THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA
INSTITUTE OF CANON LAW
Aggregated to The Faculty of Canon Law of The Pontifical Urbaniana University
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHRIST’S FAITHFUL IN FULFILLING THE
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIGHT OF CANON 781 IN
THE CONTEXT OF CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA,
SOUTH AFRICA
A Thesis Submitted to the Institute of Canon Law of The Catholic University of Eastern
Africa in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the
Licentiate Degree in Canon Law
MOTLATSI MESHACK PHOMANE
JUNE 2018
NAIROBI
i
DECLARATION
TITLE OF THE THESIS:
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHRIST’S FAITHFUL IN FULFILLING THE MISSIONARY
ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIGHT OF CANON 781 IN THE CONTEXT OF
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, SOUTH AFRICA
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that this thesis is my original work and it has never
been submitted to any other institution for academic credit. All the sources consulted are duly
acknowledged.
NAME:
REV. FR. MOTLATSI MESHACK PHOMANE
SIGNATURE:
_________________________
DATE:
_________________________
I hereby confirm that this thesis has been submitted with my approval as the First Supervisor.
NAME:
REV. DR. JOHN MARTIN OWOR
SIGNATURE:
_________________________
DATE:
_________________________
I hereby confirm that this thesis has been submitted with my approval as the Second Supervisor.
NAME:
REV. PROF. DIUEDONNÉ NGONA
SIGNATURE:
_________________________
DATE:
_________________________
ii
DEDICATION
To all the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha who are
ever committed to continue the mission of Christ, to make him known and bring him at the
centre of society, and to build communities in his spirit.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I remain grateful to God the Almighty for his unfailing help, inspiration, gift of health,
guidance, and constant care throughout the course of my studies at CUEA. I am deeply grateful
for his grace which enabled me to complete my studies and this research successfully.
I would also like to thank his Lordship Sithembele Antony Sipuka, Bishop of the
Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, South Africa, for giving me the opportunity to study and deepen
the knowledge of the Ecclesiastical laws for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls.
I thank all the priests, religious and lay faithful of Mthatha for their support and prayers.
My sincere and special gratitude to my supervisors, Rev. Dr. John Martin Owor and
Rev. Prof. Deuedonne Ngona for their patient guidance throughout this research. Their
patience, suggestions, scholarly insights and gracious corrections made this research reach its
completion. I thank all those who supported me by sharing their ideas, correcting the work,
offering comments and assisting in proof reading.
I also thank all my lecturers in the Institute of Canon Law for the vast knowledge and
insight they shared with me in lecture rooms and social gatherings throughout the three years
of study, and for enabling me to understand more the relevance of Canon Law in the Church.
My sincere gratitude also goes to my beloved classmates for their academic and social
accompaniment. Our time together was precious, fruitful, insightful and memorable.
Finally, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my mother and my siblings. They were always
supporting me and encouraging me with their best wishes and prayers.
iv
ABBREVIATIONS
AAS
Acta Apostolicae Sedis
Acts
Acts of the Apostles
AG
Ad Gentes
Art.
Article
Can.
Canon
Cann.
Canons
Cf.
Confer
CCEO/1990
Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches)
CIC/1917
Codex Iuris Canonici (1917 Code of Canon Law)
CIC/1983
Codex Iuris Canonici (1983 Code of Canon Law)
Cor.
Corinthians
CUEA
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa
Deut.
Deuteronomy
ed.
Editor
eds.
Editors
et. al.
Et alii
Ex.
Exodus
Ez.
Ezekiel
ff.
Going forward
Gen.
Genesis
gen.
General
Is.
Isaiah
Jn.
John
v
LG
Lument Gentium
Lk.
Luke
Lev.
Leviticus
Mic.
Micah
Ltee
Limitée
Mk.
Mark
Mt.
Mathew
MthIPA
Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach
no.
Number
nos.
Numbers
p.
Page
Pet.
Peter
pp.
Pages
PP.
Papa
rev. ed.
Revised edition
SACBC
Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference
SCC
Small Christian Community
SCCs
Small Christian Communities
St.
Saint
s. v.
Sub verbo
trans.
Translator
Vol.
Volume
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................................i
DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................ ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iii
ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................vi
GENERAL INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1
1
The Background of the Problem ......................................................................................1
2
The Purpose of the Thesis ................................................................................................3
3
The Rationale of the Thesis .............................................................................................3
4
The Central Question of Investigation .............................................................................4
5
Hypotheses .......................................................................................................................4
6
Methodological Considerations .......................................................................................4
6.1
Method of Approach ................................................................................................... 4
6.2
Structure of the Thesis................................................................................................. 5
CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................................7
THE JURIDICAL FOUNDATION OF THE PARTICIPATION OF CHRIST’S FAITHFUL IN THE
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIGHT OF CAN. 781 .................................7
Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................7
1.1
The Sources of Canon 781 ...............................................................................................8
1.1.1
The Conciliar Sources: Vatican Council II Documents ..................................................8
1.1.1.1
The Obligation to Spread the Gospel (Lumen Gentium, nos. 17 & 23) ...........................8
1.1.1.2
The Church’s Missionary Nature and Duty to Evangelise (Ad Gentes, nos. 2, 35, 39) 10
1.1.1.2.1
The Missionary Nature of the Church (AG 2) ...............................................................11
1.1.1.2.2
Invitation of God’s People to Take Their Part in the Missionary Work (AG 35) .........11
1.1.1.2.3
Priests, the Representatives of Christ and Collaborators of Bishops (AG 39) ..............12
1.1.2
Post-Conciliar Sources: Papal and Curial Documents ...................................................13
1.1.2.1
Allocution of Pope Paul VI to the 116th Congregation of the Council ..........................13
1.1.2.2
The Church Exists in Order to Evangelise (Evangelii Nuntiandi nos. 9-15).................14
1.1.2.3
The Duty of All the Faithful to Contribute in Spreading the Faith (Message of Pope Paul
VI for the World Missionary Day of 1966) ...................................................................15
vii
1.1.2.4
Lay Participation in the Mission of the Church (General Audience) ............................16
1.1.2.5
Missionary Responsibility of All God’s People (World Mission Day Message, 1976) 17
1.1.2.6
Co-responsibility and Cooperation for Missions (1978 World Mission Day). .............17
1.1.2.7
The Whole Church Must Evangelize (Postquam Apostoli, nos. 3-7, 22) ......................18
1.2
The Juridical Iter of Canon 781 .....................................................................................19
1.2.1
1977 Schema De Munere Docendi ................................................................................20
1.2.2
1980 Schema De Munere Docendi: Draft Can. 31 ........................................................20
1.2.3
1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici: Draft Can. 736 ..................................................21
1.2.4
1982 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici: Draft Can. 781 ..................................................21
1.2.5
Definitive Formation of Canon 781 in the 1983 Code ..................................................22
1.3
Textual Analysis and Meaning of Canon 781 ...............................................................23
1.3.1
Missionary .....................................................................................................................23
1.3.2
Missionary by its Nature ................................................................................................25
1.3.3
Missionary Work ...........................................................................................................26
1.3.4
Fundamental Duty .........................................................................................................27
1.3.5
People of God ................................................................................................................27
1.3.6
The Christian Faithful (Christifideles) ...........................................................................28
1.3.7
Evangelisation................................................................................................................29
1.4
Norms Related to Canon 781 .........................................................................................29
1.4.1
The Sharing of Christ’s Faithful in the Church’s Mission (Can. 204 §1) .....................30
1.4.2
The Fundamental Equality Among the Faithful (Can. 208) ..........................................30
1.4.3
The Obligations to Maintain Communion and Fulfil Duties (Can. 209) .......................31
1.4.4
The Duty and the Right to Proclaim the Gospel (Can 211) ...........................................31
1.4.5
Christian Obedience of the Faithful (Can. 212 §1) ........................................................32
1.4.6
The Right to Promote or Support Apostolic Activity (Can 216) ...................................33
1.4.7
The Related Canons in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (Can. 584) .........33
Conclusion
.......................................................................................................................................35
CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................................37
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORM OF MISSIONARY RESPONSIBILITY IN
THE CANONICAL TRADITION AND THE MAGISTERIUM.........................................................37
viii
Introduction
.......................................................................................................................................37
2.1
Biblical Foundation of Missionary Responsibility of the Faithful ................................37
2.1.1
The Election and Commission for Mission in the Old Testament.................................37
2.1.1.1
The Election and Commission of God’s People (Gen. 12: 1-3; Ex. 19: 5-6) ................38
2.1.1.2
The People of God as Light to the Nations (Is 42: 1-9; 49: 1-7) ...................................40
2.1.2
The Mission of the New People of God in the New Testament ....................................40
2.1.2.1
The Great Commission for Missionary Activity ...........................................................41
2.1.2.1.1
Mission Is Making Disciples of All Nations (Mt. 28:18-20).........................................41
2.1.2.1.2
Mission Is Proclaiming the Gospel (Mk. 16: 15-16; Lk. 24:46-48) ..............................42
2.1.2.1.3
Mission Is Being Sent Out (Jn. 20:21)...........................................................................43
2.1.2.1.4
Mission Is Being a Witness of the Lord Jesus (Acts. 1:8) .............................................43
2.1.2.2
The Apostolic Community and the Missionary Mandate ..............................................44
2.2
Patristic and Medieval Literature on the Missionary Role of Christ’s Faithful.............45
2.2.1
Christian’s Duty to Build the Church (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 18 on Acts) .......45
2.2.2
Leaving no Stone Unturned to Spread the Faith (Origen, Contra Celsum 3.9) .............46
2.2.3
The Christian’s Duty to Give Life and Light to the World (Epistle to Diognetus) .......47
2.3
The Missionary Role of the Faithful from the Middle to Modern Ages .......................47
2.3.1
The Monastic Missionary Activity ................................................................................47
2.3.2
The Medieval Papal Influence on Missionary Activities ..............................................48
2.3.3
Missionary Activity of the Mendicant Orders ...............................................................49
2.3.4
The Missionary Role of the Congregatio De Propaganda Fide ...................................50
2.4
The 1917 Code and the Missionary Role of the Faithful (Cann. 1349-1352) ...............50
2.5
The Missionary Duty of the Faithful in Vatican Council II ..........................................51
2.5.1
The Doctrinal Principles of Vatican Council II on the Church’s Mission ....................52
2.5.2
The Task of Announcing the Gospel (Lumen Gentium, Nos. 17 & 23) ........................53
2.5.3
The Missionary Action of the Church (Ad Gentes, Nos. 2 & 35) .................................54
2.5.3.1
The Missionary Nature of the Church (AG 2) ...............................................................54
2.5.3.2
Invitation to Take Part in the Missionary Work (AG 35) ..............................................54
2.6
The Missionary Duty of the Faithful in the 1983 Code of Canon Law .........................55
2.6.1
All the Faithful Are to Participate in the Mission of the Church ...................................56
ix
2.6.2
The Universality of the Mission of Bishops ..................................................................56
2.7
Papal Writings on the Missionary Duty of the Faithful .................................................57
2.7.1
The Obligation to Assist in Missionary Work (Maximum Illud) ...................................58
2.7.2
Participation in the Church’s Mission: A Duty of Love (Rerum Ecclesiae) .................58
2.7.3
The Call of the Faithful to Catholic Action (Evangelii Praecones) ..............................59
2.7.4
Catholics’ Grave Obligation and Personal Responsibility (Fidei Donum) ...................60
2.7.5
Everyone Is Bound to Proclaim His Faith to Others (Princeps Pastorum) ...................60
2.7.6
The Church Exists in Order to Evangelise (Evangelii Nuntiandi).................................61
2.7.7
The Vocation and Mission of the Laity in the Church (Christifideles Laici) ................62
2.7.8
Leaders and Workers in the Missionary Apostolate (Redemptoris Missio) ..................63
2.7.9
The Honour and Duty to Proclaim the Gospel (Ecclesia in Africa) ..............................64
2.7.10
The Faithful Share in the Mission and Mandate of the Apostles (Africae Munus) .......65
2.7.11
The Entire People of God Proclaim the Gospel (Evangelium Gaudium) ......................65
Conclusion
.......................................................................................................................................66
CHAPTER THREE ...............................................................................................................................67
APPLICATION OF NORMS ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FAITHFUL IN THE
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA ..................................67
Introduction
.......................................................................................................................................67
3.1
Historical Background of the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha ..........................................68
3.2
Particular Provisions on the Missionary Responsibility of the Faithful ........................69
3.2.1
The Prescriptions Issued by the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha ......................................69
3.2.1.1
Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach Series ...................................................................69
3.2.1.1.1
The Gospel Sharing .......................................................................................................69
3.2.1.1.2
Small Christian Communities (SCC).............................................................................70
3.2.1.1.3
A Participatory Church ..................................................................................................71
3.2.1.1.4
Training for Parish Teams .............................................................................................71
3.2.1.2
The Pastoral Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha .............................................................72
3.2.1.3
The Bishop’s Newsletters and Pastoral Letters .............................................................73
3.2.1.3.1
Newsletter of October 2015: Proud to Be Evangelising Catholics ................................74
3.2.1.3.2
Newsletter of October 2017: Mission Requires Prayer and Action ..............................74
x
3.2.1.3.3
Pastoral Letter on Feeding the Hungry ..........................................................................75
3.2.1.3.4
Pastoral Letter on Encouraging Vocations ....................................................................75
3.2.2
Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Legislation .......................................76
3.2.2.1
SACBC Pastoral Plan: Community Serving Humanity.................................................76
3.2.2.2
Pastoral Directive on Co-responsibility in the Church ..................................................77
3.2.2.3
Evangelizing Community Serving God, Humanity and All Creation ...........................78
3.2.3
Particular Legislations from Other Episcopal Conferences and Dioceses ....................79
3.2.3.1
Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference ............................................................................79
3.2.3.2
Diocese of Clifton Pastoral Guidelines: Called to Be a People of Hope .......................80
3.2.3.3
Archdiocese of Perth: Pastoral Letter on Today’s Missionary Challenge .....................81
3.3
Practical Evaluation of Conformity of the Particular Law with the Provision of Can. 781
In the Diocese of Mthatha and Some Challenges with the Application ........................82
3.3.1
Agents of the Church’s Missionary Work in the Diocese of Mthatha...........................83
3.3.2
Some Challenges Affecting the Application of Can. 781 in Mthatha Diocese .............84
3.3.2.1
Inadequate Formation of the Faithful ............................................................................84
3.3.2.2
Influence of Secularism .................................................................................................85
3.3.2.3
Influence of Globalisation .............................................................................................85
3.3.2.4
Lack of Scriptural Knowledge .......................................................................................86
3.3.2.5
Lack of Guidelines Specifically for Missionary Activity ..............................................86
3.4
Responsibility of Christ’s Faithful in Fulfilling Their Missionary Obligations ............87
3.4.1
Responsibilities Ascribed to All the Faithful .................................................................87
3.4.1.1
Responsibility of Internal Renewal of Faith and Christian Life ....................................88
3.4.1.2
Responsibility to Proclaim, Establish and Serve the Kingdom of God .........................88
3.4.1.3
Responsibility to Discover, Foster and Be Open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit ...........89
3.4.1.4
Responsibility to Accept Witness as the Primary Form of Mission ..............................89
3.4.1.5
Responsibility to Proclaim Christ With Boldness and Faithfulness ..............................90
3.4.1.6
Responsibility to Promote Development in All Its Aspects ..........................................90
3.4.1.7
Responsibility to Be on the Side of the Poor .................................................................91
3.4.2
Specific Responsibilities of the Faithful ........................................................................93
3.4.2.1
Responsibilities Proper to the Magisterium of the Universal Church ...........................93
xi
3.4.2.2
The Diocesan Bishop and His Equivalents in Law .......................................................94
3.4.2.3
The Missionary Responsibility of the Priests ................................................................94
3.4.2.4
The Religious’ Responsibility for Missionary Activity .................................................95
3.4.2.5
The Responsibility of the Lay Faithful in Missionary Work .........................................96
3.5
A Way Forward in Fulfilling the Missionary Responsibilities of the Faithful ..............97
3.5.1
Missionary Oriented Small Christian Communities ......................................................98
3.5.2
Restructuring Parishes to Be Missionary Oriented Parishes .........................................98
3.5.3
Availability of Christian Literature ...............................................................................99
3.5.4
Pastoral Guidelines for Missionary Activity ...............................................................100
3.5.5
Formation and Training of Agents of Missionary Work .............................................101
3.5.6
Missionary Oriented Catechesis ..................................................................................102
3.5.7
Learning from Other Particular Churches and Bishops Conferences ..........................103
3.5.8
Establishment of a Diocesan Missionary Desk ...........................................................103
3.5.9
Thorough Research on Challenges Affecting Missionary Action ...............................104
Conclusion
.....................................................................................................................................104
GENERAL CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................105
BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................................107
1.
Canonical Sources ............................................................................................ 107
2.
Bible ................................................................................................................. 107
3.
Vatican II Sources and Other Conciliar Documents ........................................ 108
4.
Papal Sources ................................................................................................... 108
5.
Documents of the Roman Curia ....................................................................... 110
6.
Synodal Documents ......................................................................................... 111
7.
Documents of Particular Churches .................................................................. 111
8.
Commentaries .................................................................................................. 113
9.
Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries ..................................................................... 114
10.
Books ............................................................................................................... 115
11.
Articles ............................................................................................................. 116
12.
Internet Sources ............................................................................................... 118
1
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The Second Vatican Council, in its decree Ad gentes, has taught that the Church is by
its very nature missionary because it is founded on the Trinitarian divine mission to save
humanity.1 Consequently, it called for all the faithful to be conscious of their responsibility and
to assume their part in the missionary activity of the Church. The 1983 Codex Iuris Canonici
has brought this teaching into legislation, thus making it obligatory for the Christ’s faithful to
participate in the missionary action of the Church.
