Calling all courageous evangelizers

Residents of the slum where Card. Bergoglio would often celebrate Mass

Pastoral ministers should always be missionary and its ministers must be courageous evangelizers not afraid to go out into the deep, even to the outskirts of existence to bring the sweet and comforting joy of faith to people today.

This is Pope Francis' message to his brother Argentinian bishops who are gathered in the city of Pilar in these days for their Plenary Assembly, a meeting he was supposed to chair in his role as President of the Argentinian Episcopal Conference, before his election to the Chair of Peter.

The Pope sent a letter to the group who will remain in closed session until Saturday (April 20), in which he apologizes for his absence, noting that recent commitments have stopped him from attending.  He encourages them to reflect on the theme into the deep especially in light of the great missionary document of Aparacida, published after the conclusion of the V General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.  At the time, Cardinal Bergoglio helped to write the document, so he knows it well.

Mission is key to ministry, the Holy Father says.  A Church that does not go outside of itself, sooner or later grows sickened from the stale air of closed rooms.  His Holiness concedes that at times, like anyone else, while going out, the Church risks the possibility of running into accidents, but he added I much prefer a Church of accidents, rather than a sick Church.

The Church typically suffers from being self referential, from only looking to and relying upon herself, he says, and a narcissism that leads to a routine spirituality and convoluted clericalism, preventing people from experiencing the sweet and comforting joy of evangelization.

The letter concludes with a special greeting to the Argentinian people, and a fraternal embrace for his brother bishops, asking them to pray so that I do not grow proud and always know how to listen to what God wants and not what I want.

In a statement released during the Plenary Assembly, the Argentinian bishops addressed the issue of pending reform of the justice system.  They wrote that any reform requires profound insight, extensive consultations, discussions and consensus on the many proposed changes.  The bishops' note entitled Justice, democracy and the national Constitution refers to the proposed reform of the justice system proposed by the Head of State, President Christina Fernandez Kirchner.  The text, already sent to Congress, provides for the reform of the Council of the Judiciary, proposing a law ensuring democratic access to the courts and prosecutors, which would change the rules to impose an obligation of transparency of actions carried out by the judiciary, and provide for the creation of three separate Courts of Appeal.

A hasty negotiation of reforms that are so significant, the bishops write, runs the risk of debilitating the republican democracy established by the Constitution, particularly in one of its essential dimensions, that is, the independence of the three powers: legislative, executive and judicial.

Other issues on the agenda for the Plenary Assembly include the election of Pope Francis, the first Argentinian Pontiff; and preparations for the Fourth National Missionary Congress which will be held in Catamarca, beginning on August 17.