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[Text of the Address by Pope John Paul II to the Bishops of Ireland on
the occasion of their Ad Limina visit, July 1999. Note especially Item 3
on the role of laity in the new evangelisation and the need for
'structures of belonging' in the Irish Church.]
1 - With great joy, I welcome you, the Bishops of Ireland, on the
occasion of your visit ad Limina Apostolorum, and I gladly avail myself
of this opportunity to send warm greetings to the priests, religious and
laity of your dearly remembered country. Your visit is an opportunity to
renew and strengthen the bonds of faith and communion which have marked
Ireland's relationship to the See of Peter from the first. In a real
sense your visit is a pilgrimage, during which you pray at the tombs of
Apostles Peter and Paul and meditate on the grace and responsibility
which is yours in the service of the Gospel. The Apostles continue to
inspire us, their Successors, by their teaching and example, and then
challenge us to be "examples to the flock" (1 Pt 5:3), men of God who
"fight the good fight of the faith" and who have taken hold of "the
eternal life to which we were called when we made the good confession in
the presence of many witnesses" (cf. 1 Tim 6:12).
The Church's celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of Christ's
coming as man is imminent, and this event constitutes a special Kairos
in our pastoral ministry. The incarnate Word is the fulfilment of the
yearning for God present in every human heart. He is "the faithful
witness" (Rev 1 :5) that the Father has sent to seek out every man and
woman and draw them to share in the inmost life of the Trinity. As a
celebration of the supreme manifestation of God's love, the Great
Jubilee obliges the Shepherds of the Church to intensify their efforts
in the new evangelisation needed to lay solid foundations for Christian
living in the next Millennium. We should recall the words of the Second
Vatican Council: "The Church believes that Christ, who died and was
raised up for all, can through his Spirit, offer man the light and the
strength to measure up to his supreme destiny.. that beneath all changes
there are so many realities which do not change and which have their
ultimate foundation in Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and
for ever (cf. Heb 13:8)" (Gaudium et Spes, 10). In consequence, we must
have no fear or hesitation in fulfilling the tasks committed to us,
namely, to be true and authentic teachers of the faith (munus docendi),
ministers of grace (munus sancrificandi) and good shepherds of God's
people (munus regendi) (cf Christus Dominus, 2).
2 - Society needs to rediscover the original freshness of the Gospel and
to hear again Christ's message of salvation, truth, hope and joy for the
world. As Bishops, one of our primary duties is to announce and teach
the Catholic and Apostolic faith. To be convincing, we must allow
ourselves to be personally and continually transformed by a deep and
prayerful relationship with the Divine Master, so that we can
communicate to others what we have been privileged to receive. The words
of my predecessor Pope Paul VI are most appropriate: "Contemporary man
listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, or if he listens
to teachers, he does so because-they are witnesses. He feels, in fact,
an instinctive revulsion for everything that appears as pretence, facade
or compromise. In this context, we can understand the importance of a
life which truly resounds with the Gospel." (General Audience, 2 October
1974)
You are well aware of the demands which the present situation makes upon
your ministry. Recent years have witnessed many changes in Irish
society, and while some aspects of this transformation make the
proclamation of the Gospel more difficult, it is also true that many of
the faithful are eager to have a more enlightened knowledge of the
faith, to deepen their relationship with God in prayer, to learn how to
follow Christ more closely in their daily lives and in the service of
the common good, and to have a more lively sense of their own role and
responsibility within the Church. This is observable in the spread of
prayer groups, Eucharistic adoration and pilgrimages, as well as in the
laity's increased involvement in evangelisation, works of charity, the
defence of life and the promotion of justice. It is also true that the
exaggerated individualism which sometimes accompanies increased material
prosperity has brought in its wake a declining sense of God's presence
and of the transcendent meaning of human life. The relativism which then
takes hold often leads to a rejection of the objective foundations of
morality and an overly subjective understanding of conscience, a theme
which you addressed in a joint Pastoral Letter of 1998. There follows a
corrosion of the sense that Christianity teaches the truth - a truth
which we ourselves have not devised but which comes to us as gift. This
can in turn lead to discouragement and to the belief that the Church no
longer has anything of relevance to say to the men and women of our day.
But in fact Christian experience over the centuries, and in our own time
also, shows that faith when tested can emerge stronger, freer and more
vigorous, just as the history of the Church in Ireland eloquently
testifies.
3 - The new evangelisation which can make the next century a springtime
of the Gospel will depend very much on the lay faithful being fully
aware of their baptismal vocation and of their responsibility for the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today it is often the laity who must be in the
forefront in seeking to apply the Church's teaching to the ethical,
moral and social questions which arise in their communities or at the
national level. The specific mission of lay men and women is the
evangelisation of the family, of culture and of social and political
life. In this, they look to the Bishops for encouragement and
leadership. The Bishops' task in this regard is to promote the holiness
of life and the Christian formation that will enable the laity, in the
heart of the temporal order, "to testify how the Christian faith
constitutes the only fully valid response ... to the problems and hopes
that life poses to every person and society" (Christifideles Laici, 34).