This shows that the Church acknowledges that all the faithful, each according to his/her
proper condition, have an obligatory role in the mission of the Church, which flows from their
baptism and incorporation into Christ. 2 This obligation comes out clearly in can. 781, which
provides that the faithful must assume their part in the missionary activity of the Church. This
thesis therefore explores the concept of the obligations of all Christ’s faithful in the missionary
action of the Church and how they can best fulfil them.
1
The Background of the Problem
There are some pastoral challenges and problems in the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha
that lead to the choice of topic for this research. The growth of the Diocese is very minimal.
Since the last parish established in1995, there has not been another community raised to a
parish; the local Ordinary also raised this concern in his November 2013 newsletter when he
wrote that since taking office in 2008, he has blessed only four new churches.3 Other noticeable
1
Cf. CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Decretum De Activitate Missionali Ecclesiae Ad Gentes Divinitus,
07 Decembris 1965, no. 2, in AAS, LVIII (1966), (English translation in A. FLANNERY (gen. ed.), Vatican
Council II. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Vol. I, St Pauls, Mumbai 2004), p. 948.
2
Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus, 25 Ianuarii 1983, in AAS, 75
(1983-II), pp. 1-317, Canon 204 §1; (Code of Canon Law, Latin-English ed., translation prepared under the
auspices of the Canon Law Society of America, Canon Law Society of America, Washington DC 1983). (All
references to canons of the 1983 Code will be styled CIC/1983 Can. for canon and Cann. for canons, followed by
the canon number[s]).
3
Cf. S.A. SIPUKA, Newsletter November 2013, 1 November 2013, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2013, p. 2.
2
issues include the apparent little missionary outreach to peoples outside the diocesan
community, Small Christian Communities that are not effective and operational nor present in
all parishes, closure of some local Christian communities due to lack of the faithful, and closing
down of some religious houses due to lack of vocations. Connected to lack of vocations is the
shortage of priests in the Diocese and very few candidates to priesthood in the Seminary.
In the synthesis of his pastoral visits to parishes, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of
Mthatha expressed the challenges he had identified in the Diocese. There is the absence of men
in various parish communities. There are issues of lay leadership characterised by a shortage
of competent people with proper leadership skills and by a lack of formation of existing leaders,
and of Small Christian Communities manifested by function being limited to administrative
matters, by lack of adequate formation, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the Catholic faith.4
Furthermore, there is a noticeable absence of young people in the parishes and many of
them are leaving the Catholic Church; the youth is also lacking in active participation in the
life and mission of the Church. There is also a general decline of Christian faith, lack of active
participation, loss of interest in the Church, and a shallowness of faith. The Catholic population
records a decline in numbers; Annuario Pontificio 2017 recorded 24 588 Catholics5 while
Annuario Pontificio 2010 recorded 72 400 Catholics.6
The problems and challenges mentioned above are in the background of the choice of
the topic for this research. They raise questions whether the faithful are aware of their
missionary responsibility in the Church and are empowered to take part in the missionary
Cf. S.A. SIPUKA, Pastoral Letter Synthesis of the Bishop’s Observations on His Visit to the Parishes,
28 August 2011, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, Mthatha 2011, pp. 3-4.
5
Cf. CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF THE CHURCH, (ed.), Annuario Pontificio 2017, Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, Citta Del Vaticano 2017, p. 767-768.
6
Annuario Pontificio 2010, p. 766.
4
3
activities of the Church. Hence, there is a need to raise the missionary consciousness of the
faithful regarding their fundamental responsibility for the missionary work.
2
The Purpose of the Thesis
The purpose of this thesis is to awaken the consciousness of all the baptised with regard
to their missionary responsibility in the Church, and to arouse their fervour to assume their part
in the missionary work and fulfil their obligation in order that the local Church of Mthatha may
be a missionary Church resolute to bring Christ at the centre of society, build Christian
communities and to continue Christ’s mission in accordance with the norms of can. 781.
3
The Rationale of the Thesis
The Second Vatican Council affirmed the missionary nature of the Church, the
fundamental duty of God’s people to evangelise, and thus invited all Christ’s faithful to
“undertake a profound interior renewal so that being vitally conscious of their responsibility
for the spread of the Gospel, they might play their part in missionary work among the nations.” 7
This was further affirmed by can. 781. Can. 204 provides that the Christian faithful, by virtue
of their baptism, share in the threefold function of Christ and are called to exercise the mission
which God has entrusted to the Church.
However, there seems to be a challenge with the participation of the faithful in the
missionary work, particularly in the Diocese of Mthatha. The decreasing Catholic population,
lack of enthusiasm and dedication to missionary action, and the lack of understanding of
missionary work, point to the possibility that the faithful may not be aware of their
responsibility and that they do not assume their part in the missionary work. Consequently, the
need to conscientise the faithful of Mthatha about their missionary responsibility, the need to
clarify the role of the faithful in the mission of the Church, as well as the need to stimulate and
7
Ad Gentes, no. 35.
4
facilitate the profound internal renewal of all the faithful in their various conditions, are the
rationale of this research. This research is also motivated by the desire to contribute to the
seemingly little written material on the subject.
4
The Central Question of Investigation
The central question of investigation for this research is: how can the faithful be made
aware of their missionary responsibility and be stimulated to assume their part in the missionary
work of the Church according to the norm of can. 781?
5
Hypotheses
This thesis has, as its working hypotheses, the following assumptions:
Perhaps by conscientising and educating the Christ’s faithful of their missionary
obligation through appropriate training and formation, and through suitable seminars and
continuous discussions, they would be more empowered and begin to work zealously to ensure
that there is steadfastness in the faith of every Christian and firm witness to the Christian faith.
Perhaps when Christ’s faithful know concretely what their role and obligations are in
the missionary activity of the Church and collaborate in fulfilling them in accordance with the
Church’s norms on missionary action, they will find courage and enthusiasm to assume their
part in the mission and the Christian faith and Gospel values would take root among the peoples
of the world, transforming them in all the strata of human life.
6
6.1
Methodological Considerations
Method of Approach
The nature of this study requires the use of deductive method of approach which
evaluates the provisions of the Code in order to adapt them to the context and circumstances
5
of the particular Church. Under this method, the research applies the following concrete
methods, namely, the juridical-exegetical method, analytical method, and prospective method.
Through the juridical-exegetical method, this study has been used to examine the
juridical exegesis and formation of can. 781. It helps to investigate the canonical journey of the
norm on the responsibility of the faithful in the missionary work according to can. 781.
The analytical method is used to analyse the canonical provisions and doctrine about
the responsibility of the faithful in fulfilling their missionary obligations from the sources of
can. 781, the teaching of the magisterium, and various related particular legislations, and other
related canonical literature. This is in order to formulate a synthesis of how the norm of can.
781 can be effectively applied in the Diocese of Mthatha.
The prospective method is employed in this study to provide suggestions and
recommendations on the practical considerations that can promote appropriate awareness in
the Christian faithful, both universally and particularly in the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, on
their vital obligation in the missionary action of the Church.
6.2
Structure of the Thesis
This thesis is composed of three chapters in accordance with the methodology of the
Institute of Canon Law in the Catholic University of the Eastern Africa.
Chapter One: The Juridical Foundation of the Participation of Christ’s Faithful in the
Missionary Activity of the Church in the Light of Can. 781
This chapter studies the juridical concept of the missionary activity, as well as the
sources and the formation of can. 781. It also makes an exegetical analysis of the canon and
relate it to other relevant canons in the 1983 and 1990 Codes.
6
Chapter Two: The Historical Development of the Norm of Missionary Responsibility in
the Canonical Tradition and the Magisterium.
This Chapter examines the biblical, theological, and ecclesial foundations of the
responsibility of Christ’s faithful to participate in the missionary activity of the Church
according to can. 781. It explores how the concept of missionary responsibility of the faithful
has developed and was understood in various periods of the history of the Church, focusing on
the magisterial and conciliar documents.
Chapter Three: The Application of Norms on the Responsibility of the Faithful in the
Missionary Activity in the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha
This chapter investigates how the norm of can. 781 on the responsibility of the faithful
in the missionary work is applied in the Diocese of Mthatha. It explores the particular
provisions of the Diocese of Mthatha, of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference,
and of other particular Churches and episcopal conferences on the missionary responsibility of
the Christian faithful. The chapter also includes some practical and pastoral recommendations
that respond to the challenges of missionary activity in the Diocese.
CHAPTER ONE
THE JURIDICAL FOUNDATION OF THE PARTICIPATION OF CHRIST’S
FAITHFUL IN THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIGHT
OF CAN. 781
Introduction
As the Church encountered new peoples and cultures in its proclamation of the Gospel
and propagating of the Christian faith, it became necessary to enact norms that regulate its
missionary action. Marco Bulgarell remarks that Canon Law has always accompanied the
Church in this endeavour of propagation of the faith, through the codification of rules that help
the understanding of missionary activity and support its operations.8 The two epochs of this
codification were the promulgation of Codex Iuris Canonici in 1917 and in 1983.
Both the 1917 and 1983 Codes provided some norms regulating the missionary action
of the Church, though from different ecclesiological backgrounds. The text of the can. 781
being discussed in this thesis opens the norms of the missionary law provided in Book III of
1983 Code. However, as Damian Astigueta noted, it has no immediate legislative precedents,
but rather is a result of a long evolution in legislative thinking and theology of the Church.9
This chapter is primarily concerned with the juridical foundation of the responsibility
of Christ’s faithful in the missionary activity of the Church according to can. 781 of the 1983
Code. It studies the juridical concept of the responsibility of Christ’s faithful in the missionary
activity, the sources, the formation as well as the juridical iter of can. 781. It also makes an
exegetical and textual analysis of the canon to get its meaning, and also relates it to other
relevant canons in both the 1983 Code and the 1990 Oriental Code.
Cf. M. BULGARELL, La Principale Modalità di Attuazione dell’Attività Missionaria della Chiesa nel
Can. 786 del Codice di Diritto Canonico, Pontificia Università “San Tommaso d’Aquino in Urbe ”, Roma 1996, p. 3.
9
Cf. D.G. ASTIGUETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” in Ius
Missionale, Vol. III (2009), p. 27.
8
8
1.1
The Sources of Canon 781
Canon 781 appeared for the first time in the 1983 CIC; it is thus a new legislation which
is based on the teachings of the Second Vatican Council as well as some post-conciliar
documents of the ecclesiastical magisterium. For the purpose of this study, the sources are here
divided into conciliar sources and post-conciliar sources. The conciliar sources are Lumen
Gentium and Ad Gentes Divinitus. The post-conciliar sources are the directory Postquam
Apostoli10 of the Congregation for Clerics, the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi11 of
Pope Paul VI, and the messages and allocutions of Pope Paul VI.
1.1.1
The Conciliar Sources: Vatican Council II Documents
The conciliar sources of can. 781 are Vatican II documents: the dogmatic constitution
on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and the decree on the missionary activity, Ad Gentes Divinitus.
1.1.1.1 The Obligation to Spread the Gospel (Lumen Gentium, nos. 17 & 23)
The first conciliar text which is the source of can. 781 is that of the dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium no. 17, within the chapter on the People of God.12
The text mentions that the Son, who had been sent by the Father, in turn sent his apostles to go
and make disciples of all nations. Having received this mandate of Christ from the apostles and
driven by the Holy Spirit, the Church continues to fulfil it to the full realisation of God’s plan
of salvation for the whole world. The text has thus laid down the theological foundations of the
10
Cf. SACRA CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS, Notae Directivae Postquam Apostoli, 25 Martii 1980,
in AAS, LXXII (1980), pp. 343-364.
11
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Adhortatio Apostolica Evangelii Nuntiandi, 08 Decembris 1975, in AAS, LXVIII,
(1976), pp. 5-76, (English translation in A. FLANNERY (gen. ed.), Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and PostConciliar Documents, Vol II, St Pauls, Bandra 2007).
12
Cf. CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Constitutio Dogmatica de Ecclesia Lumen Gentium, 21
Novembris 1964, no. 17, in AAS, LVII (1965), p. 21, (English Translation in A. FLANNERY (gen. ed.), Vatican
Council II. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, St Pauls, Bandra 2004).
9
missionary activity of the Church. It introduces the nature and purpose of the missionary
activity, which would later be developed by the decree Ad Gentes Divinitus.
Christ was sent by the Father; he in turn sends out his disciple to the ends of the world
to preach the Gospel (Jn. 20:21).13 This solemn command and sending of the disciples by Christ
is the continuation of his fundamental mission. 14 One principle set forth in the text is that all
the Christian faithful are obliged to spread the faith, each to the best of his or her ability.15
According to Kevin McNamara, the Church regards the missionary obligation as “a most
solemn obligation to dispatch new heralds of the Gospel at all times to the ends of the earth.”16
The other text which is the source of can. 781 is found in Lumen Gentium no. 23, which
is within the third chapter that deals with the hierarchy of the Church, particularly the
episcopate. The text concerns the relationship of the individual bishops with the Episcopal
college, the responsibility of the individual bishop in his Diocese and in the universal Church,
and the responsibility of the episcopal College in union with its head, the Supreme Pontiff, in
the universal Church, particularly with regard to the proclamation of the Christian faith.
Lumen Gentium 23 states that the task of announcing the Gospel in the whole world
belongs to the body of pastors to whom Christ gave a general injunction and imposed a general
obligation. It further states that the bishops, each in his own part as far as possible, are
consequently obliged to collaborate with one another and with the Roman Pontiff in this task
of evangelisation.17 This implies that the individual bishops are obliged to make personal and
material resources available for missionary work, especially to the needy neighbouring
13
Cf. The New African Bible, Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi 2011. (In this paper all biblical
quotations are from The New African Bible).
14
Cf. K. McNAMARA, “The Peoaple of God,” in K. McNAMARA, (ed.), Vatican II. The Constitution
of the Church. A Theological and Pastoral Commentary, Franciscan Herald Press, Chicago 1968, p. 158.
15
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 17.
16
K. McNAMARA, “The People of God,” p. 160.
17
Cf. Ibidem.
10
Dioceses. Thus, the College of bishops, in communion with the Roman Pontiff, has the
obligation to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This is a shift from the norm of can. 1327
§1 of CIC 191718 which stated that the Roman Pontiff is the only supreme agent of preaching
the Catholic faith for the universal Church.
Nevertheless, this shift, as noted by Karl Rahner, does not deny but rather implies, on
account of the nature of papal primacy and of episcopal College, that the missionary charge
devolves particularly on the Roman Pontiff. 19 Astigueta remarks that the statement on the duty
of the episcopal College, in union with its head in the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be
read independently because it could be contradictory with the mission and the essence of the
Church.20 On the other hand, LG 17 recognises the common obligation of each disciple of
Christ to spread the Christian faith. The Constitution, therefore, attempts to highlight the
serious responsibility that weighs jointly on the episcopate as a sign of the Church’s vitality.
1.1.1.2 The Church’s Missionary Nature and Duty to Evangelise (Ad Gentes, nos. 2, 35, 39)
The decree Ad Gentes is dedicated specifically to the missionary activity of the Church
and is hence the immediate primary source of can. 781. It highlights the missionary nature of
the Church, the invitation of all God’s People to participate in the missionary work, and the
roles proper to each faithful according to their juridical condition and status.
18
Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, PII X P.M., Iussu Digestus, Benedicti XV Papae, auctoritate promulgatus,
Romae 1917, in AAS, IX (1917), Can. 1327, p. 258, The 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon law, in English
translation with extensive Scholarly Apparatus by E. N. PETERS, Ignatius press, San Francisco 2001. (All
references to canons of the 1917 Code will be styled CIC/1917 Can. for canon and Cann. for canons, followed by
the canon number[s]).
19
Cf. K. RAHNER, “The Hierarchical Structure of the Church, with Special Reference to the Episcopate
(Art. 18-27),” in H. VORGRIMLER, (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, Vol. I, Herder &
Herder, New York 1967, p. 206.
20
Cf. D.G. ASTIGUETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” p. 36.
11
1.1.1.2.1
The Missionary Nature of the Church (AG 221)
Ad Gentes 2 opens with a fundamental theological principle that the Church on earth,
which owes her origin from the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit in accordance with the
plan of the Father, is by its very nature missionary. This missionary nature is fundamentally
and primarily founded on the mission of the Triune God. The Father, in his plan and will to
reconcile humanity to himself, sent his Son, Jesus Christ into the world to redeem mankind.
The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to give life to the Church. This Trinitarian mission
is developed further in Ad gentes nos. 2-4. The Father sent his Son to preach the Gospel and to
enable mankind to become sharers in his divine nature;22 through the Holy Spirit he established
the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation. 23 Because God wants all people to be saved,
the Church is ever on mission worldwide until the coming of the Lord at the end of time.24
The missionary nature of the Church is also founded on the great commission (Mk.
16:15; Mt. 28:18-20; Jn. 20:21) of the apostles by Christ and on the life Christ infused into the
members of his body, the Church. On account of this command, which Christ gave to his
disciples who in turn handed on to their successors, the Council Fathers asserted that the Church
has an obligation to proclaim the Christian faith and salvation which comes from Christ.25
1.1.1.2.2
Invitation of God’s People to Take Their Part in the Missionary Work (AG 3526)
Having established the theological principle that the Church is missionary by nature,
and consequently the obligation of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, the Decree
“Ecclesia peregrinans natura sua missionaria est, cum ipsa ex missione Filii missioneque Spiritus
Sancti originem ducat secundum Propositum Dei Patris,” in Ad Gentes no. 2.
22
Cf. Ibidem, no. 3.
