This morning, the Holy See Press Centre published the text of a letter which His Holiness, Pope Francis sent earlier this week to the Bishops of Japan on the occasion of the pastoral visit of Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples which is taking place from September 17 to 26, 2017.
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
The pastoral visit of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples offers me an opportunity to send you my cordial greetings, remembering our meeting that took place on the occasion of your ad Limina visit in 2015.
I want to assure you that, whenever I think about the Church in Japan, my thoughts rush to the witness of the many Martyrs who offered their own lives for the faith. They always have a special place in my heart: I think of Saint Paul Miki and his companions, who in 1597 were sacrificed, faithful to Christ and to the Church; I think of the innumerable confessors of the faith, like Blessed Justus Takayama Ukon, who in the same period preferred poverty and a life of exile rather than to renounce the name of Jesus. And what of the so-called hidden Christians who, from the 1600s to the 1800s lived clandestinely, not in order to deny but rather to preserve their faith and of whom we recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of their discovery? The long line of martyrs and confessors of faith, according to nationality, language, social class and age, all shared a common profound love for the Son of God, renouncing either his or her own civil status or other aspects of their own social condition, all in order to gain Christ (Phil 3:8).
Remembering that spiritual heritage, I hasten to address you, Brothers who have inherited it and who with gentle solicitude continue the task of evangelization, especially caring for the weak and favouring the integration of many from various backgrounds into the community of the faithful. I want to thank you for this, as well as for your commitment to cultural promotion, inter-religious dialogue and the care of creation. In particular, I wish to reflect with you on the Church's missionary commitment in Japan. If the Church is born catholic (ie universal), this means that she was born 'going out', that she was born to be missionary (General Audience, 17 September 2014). In fact, the love of Christ compels us (2 Cor 5:14) to offer our lives for the Gospel. Such dynamism dies if we lose our missionary enthusiasm. For this reason, life is strengthened by being given away and becomes weaker when it is isolated. In fact, those who make the most of their chances in life are the ones who leave the safe shores and are passionate about the mission of communicating life to others (Evangelii gaudium, 10).
I want to focus on the sermon on the mount, in which Jesus says: You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world (Mt 5:13-14). Salt and light are used for service. Like salt, the Church has the task of preserving and flavouring; like light, it prevents darkness from prevailing, providing a clear vision as to the reality and the goal of existence. These words are also a strong appeal to fidelity and authenticity: that is to say that it is necessary for salt to give flavour and for light to overcome darkness. The Kingdom of Heaven - as Jesus says - initially appears with the poverty of a little yeast and a small seed; this symbolism provides a good portrait of the current situation of the Church in the context of Japan. To her, Jesus entrusted a great spiritual and moral mission. I am well aware that you are facing a little difficulty due to a lack of clergy, religious and limited participation of the faithful, but the scarcity of workers cannot diminish our commitment to evangelization, indeed, it is an occasion that motivates you to constantly be on the lookout for them, like the owner of the vineyard does, going out at all hours of the day to look for new workers for his vineyard (cf Mt 20:1-7).
Dear Brothers, the challenges that the current reality places before us cannot cause us to resign ourselves nor to postpone a dialogue that must take place, even if some problematic situations may cause us to be preoccupied; I refer, for example, to the high rate of divorce, to suicide - even among the youth, to persons who choose to live totally devoid of social life (hikikomori), to religious and spiritual formalism, to moral relativism, to religious indifference, to obsessions with work and with earning money. It is also true that a society running into economic development also creates among you the poor, the marginalized and the excluded: here, I think not only of those who are materially affected, but also those who are spiritually and morally impoverished. In this context, there is an urgent need for the Church in Japan to constantly renew her choice for the mission of Jesus and to be salt and light. The genuine evangelizing strength of your Church, which also derives from being a Church of martyrs and confessors of faith, is a great asset which should be protected and developed.
To this end, I wish to highlight the necessity for solid and integral formation for priests and for religious, a particularly urgent task today, above all as a result of the increasing presence of the provisional culture (Meeting with seminarians and novices, 6 July 2013). Such a mentality leads young people to think that it is not possible to truly love, that there is nothing stable and tat everything, including love, is relative to the circumstances and feelings. Therefore, an important part of priestly and religious formation is helping those who undertake such a journey to understand and to experience in depth the characteristics of Jesus' love which is free, involving self sacrifice and merciful forgiveness. This experience makes it possible for us to go against the tide and to trust the Lord who does not disappoint. It is this testimony about which Japanese society is so silent.
I want to say another word about the ecclesial movements approved by the Holy See. With their evangelizing impulse and testimony, they can be of help to the pastoral service and the missio ad gentes (mission to the people). During the most recent decades in fact, the Holy Spirit has called forth and continues to call men and women who, through their participation, seek to enliven the world in which they live, and not always involving priests and religious, for they too are members of the People of God called to fully live out their mission. Such realities contribute to the work of evangelization;; as Bishops, you are called to know and to accompany the charisms which they have to offer and help them to participate in our work in the context of pastoral integration.
Dear Brothers in the episcopate, I entrust each of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and I assure you of my closeness in prayer. May the Lord send workers into his Church in Japan and sustain you with his consolation. Thank you for your ecclesial service. I extend my Apostolic blessing to you, to the Church in Japan and to her noble people, and I ask you not to forget me in your prayers.