Exercising the discernment which belongs to your apostolic office, you
must be like the "householder who brings out of his treasure what is new
and what is old" (Mt 13:52). It is in this sense that the new
evangelisation requires a renewal of pastoral governance and activity.
As I have often stated, it calls for efforts that are new in ardour,
methods and expression (cf Veritatis Splendor, 106). This is not novelty
for novelty's sake, In fact, the practices and traditions that have been
an integral part of Irish Catholic life should be maintained, and
revived where necess ary: sacramental practice, popular piety;
pilgrimages and traditional devotions which sustain the life of grace
and moral commitment have not lost their relevance. There is likewise
a need for new forms of prayer and apostolate, new structures and
programmes that help to build a greater sense of belonging to the
ecclesial community, a new flourishing of associations and movements
capable of showing the perennial youth of the Church and of being a
genuine leaven in society. Your personal closeness is needed in
supporting and guiding already existing associations of the faithful,
many of which have extraordinary merits in the life of the Church in
Ireland, as well as the new groups and movements which the Holy Spirit
is constantly generating in the Church in response to changing needs.
4 - The new evangelisation is all the more urgent in view of the many
complex reasons which make more difficult the transmission of the faith
from one generation to another, with the result that knowledge of the
truths of the faith and religious practice, especially among young
adults, is declining. Certainly, some of the reasons for this are
external to the Church. But others fall within that watchfulness which
is an essential part of the ministry of Bishops. The Bishop is the
principal teacher of the faith in the portion of the Church committed to
his care, and it must be his constant concern to ensure that the true
content of Catholic doctrine is taught effectively. Nothing can
substitute for the power of the truths of the faith themselves to
attract, convince and transform a person's inner experience. Catholic
educators should bear in mind what the Council said, that "the future of
humanity lies in the hands of those who are strong enough to provide
coming generations with reasons for living and hoping" (Gaudium et Spes,
31) Without the "historical memory" of the two- thousand-year-old
tradition of spirituality and culture to which they are heirs, young
people find it very difficult to feel an attachment to the Church, and
even more difficult to commit themselves to her in a definitive way.
For Bishops and priests the main means of transmitting the faith is
through preaching and catechesis. In study, reflection, discernment and
prayer, they must continually make their own the saving truth of Christ,
in order to be able to transmit a solidly rooted vision of the faith,
relevant to the needs of our times. You are called to proclaim the truth
courageously, even if what you teach sometimes goes against socially
accepted opinion in the knowledge that the person and teaching of Jesus
Christ are not marginal to the needs of today's culture but on the
contrary reveal the deepest meaning of all things human.
5 - In the new evangelisation, marriage and the family must be the
subject of intense pastoral attention. Young people must be helped to
develop that generosity, self-giving and commitment which marriage
requires. Premarriage preparation should ensure that couples fully
understand the nature of Christian marriage and are in a position to
undertake its responsibilities. Parishes and Catholic associations can
be instrumental in supporting couples and families by organising adult
catechesis, spiritual retreats, counselling, or events at which families
meet and encourage one another. New ideas and new energies are required
to meet the needs of couples in difficulty and in particular to reach
out promptly and efficaciously to women facing pressures to reject the
unborn life they bear. The new evangelisation involves a strenuous
defence of the right to life, the most basic of all human rights - more
basic than any individual's, group's or government's "right to choose".
It calls for the faithful to be ever more aware of the Church's social
teaching, ever more active in promoting truth and justice in public life
and interpersonal relations. It demands practical solidarity with the
weaker sectors of society and all those who are left at the margin of
economic development.
6 - Relying on the power of God's grace linked to episcopal ordination,
a Bishop must be eager to offer inspiration and encouragement to all
those who share with him the burden of the ministry. He must have a
close relationship with his priests, characterised by pastoral charity,
the capacity to listen, and a sincere concern for their spiritual and
human well-being. At a time when priests are suffering due to the
pressures of the surrounding culture and the terrible scandal given by
some of their brother priests, it is essential to invite them to draw
strength from a deeper insight into their priestly identity and mission.
I have been close to you in suffering and prayer, commanding to the "God
of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3) those have been victims of sexual abuse on
the part of clerics or religious. We must also pray that those who have
been guilty of this wrong will recognise the evil nature of their
actions and seek forgiveness.
These scandals, and a sociological rather than theological concept of
the Church, sometimes lead to calls for a change in the discipline of
celibacy. However; we cannot overlook the fact that the Church
recognises God's will through the interior guidance of the Holy Spirit
(cf. Jn 16:13) and that the Church's living tradition constitutes a
clear affirmation of the consonance of celibacy, for profound
theological and anthropological reasons, with the sacramental
"character" of the priesthood. The difficulties involved in preserving
chastity are not sufficient reason for overturning the law of celibacy.
Rather the Church "trusts in the Spirit that the gift of celibacy ...
will be generously bestowed by the Father, as long as those who share in
Christ's priesthood through the Sacrament of Orders, and indeed the
whole Church, humbly and earnestly pray for it." (Presbyterorum Ordinis,
16).