23
Cf. Ibidem, no. 5.
24
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 7-9.
25
Cf. Ibidem, no. 5
26
“Cum tota Ecclesia missionaria sit, et opus evangelizationis officium Populi Dei fundamentale, Sacra
Synodus omnes ad profundam renovationem interiorem invitat, ut vivam conscientiam propriae responsabilitatis
in Evangelii diffusione habentes, partes suas assumant in opera missionali apud Gentes,” in Ad Gentes, no. 35.
21
12
states that the mission of the Church must be carried out by the order of bishops under the
leadership of the Roman Pontiff with the prayers and cooperation of whole Church. 27 This task
is carried out through the missionary activity which itself flows immediately from the very
nature of the Church.28
In chapter six which deals with the cooperation, the decree applies the theological
principle to the members of the Church and, as Brechter noted, “deduces from it their
responsibility and duty in regard to the missionary Church.”29 Ad Gentes no. 35 once again
states that the Church is missionary and adds that the work of evangelisation is a fundamental
duty of the People of God. Consequently, all the faithful are invited to a deep renewal so that
“being conscious of their responsibility for the spread of the Gospel they might play their part
in missionary work among nations.” 30 In the formulation of can.781, Ad Gentes no. 35 was
transposed to the norm and therefore became the source of the norm of can. 781.
1.1.1.2.3
Priests, the Representatives of Christ and Collaborators of Bishops (AG 39)
Ad Gentes no. 39 introduces the theme on the duty of priests in the mission of the
Church. This duty has a dual foundation on their own vocation. On the one hand the priests
represent Christ and are bishops’ collaborators in the threefold sacred duty that, ex natura sua,
pertains to the Church’s mission, and that their life is consecrated to the service of the missions.
On the other hand, since they are in communion with Christ the head and are leading others to
this communion, they cannot but be aware of how much is still lacking to the fullness of the
Body, and of how much still needs to be done for its growth. Hence, they need to organise their
work such that it contributes to the spread of the Gospel among non-Christians.31
27
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 6.
Ibidem.
29
S. BRECHTER, “Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity,” in H. VORGRIMLER, (gen. ed.),
Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, Vol. IV, Herder & Herder, New York 1969, p. 169.
30
Ad Gentes, no. 35.
31
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 39.
28
13
On account of fundamental duty, the priests, in their pastoral work, are to stimulate and
maintain among Christ’s faithful a zeal for evangelisation by teaching them of the Church’s
duty to proclaim Christ to the nations, by fostering missionary vocations in families, and by
promoting missionary fervour among the youth in Catholic schools. Finally, the text states that
the university and seminary professors will instruct the youth of the true condition of the world
and the Church in order to clarify the need for more intense evangelisation and to stimulate the
zeal for mission in them. In teaching dogmatic, moral, biblical and historical subjects, focus
should be on their missionary aspect so as to form missionary awareness in future priests.
1.1.2
Post-Conciliar Sources: Papal and Curial Documents
The post-conciliar sources of can. 781 are the Papal and Curial documents issued after
Vatican II and prior to the promulgation of the 1983 Code. Of particular importance for this
study are the allocution of Pope Paul VI to the 116th Congregation of the Council, apostolic
exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI’s messages for the World Missionary Day of
1966, 1976 and 1978, Pope Paul VI’s general audience with the National Council of Italian
Catholic Action, and the directive Postquam Apostoli issued by the Congregatio pro Clericis.
1.1.2.1 Allocution of Pope Paul VI to the 116th Congregation of the Council
On the 6 November 1964, Pope Paul VI addressed the 116th Congregation of the Second
Vatican Council which was discussing the Schema on Missions.32 The Pope remarked that the
task of the Council, among other things, was to draw up new ways, study new means and to
stimulate new energies for a wider dissemination of the Gospel. He also noted that the
suggestions, initiatives and guidelines made in the schema could stimulate a heartfelt
commitment to the zealous promotion of the Kingdom of God on earth. 33
32
33
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Allocutio Ad Patres Conciliares, 6 Novembris 1964, in AAS, LVI (1964), p. 998.
Cf. Ibidem.
14
Pope Paul VI also expressed that he likes what is consistently demanded, that the whole
Church is missionary, and that the individual faithful become missionaries in spirit and
practice. He mentioned that every Christian who has received the gift of faith, illuminated by
the Gospel and is counted among the children of God, always offers thanks through prayers,
works of piety, and generous offerings for the help and relief of the heralds of the Gospel. He
continued to say that there is nothing healthier for men and more appropriate to God’s glory
than spreading of the Gospel through missionary commitment. 34
In this address, Paul VI emphasises the missionary nature of the Church and the role of
all Christ’s faithful in the missionary action of the Church. Astigueta remarks that it is
interesting to note the dynamics of mission emerging from the address. On the one hand, the
mission emerges as a thanksgiving and as a response to the gift received; on the other hand, all
those who offer material and spiritual help participate in the missionary effort.35
1.1.2.2 The Church Exists in Order to Evangelise (Evangelii Nuntiandi nos. 9-15).
In 1965, Pope Paul VI established the Synod of Bishops to promote a closer union and
greater cooperation between the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops of the whole world and to
allow for a greater use of the bishops’ assistance in providing for the good of the universal
Church.36 In September 27 to October 26, 1974, Pope Paul VI convoked a Third Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. According to W. Burrows, the Synod devoted
itself to clarifying “the Church’s evangelising identity in a way that did justice both to the
traditional theology and to the liberalists construction of mission and evangelisation,” 37 and
discussed the Church’s evangelisation of the modern world. The Synod Fathers re-emphasised
34
Cf. Ibidem, p. 998-999.
Cf. D.G. ASTIGHETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” p. 34.
36
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Allucutio Ad Patres Conciliares, in festo Exaltationis Crucis Domini nostri Iesu
Christi, 14 Septembris 1965, in AAS, LVII, (1965), p. 804.
37
W. BURROWS, “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2003 <
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/evangelii-nuntiandi >, (15
June 2017).
35
15
the essential missionary character of the Church and the duty of each faithful to bear witness
to Christ in the world. However, the synodal assembly did not issue a document due to
disagreements on the concept of evangelisation, and so asked the Holy Father to write a
document.38 Thus, after the Synod, Pope Paul VI issued a post-synodal document, an Apostolic
Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi on 08 December 1975.
The Evangelii Nuntiandi affirms the role of every Christian faithful in spreading the
Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth at all times. It also affirms the missionary character of
the Church, in the light of Ad Gentes 2, that “the task of evangelising all people constitutes the
essential mission of the Church” and that it is “in fact the grace and vocation proper to the
Church, her deepest identity” and her reason for existence, “she exist in order to evangelise.” 39
Paul VI points out that “the command to the Twelve to go out and proclaim the Good News is
also valid for all Christians, though in a different way,” who constitute an evangelised and
evangelising community; thus, Christ’s faithful “can and must communicate and spread” the
Good News they have received.40
1.1.2.3 The Duty of All the Faithful to Contribute in Spreading the Faith (Message of
Pope Paul VI for the World Missionary Day of 1966)
In his message for the World Missionary Day of 1966, Pope Paul VI acknowledged the
true heroic dedication of many clerics, religious and laity who dedicate themselves to the
spreading of the Gospel. He remarks, “Their example should spur the whole Catholic family
to take ever-greater awareness of their duty of missionary collaboration.” 41 He emphasised that,
by virtue of baptismal vocation, all the children of the Church are missionaries and can never
38
Cf. Ibidem.
Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 14.
40
Ibidem, no. 13.
41
PAULUS PP. VI, Nuntius Universis sacris Praesulibus et Christifidelibus, die recurrente rei
missionali provehendae per totum Orbem Catholicum dicato, 11 Octobris 1966, in AAS, LVIII (1966), p. 907.
39
16
escape from this duty without missing the needs of their supernatural life. He also highlighted
that everyone in the Church, no matter how small and poor, has something to contribute
towards the building of God's Kingdom on earth.42
In this message, the Holy Father accentuates the duty of all the faithful to contribute in
spreading the faith, each to the best of his or her ability, as stated in LG 17. This duty is founded
on the baptismal vocation of the baptised. Thus, every baptised person, inspired and awakened
by the example of those devoted to the spread of the Good News, are urged to be conscious of
their duty and to take their part in the missionary work of the Church.
1.1.2.4 Lay Participation in the Mission of the Church (General Audience)
In his General audience with the members of the National Council of Italian Catholic
Action in 11 January 1975,43 Pope Paul VI addressed the members on the participation in the
mission of the Church, communion with the Holy Spirit, openness to the present reality, and
on the communion with the hierarchy. On the participation of the faithful in the mission of the
Church, the Pope stated that the laity participate through the Catholic Action movement. Their
active participation is a vocation received from baptism. He reiterated the affirmation of the
recent Synod that the task of evangelisation belongs to all the faithful; all, without distinction,
are actually moved by the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Christ and his Gospel, and that the
mission of salvation is realised by the Church through all its members.44
Paul VI urged the audience to have a close communion of life and dependence on the
Holy Spirit for it is he who guides the Church in her mission.45 The Pope asked the faithful to
assume their responsibilities in the contemporary world, persevering their identity, but being
42
Cf. Ibidem.
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Allocutio Ad Sodalibus Primarii Consilii Italicae Actionis Catholicae, 11
Ianuarii 1975, in AAS, LXVII (1975), pp. 103-108.
44
Cf. Ibidem, no. 1.
45
Cf. Ibidem, no. 2.
43
17
intimately present and open to the realities of the their societies.46 Lastly, he exhorted them to
maintain communion with the hierarchy in their apostolate because it is a collaboration to the
hierarchical apostolate and an active participation in the Church’s mission.47
1.1.2.5 Missionary Responsibility of All God’s People (World Mission Day Message, 1976)
In the World Mission Day 1976 message issued on 14 April 197648 commemorating the
fiftieth anniversary of the constitution of the World Mission Day, Pope Paul VI highlighted the
significance of the Day, the missionary universalism and missionary responsibility of the
People of God. Expressing the necessity of participating in the mission, the Holy Father stated
that the religious situation of the modern world would have been different if all Christians had
kept alive in their hearts the love of Christ and of their brothers, and if they were more
committed to spread the Gospel. All the members of the Church must be conscious of their
missionary responsibility and consecrate their energies to the work of evangelisation.49 He
further said that the universal missionary cooperation is not only a duty of the whole People of
God, but a primary duty which embraces individual members of the Mystical Body of Christ,
and all ecclesial communities and institutions.50
1.1.2.6 Co-responsibility and Cooperation for Missions (1978 World Mission Day).
Another text regarded as the source of can. 781 is the message of Pope Paul VI for the
1978 World Mission Day on 14 May 1978.51 The central theme of the message is missionary
cooperation among ecclesial communities, understood as the specific and direct aid offered for
evangelisation in the missions. Conscious of the primary function of the Church, which is the
46
Cf. Ibidem, no. 3.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 4.
48
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Nuntius, Universis Sacris Praesulibus et Catholicis Christifidelibus, Die Rei
Missionali Provehendae per Totum Orbem Dicato Recurrente, 14 Aprilis 1976, in AAS, LXVIII (1976), pp. 341-347.
49
Cf. Ibidem, p. 343.
50
Cf. Ibidem, p. 345.
51
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Nuntius Occasione Oblata Diei, Qui per Totum Catholicum Orbem ad
Missionales Res Provehendas Celebrabitur, 14 Maii 1978, in AAS, LXX (1978), pp. 345-349.
47
18
proclamation of the Gospel and the foundation of local Churches,52 and of the subsequent
development and progress of the people, the Pope emphasised the necessity for coresponsibility and collaboration among all the People of God and among ecclesial
communities, in order to realise the mission of the Church.53 Furthermore, the Pope highlighted
the works of the Pontifical Missionary Societies which help to promote awareness of
participation of the faithful in the missions and for the coordination of the aid provided.
1.1.2.7 The Whole Church Must Evangelize (Postquam Apostoli, nos. 3-7, 22)
Postquam Apostoli is a directive issued by the Congregatio pro Clericis on March 21,
1980. It gives directives for collaboration among local Churches and in particular for a better
and equal distribution of the clergy throughout the universal Church in order to bridge the gap
between the priest-rich and priest-poor countries. According to Postquam Apostoli, the Church
has always regarded evangelisation as her peculiar and primary task, and in that regard, “No
baptised and confirmed member of the Church may, therefore, regard himself or herself as
exempt from this duty.”54
Postquam Apostoli states that the whole Church must evangelise and that the duty of
carrying out Christ’s mandate is for all the baptised and confirmed members of the Church. It
emphasises that “all the faithful are obliged to cooperate to the best of their ability in the
carrying out of the Church’s mission.” 55 Taking into account the differences among the faithful,
the document elaborates on the different roles in relation to the bishops, priests, religious men
and women, and the laity.56 In paragraph 22, Postquam Apostoli stresses the need to make the
faithful increasingly aware of the needs both of the missions and of the local Churches which
52
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 6.
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Nuntius 14 maius 1978, p. 346.
54
Postquam Apostoli, no. 3.
55
Ibidem.
56
Cf. Ibidem, no. 4-7.
53
19
are in difficulty, and of their own responsibilities and to develop their sense of catholicity
through the use of various communications media and publications.57
1.2
The Juridical Iter of Canon 781
On 25 January 1959, Pope John XXIII announced with humility and resoluteness his
intention to convoke an Ecumenical Council and a Roman Synod, which would “condurranno
felicemente all'auspicato e atteso aggiornamento del Codice di Diritto Canonico.”58
Subsequently the Ecumenical Vatican Council II, was formally convened and opened on 11
October 1962 by Pope John XXIII. On 28 March 1963, the Pope established the Pontificia
Commissio Codici Iuris Canonici recognoscendo59 for the revision of the Code. In its first
meeting on 12 November 1963, the Commission decided to suspend the work of legal revision
until the completion of Ecumenical Council, on which the revision would be based. 60
On 20 November 1965, before the conclusion of the Vatican Council II, Pope Paul VI
inaugurated the revision work of the Pontificia Commissio Codici Iuris recognoscendo of 1917
Codex Iuris Canonici. He enunciated in his address that the revision work must be faithful to
the teachings of Vatican Council II, and that Canon Law must be adapted to the new mentality
of the Council and the contemporary pastoral needs.61 In January 1966, the consultors of the
Commission were organized into ten study groups (coetus studiorum). Each group was
responsible for the revision of a certain section of the Code. 62 The various coetus studiorum
57
Cf. Ibidem, no. 22.
IOANNIS PP. XXIII, Allocutio “Ad E.mos Patres Cardinales in Urbe Praesentes Habita,” 25 Ianuarii
1959, in AAS, LI (1959) p. 68; Cf. J.A. ALESANDO, “The Revision of the Code of Canon Law: A Background
Study,” in Studia Canonica, 24 (1990), p. 92.
59
The Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law (Pontificio Commissio CIC).
60
Cf. PONTIFICIA COMMISSIO CODICI IURIS CANONICI RECOGNOSCENDO, “Acta
Commissionis. Coetus Studiorum, Città del Vaticano 1977,” in Communicationes, I (1969), p. 36.
61
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Allocutio Ad E.mos Patres Cardinales et ad Consultores Pontificii Consilii
Codici Iuris Canonici Recognoscendo, 20 Novembris 1965, in AAS, LVII (1965), p. 988.
62
Cf. “Mense ianuario 1966 decem Coetus a studiis inter Consultores constitute sunt quibus commissum
est examinare et recognoscere, prae oculis praesertim habitis praescriptis Decretorum Ss. Concilii Vaticani II,
58
20
then prepared revision drafts, referred to as schemata, of these sections. The revision process
was to be guided by the ten revision principles, which the Commission had drafted and were
later approved by the 1967 Synod of Bishops.63
The draft canons that led to legislation on the responsibility of Christ’s faithful in
fulfilment of the missionary activity of the Church were drafted by the study group Coetus De
Magistero Ecclesiastico in the following stages: 1977 Schema De Munere Docendi, 1980
Schema De Munere Docendi, 1980 Schema codicis iuris canonici, 1982 Schema codicis iuris
canonici and finally the promulgated 1983 Code of Canon Law.
1.2.1
1977 Schema De Munere Docendi
The 1977 Schema De Munere Docendi consisted of first versions of canons, referred to
as primae versions,64 drafted from 1967 to 1977 by the Coetus De Magistero Ecclesiastico.
The schema consisted of 85 canons, fourteen of which were eliminated in 1980 schema.65 The
schema did not contain the norm of the present can. 781. The missionary norms of the 1977
schema opened with the current can. 782. Can. 781 made its first appearance in the 1980
schema drafted by the study group Coetus Studiorum De Munere Docendi.
1.2.2
1980 Schema De Munere Docendi: Draft Can. 31
The study group, Coetus Studiorum De Munere Docendi began its work on February
1980. In its second session held on 24-28 March 1980 in which it discussed the missionary
norms under the title De Actione Ecclesiae Missionali, the group discussed the possibility and
leges vigentis Codicis Iuris Canonici, indeque schemata canonum exarare examine Commissionis Cardinalium
proponenda,” in Communicationes, 1 (1969), p. 44.
63
Cf. “1. De indole iuridica codicis, 2. De fori externi et interni positione in iure canonico, 3. De
quibusdam mediis fovendi curam pastoralem in Codice, 4. De Incorporatione facultatum specialium in ipso
Codice, 5. De applicando principio subsidiarietatis in Ecclesia, 6. De tutela iurium personarum, 7. De ordinanda
procedura ad tuenda iura subiectiva, 8. De ordinatione territoriali in Ecclesia, 9. De recognoscendo iure poenali,
10. De nova dispositione systematica Codicis Iuris Canonici,” in Communcationes I/2 (1969), pp. 77-85.
64
Cf. E.N. PETERS, Incrementa in Progressu 1983 Codicis Iuris Canonici. With a Multilingual
Introduction, Wilson & Lafleur Ltee, Montreal 2005, p. xiv.
