begin from his or her own identity as such, that is, as one who follows and professes Christ as the universal norm for human life. In this sense, true Christian dialogue is never indifferent to the aims of proclamation. 78. As a specific activity dialogue may be expressed in four ways - dialogue of life, dialogue of deeds, dialogue of specialists and dialogue of religious experience. In this sense, some people may feel called to give themselves more especially to dialogue as a specific apostolate. It is to be noted, however, that dialogue goes beyond the mere setting up of structures for discussion and debates by experts; it is also and especially the sharing of experiences and collaboration in life by ordinary adherents of the different religions. Above all dialogue is a spirit which underlies every form of Christian mission. It is a habit of mind, an attitude of respect and friendship towards those who have a different point of view. It is flexibility and openness to truth no matter from which side it comes. So that the search for Truth may be freer, the person in dialogue seeks to eliminate every prejudice, intolerance and unnecessary misunderstanding. Dialogue shows openness to the activity of the Spirit in each person and each religion or group, and hence a readiness to accept the depth of the religious experience of others and to collaborate with them for the good of religion and society. Such an attitude is evangelical and should characterise the interpersonal relationships of Christians at all levels. Catholics are to be aware that faith is not static but enters into constant dialogue with various human contexts. They should also be acquainted with the beliefs and practices of other Christians and other religions, and show themselves ever open to the good in others. Dialogue implies a will to greater collaboration for the good of humanity and the triumph of Truth. It is thus that the spirit of dialogue should mark the relationships of the Particular Churches with one another, and in the Particular Churches between the bishop, his clergy, the religious, laity and movements, and in the relationship between the various structures on the diocesan and parish level. |