Francis
From the Vatican
14 September 2017
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Letter of His Holiness, Pope Francis
addressed to the Bishops of Japan
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
The pastoral visit of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples offers me an opportunity to send you my cordial greetings, remembering our meeting that took place on the occasion of your ad Limina visit in 2015.
I want to assure you that, whenever I think about the Church in Japan, my thoughts rush to the witness of the many Martyrs who offered their own lives for the faith. They always have a special place in my heart: I think of Saint Paul Miki and his companions, who in 1597 were sacrificed, faithful to Christ and to the Church; I think of the innumerable confessors of the faith, like Blessed Justus Takayama Ukon, who in the same period preferred poverty and a life of exile rather than to renounce the name of Jesus. And what of the so-called hidden Christians who, from the 1600s to the 1800s lived clandestinely, not in order to deny but rather to preserve their faith and of whom we recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of their discovery? The long line of martyrs and confessors of faith, according to nationality, language, social class and age, all shared a common profound love for the Son of God, renouncing either his or her own civil status or other aspects of their own social condition, all in order to gain Christ (Phil 3:8).
Remembering that spiritual heritage, I hasten to address you, Brothers who have inherited it and who with gentle solicitude continue the task of evangelization, especially caring for the weak and favouring the integration of many from various backgrounds into the community of the faithful. I want to thank you for this, as well as for your commitment to cultural promotion, inter-religious dialogue and the care of creation. In particular, I wish to reflect with you on the Church's missionary commitment in Japan. If the Church is born catholic (ie universal), this means that she was born 'going out', that she was born to be missionary (General Audience, 17 September 2014). In fact, the love of Christ compels us (2 Cor 5:14) to offer our lives for the Gospel. Such dynamism dies if we lose our missionary enthusiasm. For this reason, life is strengthened by being given away and becomes weaker when it is isolated. In fact, those who make the most of their chances in life are the ones who leave the safe shores and are passionate about the mission of communicating life to others (Evangelii gaudium, 10).
I want to focus on the sermon on the mount, in which Jesus says: You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world (Mt 5:13-14). Salt and light are used for service. Like salt, the Church has the task of preserving and flavouring; like light, it prevents darkness from prevailing, providing a clear vision as to the reality and the goal of existence. These words are also a strong appeal to fidelity and authenticity: that is to say that it is necessary for salt to give flavour and for light to overcome darkness. The Kingdom of Heaven - as Jesus says - initially appears with the poverty of a little yeast and a small seed; this symbolism provides a good portrait of the current situation of the Church in the context of Japan. To her, Jesus entrusted a great spiritual and moral mission. I am well aware that you are facing a little difficulty due to a lack of clergy, religious and limited participation of the faithful, but the scarcity of workers cannot diminish our commitment to evangelization, indeed, it is an occasion that motivates you to constantly be on the lookout for them, like the owner of the vineyard does, going out at all hours of the day to look for new workers for his vineyard (cf Mt 20:1-7).
Dear Brothers, the challenges that the current reality places before us cannot cause us to resign ourselves nor to postpone a dialogue that must take place, even if some problematic situations may cause us to be preoccupied; I refer, for example, to the high rate of divorce, to suicide - even among the youth, to persons who choose to live totally devoid of social life (hikikomori), to religious and spiritual formalism, to moral relativism, to religious indifference, to obsessions with work and with earning money. It is also true that a society running into economic development also creates among you the poor, the marginalized and the excluded: here, I think not only of those who are materially affected, but also those who are spiritually and morally impoverished. In this context, there is an urgent need for the Church in Japan to constantly renew her choice for the mission of Jesus and to be salt and light. The genuine evangelizing strength of your Church, which also derives from being a Church of martyrs and confessors of faith, is a great asset which should be protected and developed.
To this end, I wish to highlight the necessity for solid and integral formation for priests and for religious, a particularly urgent task today, above all as a result of the increasing presence of the provisional culture (Meeting with seminarians and novices, 6 July 2013). Such a mentality leads young people to think that it is not possible to truly love, that there is nothing stable and tat everything, including love, is relative to the circumstances and feelings. Therefore, an important part of priestly and religious formation is helping those who undertake such a journey to understand and to experience in depth the characteristics of Jesus' love which is free, involving self sacrifice and merciful forgiveness. This experience makes it possible for us to go against the tide and to trust the Lord who does not disappoint. It is this testimony about which Japanese society is so silent.
I want to say another word about the ecclesial movements approved by the Holy See. With their evangelizing impulse and testimony, they can be of help to the pastoral service and the missio ad gentes (mission to the people). During the most recent decades in fact, the Holy Spirit has called forth and continues to call men and women who, through their participation, seek to enliven the world in which they live, and not always involving priests and religious, for they too are members of the People of God called to fully live out their mission. Such realities contribute to the work of evangelization;; as Bishops, you are called to know and to accompany the charisms which they have to offer and help them to participate in our work in the context of pastoral integration.
Dear Brothers in the episcopate, I entrust each of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and I assure you of my closeness in prayer. May the Lord send workers into his Church in Japan and sustain you with his consolation. Thank you for your ecclesial service. I extend my Apostolic blessing to you, to the Church in Japan and to her noble people, and I ask you not to forget me in your prayers.
Francis
From the Vatican
14 September 2017
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
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