65
Cf. Ibidem.
21
the need to have an introductory canon to the title. The Coetus resolved, by voting, to include
a new canon to the title,66 which became can. 31 of the schema De Munere Docendi. The canon
read: “Cum tota Ecclesia natura sua missionaria sit et opus evangelizationis fundamentale
officium Populi Dei, christifideles omnes propria responsabilitate conscii partem suam in
opera missionali assumant.”67
1.2.3
1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici: Draft Can. 73668
Following consultations around the world, various study groups revised the schemata
and submitted them to the Commission. All the draft canons were integrated into one schema,
which became the 1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici.69 Canon 31 of 1980 Schema De
Munere Docendi now became can. 736 in 1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici. Can. 736
retained the content of can. 31 of the Schema De Munere Docendi as it was, with no changes.
According to 1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici draft can. 736, the entire Church is
missionary by nature, evangelisation is the fundamental duty of the People of God, and
therefore, all the faithful are to assume their responsibility in the missionary work. 70
1.2.4
1982 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici: Draft Can. 781
In preparation for the Plenary meeting of the Pontificia Commissio CIC, a report was
prepared containing the 1980 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici along with the suggestions and
recommendations of the Commission members. The report was then submitted to all Cardinal
66
Cf. Communicationes, XXIX (1996), p. 104.
Ibidem. “Since the whole Church is missionary by its nature, and work of evangelisation the
fundamental duty of the people of God, all Christ’s faithful conscious of their responsibility, are to assume their
part in the missionary work.”
68
Cf. “Cum tota Ecclesia natura sua missionaria sit et opus evangelizationis fundamentale officium
populi Dei, christifideles omnes, propria resposabilitate conscii, partem suam in opere missionali assumant,” in
E.N. PETERS, Incrementain Progressu 1983 CIC, p. 719.
69
Ibidem, p. XIII.
70
Ibidem, p. 719.
67
22
members of the Commission for further comments and necessary emendations. 71 On 20th-29th
October 1981, the final plenary session of the Commission was convoked to study some major
important questions, to conduct the final collegial examination of the complete Schema
Novissimum Codicis Iuris Canonici, and to cast a definitive vote.72 Based on these comments,
the plenaria revised the 1980 Schema further. The revision resulted in the 1982 Schema Codicis
Iuris Canonici, which contained 1776 canons and was completed in March 1982.73
The texts of the draft can. 736 of the 1980 schema became can. 781 of the 1982 schema.
There were no substantial changes from can. 736 of 1980 Schema to can. 78174 of 1982
Schema, except for grammatical changes which did not change the essence of the canon. The
changes were as follows: missionaria sit was changed to sit missionaria, the phrase habendum
sit was added before fundamentale officium, and the phrase propria responsabilitate was
rephrased to read propriae responsabilitatis. The revised text is translated as follows: “Since
the whole Church is by its nature missionary and the work of evangelization must be held as a
fundamental duty of the People of God, all the Christian faithful, conscious of their
responsibility, are to assume their part in missionary work.”
1.2.5
Definitive Formation of Canon 781 in the 1983 Code
The 1982 Schema Codicis Iuris Canonici was finally submitted to Pope John Paul II
for personal examination and approval on 22 April 1982.75 After receiving the final draft of the
new Code, Pope John Paul II, assisted by seven experts, including Josef Cardinal Ratzinger
Cf. J. HERRANZ, “Genesis and Development of the New Code of Canon Law,” in Exegetical
Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Vol 1, Prepared under the responsibility of the Martin de Azpilcueta
Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Navarre, Wilson & Lafleur – Montreal and Midwest Theological Forum,
Chicago 2004, p. 158.
72
Cf. Ibidem, pp. 159-160.
73
Cf. Communicationes, XIII/2 (1981), pp. 255-270.
74
Cf. “Cum tota Ecclesia natura sua sit missionaria et opus evangelizationis habendum sit fundamentale
officium populi Dei, christifideles omnes, propriae resposabilitatis conscii, partem suam in opere missionali
assumant,” in E. N. PETERS, (Comp.), Incrementa in Progressu 1983 CIC, p. 719
75
Cf. Communicationes, XV/1 (1982), pp. 27-35.
71
23
and Alfons Cardinal Stickler, personally reviewed the entire draft. 76 The text of the draft can.
781 of 1982 Schema was retained as it was as well as its number. Thus, it remained as can. 781
in the 1983 Code that was promulgated on 25th January 1983. The canon is found in Title II,
the Missionary Activity of the Church, of Book III, the Teaching Office of the Church, in CIC.
Can. 781 states: Cum tota Ecclesia natura sua sit missionaria et opus evangelizationis
habendum sit fundamentale officium populi Dei, christifideles omnes, propriae resposabilitatis
conscii, partem suam in opere missionali assumant.77
1.3
Textual Analysis and Meaning of Canon 781
A full understanding of the law on the responsibility of Christifideles omnes in opere
missionali of the Church requires an understanding of certain terms and phrases contained in
can 781, such as mission, missionary work, missionary nature, fundamental duty, People of
God, Christ’s faithful, and work of evangelization. It is necessary to be clear of the meaning of
these terms so that the faithful may be more conscious of their role in the missionary work.
1.3.1
Missionary
To understand the phrase missionary work, one must understand the term mission, from
which it is derived. The term “mission” is derived from Latin word missio, which is a noun
formed from missus, a past participle of the verb mittere, which means to send. 78 From the
ecclesiastical perspective, mission describes “the activity of Church members in the spread of
the Gospel.”79 In the 19th century mission was used in plural (missions) to describe the outreach
76
Cf. Communicationes, XIII/2 (1981), pp. 255-270.
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 781.
78
Merriam-Webster’s
Student Dictionary, s.v. “Mission”
< https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/mission >, (15 September 2017).
79
L. NEMER, “Mission and Missions,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Vol. 9, ThomsonGale, Washington, D.C., p. 683.
77
24
of the Church to those who were not Christians and the places where Christian communities
were only starting or had not yet achieved the full structure of the Church. 80
Similarly, J.L. Santos states that mission essentially means transmitting the Christian
message to non-believers and to establish the Christian activities and the Church among the
non-Christian peoples and territories. 81 R. Hoffman writes that, scripturally, “mission” signifies
“the sending by God of a person for the purpose of communicating his will to other persons,”82
such that there are missions of Divine Persons and mission of the Church. The mission of the
Church is categorised into generic and specific terms. In a generic sense, mission means
sending of persons with authority to preach. In a specific sense, it signifies the apostolic action
in non-Christian regions where either the hierarchy is not yet established or the Church is still
in initial stages. 83
Furthermore, the adjective “missionary” indicates, in a broad sense, the fundamental
mission of the Church, and, in a specific sense, the Church’s missionary work among the
peoples.84 Consequently, the term “missionary” describes all that pertains to the mission of the
Church. José Errázuriz uses the word “missionary” to refer to the whole ecclesial action that
brings the God’s word to non-Christians, regardless of the degree of growth in a particular
Church and without restriction to works that assume the nature of an official preaching,85 in which
every member of the faithful is to participate by virtue of his or her baptism. 86
80
Cf. Ibidem.
Cf. J.L. SANTOS, “Missioni (Missiones),” in Nuovo Dizionario di Diritto Canonico, Edizioni San
Paolo, Milano 1993, p. 701.
82
J. HOFFMAN, “Mission,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, The Catholic University of America,
Washington, D.C. 1967, p. 904.
83
Cf. Ibidem.
84
Cf. P.J. KOONAMPARAMPIL, “Titulus XIV: De Evangelizatione (Cann. 584-594),” in P.V. PINTO, (ed.),
Commento al Codice dei Canoni Delle Chiese Orientali, Libreria Editrice Vatican, Città del Vaticano 2001, p. 464.
85
Cf. C.J. ERRÁZURIZ, “La Dimensione Missionaria del Munus Docendi Ecclesiae. Prolili Giuridici,”
in La Chiesa è Missionaria. La Ricezione nel Codice di Diritto Canonico, Urbaniana University Press, Città del
Vaticano 2009, p. 58.
86
Cf. Ibidem, p. 65.
81
25
1.3.2
Missionary by its Nature
Can. 781 begins by stating that the Church is by its very nature missionary. This
statement is taken directly from AG 2 and is put here such that it serves as a background. The
nature, mission and origin of the Church is described in the first chapter of Lumen Gentium.87
The Church in Christ is in the nature of a sacrament, a sign and an instrument of communion
with God and of unity among men. 88 It originated from the creative work and salvific plan of
the Father,89 from the preaching and redemptive paschal mystery of the Son whom the Father
sent,90 and from the sanctifying and vivifying work of the Holy Spirit sent by the Father and
the Son.91 Through the outpouring of the Spirit, the Church is endowed with the gifts and
mission of her Founder and thus received her mission of proclaiming and establishing the
kingdom of Christ and of God among the peoples.92
Consequently, in the light of the mystery unfolded in the first chapter of Lumen
Gentium, Ad Gentes 2 states that the missionary nature of the Church originates, in accordance
with God the Father’s plan, from the mission of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Hence, it has a
Trinitarian character. From the Christological perspective, the missionary nature of the Church
is founded on the principle that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ93 and is specifically
constituted by Christ to continue his mission in the world. According to John Paul II, the
Church is essentially missionary on account of its catholicity as heir and successor of the
Apostles, sent to bear witness to Christ and to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.94
87
Cf. Lumen Gentium, nos. 1-8.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 1.
89
Cf. Ibidem, no. 2.
90
Cf. Ibidem, no. 3.
91
Cf. Ibidem, no. 4.
92
Cf. Ibidem, no. 5.
93
Cf. Ibidem, no. 7.
94
Cf. GIOVANNI PAOLO II Udienza Generale, Mercoledì, 19 aprile 1995, no. 1, <
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/audiences/1995/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_19950419.html >, (12
September 2017).
88
26
The Church is also missionary because in its constitutive reality, in its soul, it possesses
a dynamism that concretely unfolds in preaching the Gospel, in the spread of the faith and the
call to conversion proclaimed to the ends of the earth. 95 The missionary nature of the Church
means that being sent to the ends of the earth is inborn and the essential reason for its existence.
Pope Paul VI highlighted this by saying “the Church exist in order to evangelise.”96 The
missionary nature is transmitted to every member born into the Church through baptism.
1.3.3
Missionary Work
The missionary work refers to that activity of the Church through which “the Church
makes itself fully present to all men and peoples in order to lead them to faith, freedom and
peace of Christ by the example of its life and teaching, by sacraments and other means of
grace.”97 Missionary work is a particular form of evangelization, the preaching of the Good
News, which forms the Church’s essential task.98 Pope John Paul II describes missionary work
as the Church’s activities which “first of all bear witness to and proclaim salvation in Christ,
and establish local churches which then become means of liberation in every sense,” 99 and
secondarily which consist in “helping the poor, contributing to the liberation of the oppressed,
promoting development or defending human rights.”100
According to Ad Gentes, missionary activity is “nothing else, and nothing less, than the
manifestation of God’s plan, its epiphany and realization in the world and in history; that by
which God, through mission, clearly brings to its conclusion the history of salvation;” it is the
95
Cf. GIOVANNI PAOLO II, Udienza Generale, no. 3
Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 14.
97
Ad Gentes, no. 5.
98
Cf. D.M. BYERS, Missionary work,
< http://cchope.freeservers.com/Pol_Ed/Missionary%20Activity.htm >, (29 September 2017).
99
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Litterae Encyclicae Redemptoris Missio, 7 Decembris 1990, no. 83,
in AAS, LXXXIII (1991), p. 330.
100
Ibidem
96
27
activity that makes Christ present in the world, 101 that manifests Christian witness,102 manifests
the preaching of the Gospel and assembling the People of God,103 and that which implant the
Church and form Christian communities. 104
1.3.4
Fundamental Duty
Canon 781 further states that evangelisation is the fundamental duty of all the People
of God. The term fundamental refers to the basic, essential, primary or principal element.105
the term duty refers to the obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's
position or to a moral or legal obligation.106 The fundamental duty to evangelise thus refers to
a juridical obligation of all the faithful, either individually or in associations, to assume their
responsibility in the work of evangelisation. The statement, according to Damian Astigueta, is
a legal statement that gives a juridical dimension to can. 781, and obliges all the faithful to
assume their responsibility in the missionary activity of the Church. 107
1.3.5
People of God
The concept People of God is a biblical description of the people chosen by God to be
his own and entered into a covenant with them. 108 In the Old Testament it refers to the Israelites
with whom God made a covenant and consecrated them as his own people (Cf. Jer. 31: 31-34).
According to Lumen Gentium, Christ instituted the new People of God comprising of the Jews
and Gentiles through the new covenant in his blood.109 The People of God are therefore those
who believe in Christ, are reborn through waters of baptism, and are established as “a chosen
101
Ad Gentes, no. 9.
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 11-12.
103
Cf. Ad Gentes, nos. 13-14.
104
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 15-18.
105
Cf. MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY, s.v. “Fundamental,” (29 September 2017).
106
Cf. Ibidem, s.v. “Duty,” (29 September 2017).
107
Cf. D.G. ASTIGHETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” p. 38.
108
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 9.
109
Cf. Ibidem.
102
28
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the
praises of him who called you … Once you were no people, but now are the God’s People” (1
Pet. 2:9-10); this People are also called the Church of Christ. 110
According to Brian Gleeson, the People of God are “to live in obedience and fidelity to
the ethical demands of the Covenant. They are to praise God and to dedicate themselves to
serving God. On behalf of all the nations and peoples of the world they are to declare God’s
marvellous deeds and his holy name to the ends of the earth.”111 Hence, the People of God are
people chosen and constituted not for a privilege but for a task, which is to make God known
and loved in the world, to serve God and the rest of mankind, and specifically to evangelise
and take part in the mission of Christ.
1.3.6
The Christian Faithful (Christifideles)
The concept of Christ’s faithful (Christifideles) is described in the first five canons of
Book II of CIC/1983 in which the opening canon gives a definition fundamental to all the
members of the Church, that is, Christ’s faithful are all those who have received baptism, as
well as the juridical effects of that baptism.112 Christifideles “are those who, inasmuch as they
have been incorporated in Christ through baptism, have been constituted as the People of God,”
share in the priestly, prophetic and royal functions of Christ, and are called to participate in the
mission which God has entrusted to the Church. 113 They are those in full communion with the
Catholic Church by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical
discipline,114 and as such are called the Catholic faithful in contrast with other Christians.115
110
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 9.
B. GLEESON, “The Church as the People of God: A People in Communion,” in Australian eJournal
of Theology, 5 (August 2005), p. 4.
112
Cf. G. FELICIANI, Il Popolo di Dio, terza edizione, Società Editrice Il Mulino, Bologna 2003, p. 8.
113
CIC/1983, Can. 204 §1
114
Ibidem, Can. 205
115
Cf. G. FELICIANI, Il Popolo di Dio, p. 13.
111
29
Christifideles are constituted by both the clerics and the lay faithful, as well as the members of
the institutes of Consecrated life drawn from both the laity and the clerics. 116
1.3.7
Evangelisation
Evangelisation refers primarily to the preaching and proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, which originates naturally from a meaningful encounter with him and from his mandate
to his disciples to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk.
16:15). Pope Paul VI defined it in terms of “proclaiming Christ to those who do not know Him,
of preaching, of catechesis, of conferring Baptism and the other sacraments.” 117 It is “a complex
process made up of varied elements: the renewal of humanity, witness, explicit proclamation,
inner adherence, entry into the community, acceptance of signs, apostolic initiative.”118
Pope Paul VI also described evangelisation as an exhortation of capital importance, “for
the presentation of the Gospel message is not an optional contribution for the Church. It is the
duty incumbent on her by the command of the Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be
saved.”119 For the Church, evangelizing means “bringing the Good News into all the strata of
humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new.”120
In stating that the work of evangelisation must be held as a fundamental duty of the People of
God, can. 781 emphasises and legalises the duty incumbent on the Church, not only for the
Church as an institution but also for each member of the People of God.
1.4
Norms Related to Canon 781
The Codicis Iuris Canonici is a system of norms which are interrelated to one another.
This interrelation of norms helps with proper interpretation and application of individual
116
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 207.
Evangeli Nuntiandi, no. 17.
118
Ibidem, no. 24.
119
Ibidem, no. 5.
120
Ibidem, no. 18.
117
30
norms. The interpretation and application of can. 781 on the role of Christ’s faithful in the
missionary activity of the Church is directly or indirectly affected by other norms related to it.
Some of the norms impacting on can. 781 include the ones enumerated below.
1.4.1
The Sharing of Christ’s Faithful in the Church’s Mission (Can. 204 §1)
Can. 204 §1 states:
The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been incorporated in Christ
through baptism, have been constituted as the People of God. For this reason, made sharers
in their own way in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and royal function, they are called to exercise
the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfil in the world, in accord with the
condition proper to each.
The canon provides two effects of baptism: the personal and the social effect. On
personal level, baptism incorporates the individual into Christ, thus establishing a personal
relationship with him. On social level, it incorporates the person into a community of faith.
Robert Kaslyn notes that from the personal relationship with Christ and the community of faith
flow two consequences. By virtue of baptism, the person both shares in the threefold functions
(munera) of Christ as priest, prophet and ruler and also receive a vocation to exercise the
mission of the Church in the world.121 Through participation in the threefold functions of
Christ, Christ’ faithful continue the mission of the Church, thus participating in the missionary
activity of the Church, each in their own way. Can. 781 gives weight and juridical obligation
to the call to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church.