Reflecting on the fiftieth anniversary of my own ordination, I recalled
in Gift and Mystery that the priestly vocation is a mystery of divine
choice, prompted only by God's love for the one called. It is a gift
which infinitely transcends the individual: "You did not choose me, but
I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that
your fruit should abide" (Jn 15:16). These words are a challenge to
priests to reaffirm the goodness and unique significance of their
calling, despite personal weaknesses and failings. They should not
hesitate to invite young men to the radical self-giving which the
priesthood involves: "The time has come to speak courageously about
priestly life as a priceless gift and a splendid and privileged form of
Christian living: (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 39). With profound gratitude to
God for the holiness, witness and commitment of so many Irish priests,
past and present, I encourage you to reaffirm the ideal of the priestly
life and to remind the entire ecclesial community of the extraordinary
grace implied in ordination, a unique sacramental configuration to
Christ by which the priest becomes Christ for others: an efficacious
sign of God's saving presence. His striving for holiness and personal
maturity, his example of Christian virtue and integrity, his pastoral
charity towards all, these are the conditions of a faithful and fruitful
ministry, and are what the faithful have the right to expect from those
who have accepted the Lord's call.
7 - The value of an authentic, stable and community-centred experience
of consecrated life is likewise of immeasurable value for the new
evangelisation. At the approach of the Third Christian Millennium, the
Church has great need of a vital and appealing religious life, which
testifies to the sovereignty of God and to the value of the "total gift
of self in the profession of the evangelical counsels" (Vita Consecrata,
16). As many religious congregations are facing the challenge of
declining numbers and advancing age, Bishops need to help them to
reaffirm their confidence in their consecration and mission, Every
aspect of the Church's presence in the world, including all the forms of
consecrated life, is the result of and an expression of Christ's saving
Incarnation and Redemptive Death and Resurrection. Consecrated life
makes present in various ways the Chaste Christ, the Poor Christ, the
Obedient Christ, in a word, the Holy One of God. The importance of this
witness for the life of every local Church is such that a Bishop must
not fail to do all he can to promote and support this vocation which
lies at the very heart of the Church, since it manifests the inner
nature of the Christian calling and the striving of the whole Church as
Bride towards union with her one Spouse (cf Vita Consecrata, 3).
8 - A rejuvenation of the faith in Ireland can only come from a genuine
renewal of liturgical and sacramental life. Especially in the Eucharist,
the source and summit of the Church's life, the Holy Spirit leads the
faithful to a deep and transforming encounter with the Lord, and gives
the grace which enables them to live by the Gospel and to bear witness
to it by their actions. Are not the contemplative dimension of the
liturgy and reverence for the true Presence, which have been so
characteristic of Irish Catholic life, particularly needed now when so
much in today's culture tends to remain at the level of the ephemeral
and superficial? In this regard, I am happy to note a renewal of
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in many parishes in Ireland, a sign
that the faithful still have a keen sense of what is essential and
life-giving in their faith.
In inviting the whole Church to an intense celebration of the Jubilee
Year it was my intention that the anniversary of Christ's Birth should
be "a year of the remission of sins and of the punishments due to them,
a year of reconciliation between disputing parties, a year of manifold
conversions and of sacramental and extrasacramental penance" (Tertio
Millennio Adveniente, 14).
Prevailing trends in contemporary culture weaken the sense of sin,
particularly because of a diminished consciousness of God who is all
holy and calls his people to holiness of life. A great pastoral effort
is therefore required in order to help the faithful to recover the sense
of what sin is in relation to God, and consequently to have a profound
appreciation of the beauty and joy of the Sacrament of Penance. This
requires emphasis on the Sacrament in diocesan pastoral programmes and
Jubilee initiatives calling Catholics to encounter anew the uniquely
transforming experience that is individual, integral confession and
absolution The personal nature of sin, conversion, forgiveness and
reconciliation is the reason why personal confession of sins and
individual absolution are required (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church,
1484). It is also for this reason that general confession and general
absolution are appropriate only in cases of grave necessity clearly
determined by liturgical and canonical norms (cf. ibid., 1483; Code of
Canon Law, Canons 961-963).
It is now twenty years since I made my Pastoral Visit to your country.
On that occasion, I witnessed for myself that at the heart of the Irish
Catholic experience is the combination of contemplation and mission, the
two pillars on which every evangelising effort must necessarily stand or
fall. It was this combination that inspired Saint Patrick, Saint
Colmcille, Saint Brigid, Saint Columbanus, Saint Oliver Plunkett, the
Irish Martyrs and so many saintly men and women in more recent times to
give up everything for Christ's sake in order to make the Gospel known.
May the coming celebration of the Great Jubilee lead to a rekindling of
the spirit of prayer and mission so that the Church in Ireland may
confidently face the next Millennium rejuvenated and renewed.
Entrusting you and all the priests, religious and laity of your Dioceses
to the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Ireland, I cordially impart my
Apostolic Blessing.
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VOTF™
Mission Statement
To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit,
through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance
and guidance of the Catholic Church.
Our Goals
1. To support
survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
2. To support priests of integrity
3.To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.
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