1.4.2
The Fundamental Equality Among the Faithful (Can. 208122)
The principle established in can. 208 is the fundamental equality regarding dignity and
action among all Christ’s faithful; it arises from their regeneration in Christ through baptism,
Cf. R.J. KASLYN, “The Christian Faithful,” in in J.P. Beal et al., (eds.), New Commentary on the
Code of Canon Law, Commissioned by the CANON LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA, Theological Publications
in India, Bangalore 2013, pp. 245-246.
122
Cf. “From their rebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality regarding
dignity and action by which they all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ according to each one’s
own condition and function” in CIC/1983, Can. 208.
121
31
by which they cooperate in the building of the Body of Christ. However, the canon
acknowledges the concrete diversity existing among Christ’s faithful based on each one’s
condition and function in the cooperation in building the Body of Christ. On the basis of their
canonical diversity, Christ’s faithful are to assume their responsibility, each in accordance with
one’s condition and function, in the missionary activity of the Church. They can assume their
responsibility individually and in cooperation with the others.
1.4.3
The Obligations to Maintain Communion and Fulfil Duties (Can. 209123)
There are two obligations established for Christ’s faithful in can. 209: paragraph 1
mentions the obligation to maintain communion with the Church, and the second, the obligation
to fulfil with great diligence the duties the faithful owe to the Church, both universal and
particular. Since the Church is missionary by its nature and evangelisation the fundamental
duty of the People of God,124 the primary duties of Christ’s faithful are therefore evangelisation
and assuming their part in the missionary action of the Church, each according to one’s
condition and function. When doing so, they are to maintain communion with the Church.
1.4.4
The Duty and the Right to Proclaim the Gospel (Can 211125)
Cann. 211 and 781 express a broad understanding in which all the Church’s activity is
missionary.126 Both canons express the principle that the faithful have the duty to evangelise,
that is, to work so that the divine message of salvation reaches to all peoples of all times.
According to can. 211, evangelisation is both the duty and the right of all Christ’s faithful, since
it is evident that the baptised cannot fulfil it without the necessary freedom for its realisation.127
Cf. “The Christian faithful, even in their own manner of acting, are always obliged to maintain
communion with the Church” in CIC/1983, Can. 209 §1.
124
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 781.
125
Cf. “All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation
more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land,” CIC/1983 Can. 211.
126
Cf. R.J. KASLYN, “The Christian Faithful,” p. 262.
127
Cf. G. FELICIANI, Il Popolo di Dio, p. 27.
123
32
The duty and the right originate from the incorporation into Christ and the Church through
baptism.128 In the light of can. 211, all Christ’s faithful possess the duty and the right to assume
their part in the missionary activity of the Church, each in one’s own condition, meaning that
the faithful can lawfully claim their right to play their role in the missionary work.
1.4.5
Christian Obedience of the Faithful (Can. 212 §1129)
In the context of the Church as communio, which expresses the communion of Christ’s
faithful with God and unity among all men, 130 and which Cormac Burke describes as “being
one with God in Christ, and being one with other men in Christ,”131 the participation of Christ’s
faithful in the missionary work of the Church is not primarily an individual endeavour but a
mutual interdependence by which they all work together. 132 According to can. 782, missionary
work and the participation of the faithful is directed and coordinated by ecclesiastical authority,
who are the custodian of the common good of the Church.133
Hence, in fulfilling their duties and exercising their rights, and in assuming their part in
the missionary work of the Church, Christ’s faithful are “bound to follow with Christian
obedience those things which the sacred pastors, … declare as teachers of the faith or establish
as rulers of the Church.”134 Thus, can. 212 §1 provides the legality of participation in
missionary activity, that it must be in obedience to the sacred ministers in matters of faith and
discipline. Failing to obey may lead to penal sanctions against the offenders as prescribed by
128
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 204 §1.
Cf. “Conscious of their own responsibility, the Christian faithful are bound to follow with Christian
obedience those things which the sacred pastors, inasmuch as they represent Christ, declare as teachers of the faith
or establish as rulers of the Church,” in CIC/1983 Can. 212 §1.
130
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 1.
131
C. BURKE, The Lawless People of God? Authority and Freedom in the Church, Scepter Publishers
Kenya, Limuru 2009, p. 9.
132
Cf. R.J. KASLYN, “The Christian Faithful,” p. 263.
133
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 223 §2.
134
Ibidem, Can. 212 §1.
129
33
the law.135 In terms of cann. 1371 and 1399, a person who disobeys the legitimate ecclesiastical
authority in matters of faith and discipline in punished with a just penalty.
1.4.6
The Right to Promote or Support Apostolic Activity (Can 216136)
Can. 216 expresses the right of Christ’s faithful to exercise the apostolate, which arises
from baptism and the consequent participation in the threefold functions (munera) of Jesus
Christ.137 The “duty and right” to proclaim the Gospel, which can. 211 states in general terms,
is explicitly specified in can. 216 that Christ’s faithful have the right to “promote or sustain
apostolic action even by their own undertakings.” This apostolate of the Church and of all its
members is described as “primarily designed to manifest Christ's message by words and deeds
and to communicate His grace to the world.”138 Consequently, in fulfilling their duty and
exercising their right in the fulfilment of the Church’s missionary work, Christ’s faithful are
accorded the right to do so through their own initiatives and undertakings, either “as individuals
or together as members of various groups or associations.”139
1.4.7
The Related Canons in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (Can. 584140)
The Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium was promulgated by Pope John Paul II
with the Apostolic Constitution Sacri Canones on 18 October 1990.141 It acquired the force of
135
Penal sanctions are applied according to ecclesiastical penal law provided in Book VI of the 1983 Code.
Cf. “Since they participate in the mission of the Church, all the Christian faithful have the right to
promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings, according to their own state and condition.
Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical
authority,” in CIC/1983, Can. 208.
137
Cf. R.J. KASLYN, “The Christian Faithful,” p. 271.
138
CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Decretum De Apostolatu Laicorum Apostolicam Actuositatem, 18
Novembris 1965, no. 6, in AAS, LVIII (1966), p. 842.
139
Ibidem, no. 15.
140
Cf. Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, Auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II Promulgatus, 18
Octobris 1990, in AAS, LXXXII (1990), pp. 1045-1363, CCEO/1990 Can. 584. (Latin-English ed., Canon Law
Society of America, Washington D.C.), (All references to canons of the 1990 Code will be styled CCEO/1990
Can. for canon and Cann. for canons, followed by the canon number[s]).
141
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Constitutio Apostolica Sacri Canones, 18 Octobris 1990, in AAS,
LXXXIII (1991), pp. 1033-1044.
136
34
law on 01 October 1991.142 Whereas the CIC 1983 dedicates a Title to the missionary activity
of the Church within the Book III, Ecclesiae munus docendi, the CCEO treats of similar matter
in Title XIV, titled De Evangelizatione gentium (Evangelisation of Peoples) separately,
followed by Title XV De Magisterio ecclesiastica.143
The missionary norms in the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium are provided
in Title XIV in cann. 584-594. The important canon in this study is can. 584 §1, which state:
“Christi mandato omnes gentes evangelizandi obsequens et Spiritus Sancti gratia caritateque
mota Ecclesia se totam missionariam agnoscit.”144 This canon transposed the Ad Gentes 2
which declared that the Church is missionary by its very nature.145 While can. 781 of 1983
Code speaks of the missionary nature of the Church, the fundamental duty of the People of
God to evangelise, and the responsibility of Christ’s faithful in the missionary work of the
Church, can. 584 of 1990 Oriental Code does not explicitly mention these elements.
Can. 584 states that the Church recognises itself to be totally missionary on account of
the mandate of Christ to evangelize all nations, and of being moved by the grace and charity
of the Holy Spirit. The canon underlines the pneumatological and mandatory dimensions of the
Church’s missionary action. Therefore, missionary action does not belong only to the Apostolic
See,146 but to the whole Church, that is, to all the faithful who, incorporated into Christ through
baptism, have been constituted as the People of God and share in the triplex munus of Christ
142
Cf. Ibidem, p. 1043.
Cf. P.J. KOONAMPARAMPIL, “Titulus XIV: De Evangelizatione (Cann. 584-594),” p. 463.
144
“The Church, following the mandate of Christ to evangelize all nations, and moved by the grace and
charity of the Holy Spirit, recognizes herself to be totally missionary.”
145
Cf. “The Pilgrim Church is by nature missionary since it originates from the Mission of the son and
the Holy Spirit's mission, according to the plan of God the father," in Ad Gentes, no. 2.
146
Cf. CIC/1917, Can 1350 §2.
143
35
in their own manner, and are hence called, in accordance with the condition proper to each, to
exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfil in the world. 147
The missionary duty of the faithful is rooted in the missionary nature of the Church.
Thus, CCEO/1990, can. 584 highlights the missionary nature of the whole Church and its duty
to evangelise the whole world. In recognising herself as totally missionary, the Church therefore
recognises each of her members to be missionaries mandated by Christ, through baptism and
chrismation, to proclaim the message of salvation to the whole world by word and deed.
Dimitrios Salachas remarks that in both canons, CCEO/1990, can. 584 and CIC/1983
can.781, the term “missionary” refers to the fundamental mission of the Church, not
specifically to missionary action or missions. Both canons are the application of the more
general norm of CIC/1983, can. 211 and CCEO/1990, can. 14, according to which all Christ’s
faithful have the duty and right to work that the divine message of salvation may increasingly
reach all people of every age and land.148
Conclusion
In conclusion, this chapter has examined the sources of can. 781, its formation journey,
its meaning and relation to other canons in both the 1983 Code and 1990 Oriental Code. The
sources presented the theological elements which contributed to its development. The
ecclesiology expressed in Lumen Gentium 17 and 23, and in Ad gentes 2, 35 and 39 grounded
theology and pastoral directives in the 1983 Code and the 1990 Oriental Code which state that
the work of evangelization is a fundamental duty of all the People of God, since the whole
Cf. CCEO/1990, Can. 7; P.J. KOONAMPARAMPIL, “Titulus XIV: De Evangelizatione (Cann. 584594),”, p. 463.
148
Cf. D. SALACHIS, Il Magistero e l’evangelizzazione dei popoli nei Codici Latino e Orientale, Centro
Editoriale Dehoniano, Bologna 2001, p. 107.
147
36
Church is by its nature missionary.149 They also showed that the missionary nature of the
Church is founded on both the Trinitarian missions and the mandate of Christ to his Apostles.
The juridical iter of can. 781 elaborated on the legislative formation of the canon and
how it developed from the conciliar ecclesiology of Vatican II. It also showed that the canon
is new and first appeared in the 1983 Code. It also indicated that can. 781 reflects a movement
away from can. 1350, §2 of the 1917 CIC which accorded the responsibility for missionary
activity exclusively with the Apostolic See. It states that evangelisation is the fundamental duty
of all God’s people and that all the faithful are responsible for the Church’s missionary work.
From the exegetical analysis of the can. 781, two distinct characteristics on the subject
of the missionary role of the faithful have clearly come out: the formulation of the law in precise
juridical terms on one hand, and its theological standing on the other. The responsibility of the
faithful in the missionary work is considered a fundamental duty arising from incorporation
into Christ through baptism and through participation in the triplex munus Christi, and from
the missionary nature of the Church. Other related canons brought out the relationship between
can. 781 and the entire Code. They highlight the missionary nature of the Church, the
fundamental duty and right of all the baptised, the obligation of the faithful to maintain
communion and Christian obedience to the sacred pastors in fulfilling their duties and
exercising their rights in the missionary work. The next chapter will explore the development
of the responsibility of the faithful in the canonical tradition and magisterial teaching of the
Church from various epochs of the history of the Church.
149
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 786 and CCEO/1990, Can. 590.
CHAPTER TWO
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORM OF MISSIONARY
RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CANONICAL TRADITION AND THE MAGISTERIUM
Introduction
The concept of the obligation of the People of God to assume their responsibility in the
missionary work of the Church has been in the conscience of the Church since its origin. The
Church has always regarded itself as constituted for and mandated by Christ to preach the
Gospel to the ends of the world. This consciousness has been evident in various missionary
activities of the Church, in patristic literature, magisterial teachings, and in canonical
legislation. This chapter explores how the concept of missionary obligation of the faithful in the
light of can. 781 has developed and was understood in various epochs of the Church’s history
and tradition; it focuses on biblical foundation, apostolic and patristic literature, medieval and
modern literature, canonical legislation, magisterial and Vatican II conciliar documents.
2.1
Biblical Foundation of Missionary Responsibility of the Faithful
The missionary responsibility of God’s people is rooted in the biblical concepts of
election and constitution of the People of God (Gen. 12: 1-3; Ex. 19: 5-6), and their commission
(Is. 42: 1-9; 66:19) in the Old Testament, as well as in the Great commission (Mt. 28: 18-20;
Mk. 16:15-16; Lk 24:46-49; Jn 20:19-23; Acts 1:8;) of the apostles in the New Testament.
These events give a firm biblical foundation for the missionary duty of the People of God.
2.1.1
The Election and Commission for Mission in the Old Testament
The missionary duty of the People of God does not come out explicitly in the Old
Testament. For this reason, Ferdinand Hahn writes: “There is an absence of a divine
commission for the purpose and of any conscious outgoing to the Gentiles to win them for
38
belief in Yahweh;”150 and Johannes Blauw writes: “When one turns to the Old Testament to
find a justification and basis for missions in the current meaning, that is, as ‘foreign mission,’
one is bound to be disappointed. It does not seem advisable to build a theology of missions on
a few statements, especially on those which are still exegetically in dispute.”151 These scholars
argue that there is no specific commissioning for mission in the Old Testament and that the
Israelites were only passive witnesses for God, not engaged in mission per se. On the contrary,
scholars like Jiří Moskala argue that though direct commands for mission are lacking, there are
incidents which express hints and some explicit statements that uncover the mission of God’s
people152 such as the election and commissioning of the People of God and the mission of the
Servant of Yahweh.
2.1.1.1 The Election and Commission of God’s People (Gen. 12: 1-3; Ex. 19: 5-6)
In the Old Testament, God is understood as a God who, in his gratuitous love and
universal plan of salvation, willed to reveal himself to the world, to establish a relationship
with it and to share his divine life with humanity.153 The relation between God and the world
needed a specific people whom God could designate as his witnesses and with whom he could
establish a covenant. Hence the call and election of Abraham and his descendants. According
to Moskala, God’s call presupposes a call for action; when God calls his people into existence,
he gives them a mission. There is no election without a commission. 154
The first hint of missionary activity in the Old Testament can be seen in Gen 4:26 when
Seth began to proclaim the name of the Lord. The “first Great Commission mandate of the
150
F. HAHN, Mission in the New Testament, Allen-son, Naperville 1965, p. 20
J. BLAUW, The Missionary Nature of the Church. A Survey of the Biblical Theology of Mission,
McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc, New York 1962, p. 42.
152
Cf. J. MOSKALA, “The Mission of God’s People in the Old Testament,” in Perspective Digest, Vol.
16, no. 2, < http://www.perspectivedigest.org/article/38/archives/16-2/mission-of-god-s-people-in-the-oldtestament >, p. 40, (14 December 2017).
153
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 2.
154
Cf. J. MOSKALA, “The Mission of God’s People in the Old Testament,” p. 40.
151
39
Bible”155 is found in Gen. 12: 1-3, where Abraham, who was to be the father of a people through
whom salvation would come to the world, is called to become a blessing for all families of the
earth. Abraham thus became the special messenger and missionary to the entire world, with a
mission that would only later be carried by Israel and accomplished by the Servant of Yahweh
(Is. 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9). Abraham bore witness to his God, building altars and calling on
his name in many places he travelled and lived (Gen. 12:7, 8; 13:4, 18). He was also to teach
his children about the true God, instruct them about God’s ways, and direct them to keep God’s
law in order that they might live according to the Lord’s way (Gen. 18:19).
God called Israel to an ethical distinctiveness (Lev. 11:44, 45; 18:3; Mic 6:6-8). They
were to be committed to a holy life, through which they could live to the glory of God, attract
people to him, be a light to the nations, and the nations would see their wisdom (Deut. 4:6; Is.
58:8; Ez. 36:23). Thus “Israel was to be God’s missionaries to the world.” 156 The instructions
of Moses about the importance of obedience to God and His law (Deut. 4:5-8) implies the
presence of some kind of missionary activity of Israel.
The Israel’s mission is summarized by God’s ideal for them: “Now, if you obey me
completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples,
though all the earth is mine. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5,
6). Thus, a mediatorial role of Israel for other nations is anticipated. Israel’s election and
commission were to be the means of bringing people to God, the very means of salvation of
the nations, and not a call to privilege but for service. To this effect, W. Kaiser writes that the
people of Israel were to be God's ministers, his preachers, his prophets to their own nation as
well as to the other nations. 157
155
W.C. KAISER, Mission in the Old Testament. Israel as a Light to the Nations, Baker Books, Grand
Rapids 2000, p. 13.
156
Ibidem, p. 20.
157
Cf. Ibidem, p. 22.
40
2.1.1.2 The People of God as Light to the Nations (Is 42: 1-9; 49: 1-7)
The prophet Isaiah called the nation of Israel to active function as a missionary to the
Gentiles. The call for active mission is apparent in the two Servant Songs in Isaiah 42 and 49.
During Israel’s exile in Babylon, God intended to restore and strengthen Israel “so that all may
know, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that there is none besides me” (Is. 45:6). Isaiah
speaks of the Servant of Yahweh as the one the Lord has chosen to bring justice to and be the
light for the nations (42: 1-9; 49: 1-7). W. Kaiser argues that the Servant of Yahweh mentioned
in the Servant Songs is both a collective and a corporate term referring to the people of Israel
as a chosen nation as well as an individual messianic person representing the nation.158
From this perspective, the mission of Israel as a chosen nation was to establish the
practice of serving Yahweh among the nations, to engage in active missionary work on behalf
of all nations, to bring true religion and right way for the nations to follow, to be the Lord’s
witnesses to the nations, and to be a mediation through which salvation would come to the
Gentiles.159 Hence, it was the missionary duty of Israel, as servant-messenger, to give witness
to and make the Lord’s name known, to reach out to beckon the Gentiles until all humanity has
had a chance to know that the Lord is the only Saviour, Redeemer, and Mighty One over all.
2.1.2
The Mission of the New People of God in the New Testament
Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed his desire for Israel to share his
knowledge and person with the entire world and constituted her for that purpose; however,
Israel grew to hate the pagan world instead of loving and bringing it to the knowledge of God
and so failed to fulfil her task.160 Ultimately God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to
158
Cf. Ibidem, pp. 56-58.
Cf. Ibidem, p. 59.
160
Cf. D. FANNING, "The New Testament and Missions" (2009). Themes of Theology that Impacts
Missions. Paper 2, p. 2, http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=cgm_theo
(21 Dec 2017).
159
41
accomplish his plan of salvation, to express His love and commitment to the world, and that
all who would believe in him may have eternal life (cf. Jn. 3:16). In selecting the Twelve and
appointing them as Apostles who would be with him and whom he would send to preach (Mk
3:13-19), the Son constituted a New People of God whom he would later commission to go
and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19-20). In the New Testament the missionary activity
is centred around and founded on what is known as the Great Commission.
2.1.2.1 The Great Commission for Missionary Activity
Before his ascension, Jesus gave a clear mandate to his disciples to continue his mission
of redemption by proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This mandate is what is
known as the Great Commission. Callisto Locheng describes it as the instruction of the Risen
Lord to his disciples that they engage in the missionary work and spread his teachings to all
nations, and as the primary basis for the Church’s missionary activity.161 This order given to
the Apostles to go and proclaim the Gospel applies, albeit in different ways, to all the baptised
in the church up to today whom God acquired to proclaim his marvellous works (1 Pet. 2:9).162
The New Testament reiterates the Great Commission five times (cf. Mt. 28:16-20; Mk 16:1516; Lk 24:46-49; Jn 20:19-23; Acts 1:8), from which these missionary aspects of mission as
making disciples of all nations, proclaiming the Gospel, being sent out and mission as being a
witness of the Lord Jesus can be discerned.
2.1.2.1.1 Mission Is Making Disciples of All Nations (Mt. 28:18-20)
The text in Mt. 28:18-20163 is the most famous of the records of “The Great
Commissions.” Christ clearly reveals here that it is his desire and command for his disciples
161
Cf. C. LOCHENG, Missiology. Introduction to the Roots of the Great Commission, CUEA Press,
Nairobi 2011, p. 2.
162
Cf. C.J. ERRÁZURIZ, “La Dimensione Missionaria del Munus Docendi Ecclesiae,” p. 65.
163
Cf. “Then Jesus approached and said to them, ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, until the end of the age.’”
42
to continue his mission in the world. He commissioned all his disciples gathered, about 500
brethren (1 Cor. 15:6). At the heart of this “commission” is the imperative commandment to
“make disciples of all nations.” Fanning remarks that the commission “is an intentional,
interventional, inconvenient, interruptive and out-of-the-ordinary going to an unreached
person/people with a specific objective in mind: to make believing followers of Jesus where
none exist at the time, just because Jesus said this is what He wanted or commanded to be
done.”164 Thus, making disciples for the Lord is essential in the missionary action of the Church.
2.1.2.1.2 Mission Is Proclaiming the Gospel (Mk. 16: 15-16; Lk. 24:46-48)
In the passages from Mk. 16:15-16 and Lk. 24:46-48,165 Jesus gave the disciples further
direction concerning what their mission entails; it entails the proclamation of the Gospel. John
Paul II affirmed this missionary aspect when he said that Mark presents mission as
proclamation or kerygma with the aim of leading his readers to repeat Peter’s profession of
faith: “You are the Christ” (Mk 8:29), and of the Roman centurion: “Truly this man was the
Son of God!” (Mk 15:39).166 The disciples are given the mission to proclaim the suffering,
death and resurrection of Christ, and the repentance and remission of sin in the name of Christ.
They were to be Christ’s heralds and witnesses of the Gospel to all nations. John Paul II writes
that Luke closely links the witness of the apostles with the working of the Spirit, who will
enable them to fulfil the mandate they have received. 167
164
D. FANNING, "The New Testament and Missions," p. 6.
Cf. “He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever
believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned’” (Mk. 16:15-16).
“And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day and that repentance, for the remission of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning
from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Lk. 24.46-48).
166
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 23.
167
Cf. Ibidem, no. 22.
165
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2.1.2.1.3 Mission Is Being Sent Out (Jn. 20:21168)
The previous texts revealed that Jesus Christ willed his disciples to make more disciples
by proclaiming the Gospel to all peoples. According to Timothy Cowin, John’s text gives a
different but important nuance about the mission of the disciples.169 Jesus reminded them that
he came to the world as one sent by the Father. Through this commission, Christ is drawing his
followers into union and mission of the Father and of the Son. 170 Hence, mission is seen here
as “being sent out.” As a “sent” one, Jesus came to fulfil the Father’s will. Now he instructs his
disciples that, just as he was sent by the Father, they must understand that they too are being
sent. Thus, Jesus’ disciples have received the responsibility of continuing the mission and
ministry of Christ Jesus in this world.
2.1.2.1.4 Mission Is Being a Witness of the Lord Jesus (Acts. 1:8)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts. 1:8).
This text is regarded as the key verse in understanding the expansion, growth, and power of the
Church as chronicled in the rest of the book of Acts. 171 The Lord’s disciples would be
empowered by the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses and missionaries even to “the ends of the
earth.” In this context, being a witness entails not a mere eyewitness but a “much more
comprehensive personal representation of Jesus through re-enactment of his life’s journey,
especially the journey’s destination in fatal contest with this world’s rulers.”172 This implies
Cf. “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’”
Cf.
T.
COWIN,
The
Four
Missional
Mandates,
<
https://timothycowin.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/the-four-missional-mandates/ >, (24 Dec. 2017).
170
Cf. Ibidem.
171
Cf. Ibidem.
172
R.J. DILLON, “Acts of the Apostles,” [44:16], in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Theological
Publications in India, Bangalore 2001, p. 728.
168
169
44
that the life of the disciple of Christ should reflect the life and the teaching of Jesus Christ both
in word and deed and be Christ-centred.
2.1.2.2 The Apostolic Community and the Missionary Mandate
The missionary activity of the early Church began with Pentecost, on which the arrival
of the Holy Spirit as promised by Christ brought new life, courage, and boldness to the group
of disciples, making them witnesses 173 in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and indeed
to the ends of the earth (Acts. 1:8). Since then, the Apostles and other disciples, conscious of
their missionary duty, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, embarked on a mission to fulfil
Christ’s mandate. Paul Vadakumpadan wrote that the early Church understood itself as a
missionary movement;174 thus the early Christians primarily regarded themselves as a sentpeople, and they prioritised their duty to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
On the basis of the Great Commission, the first Christ’s faithful understood themselves
as duty-bound to go forth on a mission to fulfil Christ’s mandate. Thus, the Gospel expanded
from the Jews to the Gentiles and from Jerusalem to the outer reaches of the known world. As
the Church made disciples who in turn made disciples, the known world was being penetrated
with the Gospel (Acts 17.6). The Great Commission signifies that the disciples were to be the
true restored Israel, fulfilling its mission to be a light for the Gentiles so that God’s salvation
might reach to the ends of the earth (cf. Is. 49.6).
With no “elaborate planning, any decision, any special or uniform decisionmaking centre,”175 the newly baptised, driven by zeal to continue the mission of Christ,
Cf. D. BOHR, “Evangelisation. The Essential and Primary Mission of the Church,” in The Jurist, Vol.
39 (1979), p. 59.
174
Cf. P. VADAKUMPADAN, “Ecclesiological Foundation of Mission,” in Following Christ in
Mission. A Foundational Course in Missiology, Pauline Sisters Bombay Society, Bombay 1995, p. 78.
175
F. GOMEZ, “Mission History from the Beginnings to the Modern Period,” in Following Christ in
Mission. A Foundational Course in Missiology, Pauline Sisters Bombay Society, Bombay 1995, p. 165.
173
45
immediately became missionaries in their societies. Eusebius of Caesarea, the Church
historian, recorded that many disciples of the time obeyed the Saviour’s command by
distributing their goods to the needy, after which they set out on journeys from their homeland,
performing works of evangelists, making it their aim to preach to those who have not yet heard
the word of faith, and to give them the books of the Gospels.176
2.2
Patristic and Medieval Literature on the Missionary Role of Christ’s Faithful
The patristic era is the immediate heir of the apostolic traditions and, according to Bohr,
was enlivened by a vision of totus Christus177 by which Christ as the Head and the Church as
Body constitute the whole Christ.178 In the light of totus Christus doctrine, the faithful, through
the sacraments of initiation, is identified with Christ and comes into communion with him.
With this principle, the Christians of the patristic era understood themselves as one with Christ,
sharers in his redemptive and salvific work, and hence duty-bound to actively participate in the
missionary work of the Church. As Jesus commissioned his Twelve Apostles, who in turn
commissioned their successors, the latter “understood that the entire Church was to carry on
the mission that had begun with the Lord. Each member of the Christian community, in a
distinct but appropriate manner, was to contribute to the task of promoting the reign of God
and of building up the Body of Christ.” 179 This is attested in the writings of some Church
Fathers such as John Chrysostom, Origen, and the author of the epistle to Diognetus.
2.2.1
Christian’s Duty to Build the Church (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 18 on Acts)
John Chrysostom, born at Antioch in about 347, was ordained a priest in 386 and
appointed to the special duty of preaching in the principal church of the city by Bishop Flavian.
176
Cf. EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA, The History of the Church, Book III, no. 37, trans. G.A.
WILLIAMSON, Penguin Classics, London 1965, p. 148.
177
Cf. D. BOHR, “Evangelisation. The Essential and Primary Mission of the Church,” p. 61.
178
Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 795, Veritas, Dublin 1994.
179
A. CUNNINGHAM, “Church People as Missionary: A Ministerial Church,” in The Jurist, Vol. 39
(1979), p. 159.
46
He was appointed patriarch of Constantinople after his episcopal consecration in February 398.
From 386 he became a well-known, eloquent and rhetoric preacher of his time. 180 In his homily
on Acts 7:54, Chrysostom preached about the role of the faithful in establishing the Kingdom
of God, saying that each believer ought to build a Church, to make it his priority that all become
Christians, and to convert non-believers by all means in his power.181 Chrysostom refers here
to the duty of all Christians to proclaim and build God’s kingdom in accordance with Christ’s
mandate handed on by the Apostles. It is the primary responsibility of each believer to build
the Church in its physical structures and spiritual form as well as converting the unbelievers.
2.2.2
Leaving no Stone Unturned to Spread the Faith (Origen, Contra Celsum 3.9)
Origen was born in 185 in Alexandria where he also studied. He was ordained to
priesthood after 218. He is known for his extensive theological writings and Biblical
commentaries. Of importance here is his apologetic work, Contra Celsum, the eight treatises
he wrote in about 245-248182 in which he refutes in detail, following point by point, the claims
of Celsus against the Christians and their doctrine. In Book III paragraph IX, in response to
Celsus’ claim: “if all men wanted to be Christians, the Christians would no longer want them,”
Origen refuted the claim on the basis that Christians, as far as possible, leave no stone unturned
to spread the faith in all parts of the world.183 This shows that the Christians felt themselves to
be more or less in a state of mission and obligated to make the whole known world Christian,
and to do everything in their power and ability to spread the message of the faith to all peoples.
180
Cf. J. QUASTEN, Patrology, Vol. III, Spectrum Publishers, Utrecht 1960, pp. 424-428.
Cf. CHRYSOSTOM, “The Homilies of St John Chrysostom on the Acts of the Apostles, Part I, Hom.
I-XXVIII, Homily XVIII, Acts 7:54,” in A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church. Anterior to the
Division of the East and West, Oxford, London 1851, p. 260.
182
Cf. ORIGEN, Contra Celsum, H. CHADWICK (Trans.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
1965, p. xiv.
183
Cf. Ibidem, Book III, pp. 133-134.
181
47
2.2.3
The Christian’s Duty to Give Life and Light to the World (Epistle to Diognetus)
Another testimony of the missionary role of the faithful in the patristic era is found in
the apologetic Epistle to Diognetus, written in about second to third century by an unknown
author. In Chapters five and six the Epistle highlights the role of Christians in relation to the
world. The author states that “So great is the office for which God hath appointed them, and
which it is not lawful for them to decline.”184 He further says that the Christians give life and
light to the world just as the soul do to the body; he states, “what the soul is in a body, this the
Christians are in the world.”185 This reflects what Jesus said to his disciples that they are the
salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt. 5:13-14). Thus, all Christ’s faithful have a Godgiven responsibility, a duty which they cannot decline, to enlighten the world by proclaiming
the Good news of God’s love and salvation for the world.
2.3
The Missionary Role of the Faithful from the Middle to Modern Ages
With the fall of the western Roman Empire in the fifth century, following its invasion
by the Germanic tribes, the Church survived the invasion, became the only reference point for
the peoples, absorbed and converted the invaders, assumed imperial authority and emerged as
a hierarchical structure with political power. 186 In this context the missionary activity
continued, however, it was more organised through monastic work, papal directives, mendicant
orders, and later through the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith.
2.3.1
The Monastic Missionary Activity
The essential characteristic of monastic vocation, according to Thomas Merton, is total
seclusion of man from the outside world, a life of solitude, of self-renunciation and of prayer,
184
“Epistle to Diognetus,” no. 6, in J.B. LIGHTFOOT (Trans.), The Apostolic Fathers, Digireads.com
Publishing, Stilwell 2007, p. 507.
185
Ibidem, p. 506.
186
Cf. J. COMBY, How to Understand the History of Christian Mission, SCM Press, London 1996, pp.
20-21.
48
in order to seek God alone.187 However, the history of Pachomius, the pioneer of coenobitic
monasticism, shows that the early monks cared about non-Christians, as noted by William
Harmless that Pachomius’ monastic vision was to minister to the human race and to unite it
with God.188 According to Edward Smither, various monastic communities such as the
Egyptian and the Benedictine monks showed some missionary commitment on winning the
people to Christianity through preaching and hospitality. 189 The monastic movement served as
the key organism in the Middle Ages for spreading the Gospel outside of the Roman Empire.
The missionary monks such as St Benedict, Patrick, Boniface led their communities in the
missionary activities through example of life and proclamation of the Gospel to pagans.
2.3.2
The Medieval Papal Influence on Missionary Activities
According to James Addison, the power of the medieval papacy in missionary activity
was less conspicuous and more intermittent and occasional in its effect. The papacy did not
have a fit instrument ready at its command up until the rise of Mendicant Orders, nor was there
a central missionary organ responsive to direct papal control until the establishment of the
Congregatio de Propaganda Fide in 1622.190 During the greater part of the Middle Ages,
missionary work was minimally indebted to papal cooperation.
In this context, the emphasis on the role and duty of the faithful in the missionary work
seemed to have been lacking from the Holy See. Only in exceptional cases did the medieval
papacy stand out as a dominant factor. Such were Gregory's mission to England, and Innocent
III and his successors’ mission to the Prussians. Pope Gregory the Great, having determined to
187
Cf. T. MERTON, No Man Is an Island, Shambhala Publications, Boston 2005, p. 153.
Cf. W. HARMLESS, Desert Christians. An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism,
Oxford University Press, New York 2004, p. 141.
189
Cf. E.L. SMITHER, Missionary Monks. An Introduction to the History and Theology of Missionary
Monasticism, Cascade Books, Eugene 2016, pp. 22-24.
190
Cf. J.T. ADDISON, The Medieval Missionary. A Study of the Conversion of Northern Europe A.D.
500-1300, International Missionary Council, New York 1936, p. 106.
188
49
send a mission to England, appointed Augustine who was the prior of his own monastery as
head of the mission and some of the monks, launched them on their journey, and subsequently
kept in close contact with their activities and supplied their leader with specific instructions
that would guide and sustain the mission.191
In most cases, kings, bishops, and monastic leaders were the originating forces. More
often they requested and received papal approval and profited by the support and advice of the
Popes.192 By the end of the twelfth century, however, after a long struggle with the Empire had
ended, the Holy See at last claimed and exercised the privilege and power, never since
relinquished, of initiating and controlling the spread of Christianity on the frontiers of
heathendom. This assertion of authority begins with Alexander III (1159-1181) and culminates
in the leadership of Innocent III and his successors in the conversion of Livland and Prussia. It
was therefore at the very close of this period that papal missionary power reached its highest
point in influencing, directing and ordering the missionary activity of the Church.
2.3.3
Missionary Activity of the Mendicant Orders
The 12th and 13th centuries saw the appearance of Mendicant Orders: the Dominicans,
Franciscans, Trinitarians, Mercedaries, Carmelites, Augustinians, and the Equestrian Orders. 193
These were groups of believers who took upon themselves the duty of proclaiming the Gospel
within and outside of Europe to the ends of the world. With them, the mission became truly ad
gentes. Like the missionary monks, the Mendicant Orders became papal instruments for the
missionary work of the Church, and directly depended on the Popes for their missionary
activities characterised verbo et exemplo.194 Thus, they became the main agents of the
191
Cf. Ibidem, p. 107
Cf. Ibidem, p. 130
193
Cf. G. BUONO, Missiology. Theology and Praxis, Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi 2006, p. 134.
194
Cf. F. GOMEZ, “Mission History from the Beginnings to the Modern Period,” p. 171.
192
50
missionary work of the Church in various parts of the world where they were sent. This,
however, led to the passivity of non-members of these orders, particularly the laity.
2.3.4
The Missionary Role of the Congregatio De Propaganda Fide
On 22 June 1622, Pope Gregory XV constituted a permanent and well-organized
congregation for the propagation of Catholicism, the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda
Fide,195 with the Bull Inscrutabili Divinae Providnetiae.196 The profile of this Congregation
states that its task has always been the transmission and dissemination of the faith worldwide,
coordinating and guiding all the Church’s diverse missionary efforts and initiatives, which
include the promotion and formation of the clergy and of local hierarchies, encouraging new
missionary institutes, and providing material assistance for the missionary activity of the
Church.197 Thus, “the newly established Congregation became the ordinary and exclusive
instrument of the Holy Father and of the Holy See in its exercise of jurisdiction over all of the
Church's missions and over missionary cooperation.”198 Since the establishment of the
Propaganda Fide, the missionary activity of the Church became a centralised activity of the
Church under direct control and coordination of the Roman Pontiff and the Holy See.
2.4
The 1917 Code and the Missionary Role of the Faithful (Cann. 1349-1352)
In the 1917 Code, the subject of missions was treated exclusively in two areas. The first
was Chapter VIII, De Vicariis et Praefectis apostolicis of Title VII of Book II, De personis.199
The second was Chapter III, De sacra missionibus of Title XX of Book III, De rebus.200 The
former contained the special rules on the governance of missions under the Apostolic vicariate
195
Cf. The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, in short, Propadanda Fide
Cf. J. COMBY, How to Understand the History of Christian Mission, p. 69.
197
Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES, Profile, 24 May 2010, no.
1, < http://www.vatican.va/roman-curia/congregations/cevang/documents/rc-con-cevang-20100524-profileen.html >, (19 February 2018).
198
Ibidem.
199
Cf. CIC/1917, Cann. 293-311.
200
Cf. Ibidem, Cann. 1349-1350.
196
51
or prefecture. The latter dealt with different apostolic activities of the Church, distinguished
them between parish missions, which some authors call missiones ad intra, and the missions
among non-Catholics, referred to as missiones ad extra or ad gentes.201
Concerning parish missions, the local Ordinaries were to see to it that pastors have a
parish mission preached to their people at least every ten years.202 The local Ordinaries and
pastors were to care for the non-Catholics in their Dioceses and parishes.203 In other territories
the universal care of missions among non-Catholics was reserved solely to the Holy See.204
The 1917 Code distinguished between mission ad intra, that is, for the renewal and deepening
of the faith of the baptised in Christian territories, and mission ad extra which concerned with
those who have not received the gift of faith and where the Church is not yet established.205
Hence, in the 1917 Code, the responsibility of missionary activity of the Church rested not on
all Christ’s faithful but on the local Ordinaries and pastors in the established ecclesiastical
structures, and on the Holy See for territories where the Church was not yet established.
2.5
The Missionary Duty of the Faithful in Vatican Council II
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) is often called the most significant
theological and religious event of the twentieth century,206 particularly for the Catholic Church.
Steven Bevans describes it as “a watershed moment of reform and renewal, a moment toward
which much of the church’s energies had moved in the fifty years that preceded it and from
Cf. J.G. MARTIN, L’azione Missionaria nel Codex Iuris Canonici, Seconda Edizione, Ediurcla,
Roma 2005, p. 14.
202
Cf. CIC/1917, Can. 1349 §1.
203
Cf. Ibidem, Can. 1350 §1.
204
Cf. Ibidem, Can. 1350 §2.
205
Cf. V. DE PAOLIS, “La Chiesa Missionaria e il Codice del Concilio,” in La Chiesa è Missionaria.
La Ricezione nel Codice di Diritto Canonico, Urbaniana University Press, Città del Vaticano 2009, pp. 24-25.
206
Cf. R.J. SCHREITER, “The Impact of Vatican II,” in G. BAUM, (ed.), The Twentieth Century, Orbis
Books, Maryknoll 1999, p.158; J.W. O’MALLEY, What Happened at Vatican II, Oxford University Press, New
York 2008, p. 1.
201
52
which the church has been nourished and challenged,” and a missionary council;207 and its
documents “the watershed for all contemporary thinking on the Church and its mission.”208
From a missionary perspective, the Council set a new understanding of the nature and
mission of the Church and its missionary activity. According to the Special Synod of Bishops
in 1985, the Council can best be interpreted by its four main Constitutions: Lumen Gentium,
Sacrosanctum Concilium, Dei Verbum and Gaudium et spes.209 These documents contain
elements that illumine the Church’s evangelizing mission and provide a firm theological
foundation for the decree Ad Gentes. Lumen Gentium will be examined here.
2.5.1
The Doctrinal Principles of Vatican Council II on the Church’s Mission
The doctrinal principles of Vatican Council II on which missionary activity of the
Church is founded are the affirmation of the missionary nature of the Church and therefore the
participation of the whole People of God in the mission of the Church;210 the new notion of the
particular Church as a portion of the People of God applied to all ecclesiastical
circumscriptions, thus leaving the territorial criterion to the second place; 211 and the doctrine
on the episcopate, episcopal collegiality and hierarchical communion, which highlights the
missionary duty of the Bishops as successors of the Apostles in the mandate of Christ. 212
S.B. BEVANS, “Mission at the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965,” in New Theology Review, Vol.
25/2, (March 2013), p. 7.
208
M.B. MCGARRY, “Contemporary Roman Catholic Church Understanding of Mission,” in M.A.
COHEN & H. CRONER, (ed.), Christian Mission-Jewish Mission, Paulist Press, Ramsey 1982, p. 121.
209
Cf. SYNOD OF BISHOPS, “The Final Report of the 1985 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops,” 19
December 1985, art. I, no. 5, in Origins 15, no. 27 (1986), p. 446.
210
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 17; Ad Gentes, nos. 2; 35.
211
Cf. CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Decretum De Pastorali Episcoporum Munere In Ecclesia Christus
Dominus, 28 Octobris 1965, no. 11, in AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 673-701, (English translation in A. FLANNERY
(gen. ed.), Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Vol. I, St Pauls, Mumbai 2004).
212
Cf. Lumen Gentium, nos. 22-25; Christus Dominus, nos. 4-6.
207
53
2.5.2
The Task of Announcing the Gospel (Lumen Gentium, Nos. 17 & 23)
Lumen Gentium is regarded as the main and core document of Vatican II. It describes
the Church as the “sign and instrument…of communion with God and of unity among all
men,”213 as the “kingdom of Christ,”214 and as the new People of God.215 When the Holy Spirit
promised by Christ came upon the disciples, the Church received “the mission of proclaiming
and establishing among all peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God.” 216 For this mission to
succeed, each member of the Church must play his or her role. Numbers 17 and 18 of the
document specify who are responsible for the mission of the Church.
Lumen Gentium 17 gives a foundation to the mission and missionary activity of the
Church. The Church has received the “solemn command of Christ from the apostles, and she
must fulfil it to the ends of the earth.” 217 This solemn command applies to all the faithful, and
hence “Each disciple of Christ has the obligation of spreading the faith to the best of his
ability.”218 This is a shift from the paradigm which viewed the missionary activity of the
Church as the sole duty of the magisterium of the Church. Now all Christ’s faithful have the
obligation to take part in the missionary work of the Church.
Lumen Gentium 23 states that all the bishops have the obligation of promoting all that
type of active apostolate which is common to the whole Church, that the task of announcing
the Gospel in the whole world belongs to the body of pastors, that the bishops are obliged to
enter into collaboration with one another and with the Roman Pontiff, and that the bishops
should thus come to the aid of missions by every means in their power through, among other
213
Lumen Gentium, no. 1.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 3.
215
Ibidem, no. 9.
216
Ibidem, no. 5.
217
Ibidem, no. 17.
218
Ibidem.
214
54
things, arousing the fervent cooperation of the faithful. Thus, safeguarding and announcing the
Gospel as well as those responsible for it are spelt out clearly in Lumen Gentium 17 and 23.
2.5.3
The Missionary Action of the Church (Ad Gentes, Nos. 2 & 35)
An important missionary document of Vatican II is the Decree on the Missionary
Action of the Church, Ad Gentes. In this document the Council gave to the Church a new
perspective of mission theology and consequently its implications in the life of the Church.
The Council Fathers, in Ad Gentes, asserted that the Church is by its very nature missionary,
that the work of evangelisation is the fundamental task of the People of God, and consequently,
invited of all the faithful to assume their part in the missionary work of the Church.
2.5.3.1 The Missionary Nature of the Church (AG 2)
“The Church on earth is by its very nature missionary since, according to the plan of
the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”219 With this statement,
the Council roots the reality of mission not in an exterior Jesus’ “Great Commission” (Mt
28:18-19) but in God the Father. This implies that every structure of the Church, the diocese,
parish, small Christian community, and even the family, is essentially missionary.220 Since the
Church is essentially missionary, every baptised member of the Church is essentially a
missionary as expressed in paragraph 35 of the decree Ad Gentes.
2.5.3.2 Invitation to Take Part in the Missionary Work (AG 35)
Once again Ad Gentes 35 affirms the missionary nature of the Church, and further states
that evangelisation is the fundamental task of the People of God. On the basis of these
ecclesiological principles, as well as Christ’s mandate, the Council invites all Christ’s faithful
219
Ad Gentes, no. 2
Cf. R.S. RIVERS, From Maintenance to Mission. Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish,
Pualist Press, Mahwah 2005, p. 33.
220
55
to an interior renewal so that they might assume their part in the missionary work to the nations.
The Council also states that all Christ’s faithful have an obligation to collaborate in the
expansion of the Body of Christ. 221 Prior to Vatican II, the mission areas were those lands
known as mission territories under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Propagation of
Faith, such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the missionaries were members of various
missionary congregations such as Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, and Missionaries of
Africa.222 However, with Vatican II, the renewed awareness is that every land is a missionary
land and every baptised person is a missionary. Not only the clerics and religious are obligated
to take part in the missionary work of the Church but all the faithful.
2.6
The Missionary Duty of the Faithful in the 1983 Code of Canon Law
The 1983 Codex Iuris Canonici deals with the notion of the obligation of the faithful in
missionary work of the Church from the perspective of Vatican Council II ecclesiological
principles. The obligation of Christ’s faithful to assume their part in the missionary work of the
Church is legislated in the new Code specifically in Title II, The Missionary Action of the
Church, of Book III on the Teaching Function of the Church,223 as well as generally in Book II
of the Code on the People of God.224 From the beginning of the revision of the 1917 Code, as
observed by J.G. Martin, the conviction was that all the norms had to be adapted with fidelity
to the doctrine and to the dispositions of Vatican Council II.225 Consequently, the missionary
law contained in the Code is an application of the fundamental theological principles of Vatican
Council II, particularly from Lumen Gentium, Christus Dominus and Ad Gentes Divinitus.
221
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 36.
Cf. R.S. RIVERS, From Maintenance to Mission, p. 19.
223
Cf. CIC/1983, Cann. 781-792.
224
Cf. Ibidem, Cann. 204 §1; 208; 209; 211; 212 §1, 216.
225
Cf. J.G. MARTIN, L’azione Missionaria nel Codex Iuris Canonici, p. 23.
222
56
2.6.1
All the Faithful Are to Participate in the Mission of the Church
On the basis of the principle of the missionary nature of the Church and of the
fundamental duty of the faithful to evangelise, the 1983 Code legislates in can. 781 that all the
faithful, conscious of their responsibility, must assume their part in missionary work. In can.
204 §1, the faithful, who by baptism share in the threefold function of Christ, are called to
exercise the mission of the Church, each according to his proper condition. Furthermore, it is
provided in can. 208 that there is equality of dignity and action among the faithful by which
they all cooperate in building up of the Body of Christ. The obligation of the faithful to
participate in the mission of the Church is further reiterated in can. 211 which provides that all
the faithful have the duty and right to work so that the message of salvation reaches all people.
It follows therefore that the obligation of all the faithful in the mission of the Church is
enshrined in the new Code, unlike in the 1917 Code which attributed the same obligation only
on the Holy See for the universal Church and the bishops in the established Dioceses.
2.6.2
The Universality of the Mission of Bishops
Grounded on the doctrinal principles of episcopal collegiality and hierarchical
communion is the universality of the mission of bishops. According to can. 782 §1, the
legislator provides that Roman Pontiff and the College of Bishops have the supreme direction
and coordination of endeavours and actions belonging to missionary work and cooperation
universally. In the second paragraph it is provided that the individual bishops are to have special
solicitude for missionary work in the universal Church and in all the Churches. The
participation of all the faithful is envisaged here, however, it has to be coordinated and directed
by the sacred pastors to whom the faithful are to give Christian obedience.226 The current Code
226
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 212 §1.
57
affords bishops, in communion with the Roman Pontiff, the missionary responsibility and
obligation over the whole Church and world.
2.7
Papal Writings on the Missionary Duty of the Faithful
Prior to the twentieth century, the early papal writings on mission and evangelization
dealt with specific issues, and were usually addressed to missionaries, mission superiors or
rulers. The example of these are Pope Gregory the Great’s letter to St. Mellitus in 624, Pope
Alexander VI’s letter authorising the Portuguese and Spanish kings to colonize the new world
and convert its inhabitants, Pope Gregory XV’s bull, Inscrutabili Divinae Providentiae,
constituting the Congregation De Propaganda Fide in 1622.227 In the same category of papal
writings on mission is Pope Leo XIII’s Sancta Dei civitas of December 1880 on universality
of mission, Extremas orientis plagas of June 1893 on the problem of missionary jurisdiction
and indigenous clergy in India.
The twentieth century saw the emergence of a systematic body of papal teachings on
mission and evangelization, which dealt with general missionary issues and were addressed to
the universal Church. Among these are Pope Benedict XV’s apostolic letter Maximum illud,
Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Rerum ecclesiae, Pope Pius XII’s Evangelii praecones (2 June 1951)
and the encyclical Fidei donum (21 April 1957), Pope John XXIII's encyclical Princeps
pastorum (28 November 1959), Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (8
December 1975), Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation, Catechesi Tradendae (16 October
1979), apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici (30 December 1988), encyclical Redemptoris
Missio (7 December 1990), apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (14 September 1995), Pope
Cf. J.Y. TAN, “Papal Writings on Mission And Evangelization,” in New Catholic < Encyclopedia,
http://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mission-andevangelization-papal-writings > (26 January 2018).
227
58
Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation Africae Munus (19 November 2011), and Pope Francis’
apostolic exhortation Evangelium Gaudium (26 November 2013).
2.7.1
The Obligation to Assist in Missionary Work (Maximum Illud)
Maximum Illud is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV issued on 30 November
1919.228 In this letter the Pope developed three points he considered essential for the progress
of missionary work: the duties of the heads of missions, which includes the bishops, apostolic
vicars or prefects; the duties of the missionaries; and the duties of all the faithful. After
addressing the duties and requirements of the heads of missions and of missionaries, the Pope
turned to all the faithful, specifically the lay faithful, stating that they too have a sacred
obligation of assisting in the conversion of the infidels, particularly through their apostolate of
prayer, promoting and supporting vocations, and helping financially. This last aspect points to
the fact that since proclaiming the Gospel is the primary function of the whole Church, all the
faithful possess the sacred obligation of taking part in the missionary work of the Church.
However, according to Maximum Illud, the lay faithful only have a secondary role, that of
assisting the magisterium and the missionaries.
2.7.2
Participation in the Church’s Mission: A Duty of Love (Rerum Ecclesiae)
On 28th February 1926, Pope Pius XI, who is generally thought of as the restorer of
missionary work among the unbelievers and Pope of the missions, 229 issued an encyclical
Rerum Ecclesiae230 addressed to the heads of the missions. In the letter the Pope set out two
objectives for all missionary work, namely, to send into mission lands a larger number of
missionaries well trained in various disciplines, and to make the faithful understand with what
228
Cf. BENEDICTUS PP. XV, Epistola Apostolica Maximum Illud, 30 Novembris 1919, in AAS, XI
(1919), pp. 440-455.
229
Cf. R. MILLOT, Missions in the World Today, Hawthorn Books, New York 1961, p.17.
230
PIUS PP. XI, Litterae Encyclicae Rerum Ecclesiae, 28 Februarii 1926, in AAS, XVII (1926), pp. 65-83.
59
zeal, constancy in prayer, and generosity they, too, must cooperate in so holy and fruitful
work.231 According to Benedict XV, the Church has no other reason for existence than to make
mankind participate in the effects of redemption.232
Thus, all the faithful are bound by the obligation of the love of God and of neighbour
which demands that they strive to increase the number of those who worship God and try to
bring under the rule of Christ as many people as possible. 233 Participating in the mission of the
Church, according to Benedict XV, is an expression of love for one another, a demonstration
of the esteem of faith, and a manifestation of gratitude for God’s goodness. Consequently, none
of the faithful is exempt from the obligation of charity.234
2.7.3
The Call of the Faithful to Catholic Action (Evangelii Praecones)
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Pius XI's Rerum Ecclesiae, Pope Pius XII
issued the encyclical on missions, Evangelii Praecones, on 2 June 1951.235 In this encyclical,
Pius XII reiterated, among other things, the role of the faithful in the mission of the Church.
Recalling the involvement of the laity in the Church’s mission from the beginning of the
Church, he taught that it is imperative that the laity should join the serried ranks of Catholic
action, and thus cooperate generously, earnestly and diligently with the Hierarchy in promoting
the apostolate.236 He also expressed his desire for the establishment of associations of the
faithful, such as of students or workers, that can be considered auxiliaries to the missionaries.237
231
Cf. Ibidem, no. 3.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 1.
233
Cf. Ibidem, no. 5.
234
Cf. Ibidem, no. 6.
235
Cf. PIUS PP. XII, Litterae Encyclicae Evangelii Praecones, 2 Iunius 1951, in AAS, XXXXIII (1951),
pp. 497-528.
236
Cf. Ibidem, no. 37.
237
Cf. Ibidem, no. 38.
232
60
2.7.4
Catholics’ Grave Obligation and Personal Responsibility (Fidei Donum)
Another missionary letter of Pius XII is the encyclical Fidei Donum, issued on 21 April
1957.238 The encyclical addressed the situation facing Catholic missions in Africa, which was
undergoing a painful transition toward political independence. Expressing his anxiety over the
situation of the Church in Africa, Pius XII wrote that there is every reason why all the Church’s
children should clearly realise their serious obligation to give more effective assistance to the
missionaries.239 He urged the bishops, by virtue of their intimate union with Christ and with
his Vicar, the Roman Pontiff, and urged by charity of Christ, to realise their close union to the
Roman Pontiff in the pressing duty of spreading the Gospel and building up the Church. 240
The Pope also urged the bishops, through their apostolic fire, to inflame the hearts of
all the faithful and arouse in them fresh zeal for the missionary task of the Church.241 The Pope
urged Catholics to have high ideal of their grave obligation and accept personal responsibility
in meeting the needs of the missions. 242 In this way the Pope prepared the mind of the faithful
for the new and broad conciliar outlook centred on the co-responsibility of all the baptised for
the fulfilment of the Church’s missionary duty; he also promoted accordingly the
corresponding consciousness of the whole Church.243
2.7.5
Everyone Is Bound to Proclaim His Faith to Others (Princeps Pastorum)
On 28 November 1959, for the 40th anniversary of Benedict XV’s Maximum Illud, Pope
John XXIII issued a missionary encyclical letter titled Princeps Pastorum on the missions,
238
PIUS PP. XII, Litterae Encyclicae Fidei Donum, 21 Aprilis 1957, in AAS, XXXXIX (1951), pp. 225-248.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 20.
240
Cf. Ibidem, no. 41.
241
Cf. Ibidem, no. 43.
242
Cf. Ibidem, no. 60.
243
Cf. A. REUTER, “The Missionary Activity of the Church (Canons 781-792),” in Studia Canonica,
23 (1989), p. 397.
239
61
native clergy, and lay participation.244 John XXIII reemphasised the usual themes his
predecessors covered, such as the necessity of indigenous clergy, training of indigenous clergy,
consideration of indigenous cultures and their diversity, and the role of the laity. He reiterated
the exhortation of the laity to actively cooperate with the hierarchy and stated that the Church’s
work of salvation should be carried out equally by all,245 for “everyone is bound to proclaim
his faith to others, either to give good example and encouragement to the rest of the faithful, or
to check the attacks of unbelievers.”246 All Christians are bound by their conscience to the
basic, imperative duty of bearing witness to the truth which they believe and to the grace which
has transformed their souls.247 All must fulfil this obligation and give constant proof of their
concern for the spiritual well-being of others by defending their faith and teaching it to those
who have not known it. 248
2.7.6
The Church Exists in Order to Evangelise (Evangelii Nuntiandi)
Among the various documents on mission and evangelization that Pope Paul VI wrote
is the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi issued on 8 December 1975,
following the 1974 Synod of Bishops on Evangelization in the Modern World. On the issue of
the missionary duty of the faithful, Pope Paul VI teaches that evangelisation is the essential
function of the Church, which originates from Christ the Evangeliser, and thus the Church
exists in order to evangelise. 249 Those who accept the good news are united in Christ and
establish a community which becomes itself the herald of the Gospel.
244
Cf. IOANNES PP. XXIII Litterae Encyclicae Princeps Pastorum, 28 Novembris 1959, in AAS, LI
(1959), pp. 833-864.
245
Cf. Ibidem, no. 28.
246
Ibidem, no. 32.
247
Cf. Ibidem, no. 34.
248
Cf. Ibidem, no. 41.
249
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 14.
62
The command of the Lord to The Twelve to go and preach the Gospel, according to
Paul VI, applies not only to them but to all Christians, though in different ways. All those who
have received the message and have hence been united in the community of salvation have the
power and the obligation to hand it on and disseminate it.250 In the sixth chapter Paul VI
mentions the categories of the faithful and their proper role in the work of evangelisation.251
Thus, all the faithful, each according to his or her condition and juridical status in the Church,
have the obligation to participate in the mission of the Church given to it by Christ.
2.7.7
The Vocation and Mission of the Laity in the Church (Christifideles Laici)
Another papal document that highlights the missionary duty of Christ’s faithful is the
post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici on the vocation and mission of the lay
faithful in the Church and in the world, given by Pope John Paul II on 30 December 1988
following the 1987 Synod of Bishops.252 The document is a true magna Charta for the Catholic
laity of today. It was written in order to “stir and promote a deeper awareness among all the
faithful of the gift and responsibility they share, both as a group and as individuals, in the
communion and mission of the Church.”253 The lay faithful have an essential and irreplaceable
role in announcing Christ and in bearing testimony to him.254 Because of the one dignity
flowing from baptism, each member of the lay faithful, together with ordained ministers and
religious men and women, shares a responsibility for the Church’s mission.255 Hence, upon all
the lay faithful rests the duty of working to ensure that each day the divine plan of salvation is
further extended to every person, of every era, in every part of the earth. 256
250
Cf. Ibidem, no. 13.
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 59-73.
252
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Christifideles Laici, 30
Decembris 1988, in AAS, LXXXI (1989), pp. 393 - 461.
253
Ibidem, no. 2.
254
Cf. Ibidem, no. 6.
255
Cf. Ibidem, no. 15.
256
Cf. Ibidem, no. 17.
251
63
2.7.8
Leaders and Workers in the Missionary Apostolate (Redemptoris Missio)
Pope John Paul II wrote significantly on the subject of evangelization and mission. His
most important missionary document is his encyclical, Redemptoris Missio, on the permanent
validity of the Church’s missionary mandate and activity, issued on 7 December 1990. The
document commemorates the 25th and 15th anniversaries of Vatican II's Ad Gentes Divinitus
and Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi257 respectively. Regarding the role of the faithful in
the missionary work, John Paul II invites the Church to a new awareness that missionary activity
is a matter for all Christians, dioceses and parishes, Church institutions and associations. 258
Pope John Paul II further teaches that those incorporated into the Catholic Church ought
to sense their obligation of bearing witness to the faith and to the Christian life.259 Missionary
obligation rests primarily on the College of bishops headed by the Roman Pontiff in the manner
it was with the College of Apostles headed by Peter. The College of bishops with its head is
directly responsible for the evangelisation of the world, and the individual bishops direct and
coordinate it in their dioceses.260 Missionaries and Religious institutes have evangelisation as
their special task and commitment and their special vocation of missionaries for life as a model
of the Church’s missionary commitment.261
The diocesan priests as co-workers of the bishops are called to share in the bishops’
concern for the Church’s universal and all-embracing mission of salvation.262 Members of the
Consecrated life, because of their dedication to the service of the Church, have an obligation
to play a special part in missionary activity in a manner appropriate to their institutes.263 The
257
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Redemptoris Missio, no. 2.
Cf. Ibidem.
259
Cf. Ibidem, no. 11.
260
Cf. Ibidem, no. 63.
261
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 65-66.
262
Cf. Ibidem, no. 67.
263
Cf. Ibidem, no. 69.
258
64
Pope states that mission ad gentes is incumbent upon the entire People of God and that the
missionary activity is the task of all the Christian faithful, a right and duty based on their
baptismal dignity by which they participate in the three-fold function of Christ. They are thus
bound by a general obligation and have the right to strive so that the divine message of salvation
may be known and accepted by all people throughout the world.264
2.7.9
The Honour and Duty to Proclaim the Gospel (Ecclesia in Africa)
Another papal document that addresses the subject of evangelisation and mission of the
Church and touches on the role of the faithful is Pope John Paul II’s post-synodal apostolic
exhortation Ecclesia in Africa on the Church in Africa and its Evangelising Mission Towards
the Year 2000. It was issued on 14 September 1995 265 following the 1994 Special Assembly
for Africa of the Synod of Bishops which treated the topic: “The Church in Africa and her
evangelizing mission towards the Year 2000: ‘You shall be my witnesses’ (Acts 1:8).” 266
Concerning the responsibility of the faithful in the missionary work of the Church, Pope
John Paul II pointed out that the whole People of God, which comprises the members of the
Body of Christ in its entirety, has received the mandate, which is both the honour and duty, to
proclaim the Gospel.267 He emphasised that evangelisation needs agents and can be fully
carried out only through the contribution of all believers at every level of the universal and
local Church.268 The Pope exhorted the faithful of the Church in Africa to take up their role of
being witnesses of Christ not only in Africa but to the ends of the earth. However, to better
fulfil this task, the faithful need formation and training suitable and proper to their condition.
264
Cf. Ibidem, no. 71.
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Ecclesia in Africa, 4
Septembris 1995, in AAS, LXXXVIII (1996), pp. 5-82.
266
Ibidem, no. 8.
267
Cf. Ibidem, no. 53.
268
Cf. Ibidem no. 88.
265
65
2.7.10 The Faithful Share in the Mission and Mandate of the Apostles (Africae Munus)
Two years after the conclusion of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod
of Bishops in 2009, which dealt with the theme “The Church in Africa, at the Service of
Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. ‘You are the salt of the earth, ... you are the light of the
world’ (Mt 5, 13.14),” Pope Benedict XVI, on 20 November 2011, issued a post-synodal
exhortation Africae Munus on the Church in Africa in service to Reconciliation, Justice and
Peace.269 The Exhortation is encouraging all the people of Africa, especially the Church, to be
transformed by the Word of God and commit themselves to promoting unity and communion
among all peoples. The Holy Father reminded all Christ’s faithful that they share in the one
mission and mandate that Jesus entrusted to his disciples, to be “salt of the earth … and light
of the world” (Mt 5:13-14) and encouraged all members of the Church in Africa to take their
specific role in committing themselves to building a reconciled, just and peaceful society. 270
2.7.11 The Entire People of God Proclaim the Gospel (Evangelium Gaudium)
Following the 2012 Synod of Bishops on the theme The New Evangelisation for the
Transmission of the Faith, Pope Francis issued, on 24 November 2013, a post-synodal apostolic
exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world,271 with
the purpose of encouraging Christ’s faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelisation
marked by the joy of the Gospel, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey.272 On
the subject of missionary role and duty of the faithful, Pope Francis reiterated what his
predecessors have taught, that evangelisation is the task of the whole Church.273 All members
269
Cf. BENEDICTUS PP. XVI, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Africae Munus, 19 Novembris
2011, in AAS, CIV (2012), pp. 239-314.
270
Cf. Ibidem, no. 162.
271
Cf. FRANCISCUS PP., Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Evangelii Gaudium, 24 Novembris
2013, in AAS, CV (2013), pp. 1019-1137.
272
Cf. Ibidem, no. 1.
273
Cf. Ibidem, no. 111.
66
of the Church are impelled by the power of the Spirit working in them to evangelise;274 by
virtue of their baptism, they have become missionary disciples and they are, whatever their
position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, agents of evangelisation.275
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that the current legislation on the responsibility of the faithful
in the missionary work of the Church was a response to a very ancient tradition and practice
which can be traced back not only to the Great Commission of Christ, but as far back as the
commissioning of Abraham. Jesus gave to his disciples the obligation to proclaim the good
news of salvation to the ends of the earth, to teach and make disciples of all the nations. This
obligation has been realized in and affirmed by the Church over the years, and has reached its
juridic expression in the 1983 Code of Canon Law through experiences and deep reflections of
the Church Fathers, Vatican Council II and the magisterial teachings in different periods.
The historical investigation of the role of Christ’s faithful in the missionary work of the
Church has affirmed that the missionary obligation of the faithful is not a consequence of a
juridical and disciplinary fact, but a maturation of an ecclesiastical awareness that all Christ’s
faithful, each according to his or her condition, have the duty and right to assume their part in
the missionary work of the Church. At the heart of this historical investigation is the call to the
whole body of the Church, to all the members of the Body of Christ, to actively participate in
the mission, thus continuing the mission which Christ has entrusted to his disciples.
The next chapter will examine the application of the norms on the responsibility of the
faithful in the missionary activity in the Diocese of Mthatha, focusing particularly on the
particular legislations, the challenges and the way forward for the Diocese of Mthatha.
274
275
Cf. Ibidem, no. 119.
Cf. Ibidem, no. 120.
CHAPTER THREE
APPLICATION OF NORMS ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FAITHFUL IN
THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITY IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA
Introduction
This chapter examines and evaluates the practical application of the universal (and the
particular law) on the responsibility of the Christian faithful in fulfilling the missionary activity
of the Church in the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha. It begins with an overview of the historical
background of the Diocese of Mthatha and then proceeds to present and evaluate the particular
provisions of the Diocese, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference and of other
particular Churches outside the conference. Having presented the particular prescriptions, the
chapter gives an evaluation of the particular norms on the responsibility of the faithful in
missionary activity.
The chapter further examines the agents of missionary activity in the Diocese, and some
challenges facing the application of can. 781 (and of related particular legislation of the Diocese
of Mthatha and of the episcopal conference). After looking at the challenges, it further presents
the responsibilities of the faithful in two categories: those applicable to all the faithful and those
proper to a specific category of the faithful. The chapter ends by presenting some
recommendations to enhance and enforce the law on the responsibility of the faithful in the
missionary activity of the Church in the Diocese of Mthatha.
68
3.1
Historical Background of the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha
The origin of the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha began with the foundation of Umtata
mission station in the newly founded Umtata municipality in 1882, under the Vicariate of Natal,
and the subsequent establishment of other mission stations by the Trappist missionaries.276
With the growth of Catholic population and missionary work, the Natal Vicariate was divided
to form Mariannhill Vicariate on September 1921.277 In May 1930, the Mariannhill Vicariate
was split to erect the Prefecture of Umtata.278 A further milestone was the elevation of the
Prefecture of Umtata to Apostolic Vicariate on April 1937 by Pope Pius XII with the apostolic
constitution De Umtata.279 On January 1951, Pius XII issued an apostolic constitution, Africa
Meridionalis, by which he constituted the ecclesiastical hierarchy in Southern Africa, thus
making all Vicariates Apostolic and Vicars Apostolic fully fledged dioceses and bishops
respectively.280 Thus, the Umtata Vicariate Apostolic was constituted the Diocese of Umtata.
Today the Diocese is called the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, following the change and
correction of names in the new democratic dispensation of South Africa. The Diocese is located
in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, and falls under Durban ecclesiastical province. It
covers an area of 23 400 km², encompassing nine local municipalities. The total population in
the Diocese is 1 940 000; the total Catholic population is 24 588 with 23 priests, 9 religious
men, and 75 religious women.281 The Diocese is constituted by twenty-three parishes grouped
into four deaneries. Other centres of pastoral and missionary work in the Diocese are the SCCs.
276
Cf. M. DISCHL, Transkei For Christ. A History of the Catholic Church in the Transkei Territories,
Mariannhill Mission Press, 1982, pp. 73, 128.
277
Cf. M. DISCHL, Transkei For Christ, p. 134.
278
Cf. PIUS PP. XI, Littera Apostolica Distracto Territorio a Vicariatu Apostolico de Mariannhill
Erigitur Praefectura Apostolica de Umtata, 30 Martii 1930, in AAS XXII (1930), p. 483.
279
Cf. PIUS PP. XII, Constititio Apostolico, De Umtata, 13 Aprilis 1937, in AAS, XXIX (1937), pp. 327-328.
280
Cf. PIUS PP. XII, Constititio Apostolico, Africa Meridionalis, 11 Ianuarii 1951, in AAS, XXXXIII
(1951), pp. 257-263.
281
Cf. Annuario Pontificio 2017, p. 767-768.
69
3.2
Particular Provisions on the Missionary Responsibility of the Faithful
The missionary nature of the Church implies that all its members are missionaries who
have the fundamental duty and right to evangelise and work for the spread of the message of
salvation;282 they have also an obligation to collaborate in the expansion and spread of the Body
of Christ.283 The role of the bishops, which is to promote, direct and coordinate missionary
works and endeavours,284 calls for provisions of guidelines to this effect. This section examines
the particular provisions for missionary activity issued by the Diocese of Mthatha, the SACBC,
and some other particular Churches and episcopal Conferences.
3.2.1
The Prescriptions Issued by the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha
In order to initiate, promote, direct, coordinate and sustain the missionary endeavours
and works of the diocesan community, the bishops of Mthatha Diocese issued some provisions
such as Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach, Pastoral Policy, Pastoral Letters and Newsletters.
3.2.1.1 Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach Series 285
In the year 2004, Bishop Oswald Hirmer, the then bishop of Mthatha, introduced in the
Diocese a pastoral programmeme known as Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach (MthIPA),
which was adapted from Asia Integral Pastoral Approach. The programmeme consists of four
series: Gospel Sharing, Small Christian Communities, A Participatory Church, and Training
for Parish Teams.
3.2.1.1.1 The Gospel Sharing
The Gospel sharing is a form of reading, meditating, reflecting and sharing on the
Scripture in a context of a small group of people; it is a way of “making scripture a sacramental
282
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 35; 1983/CIC, Cann. 211, 781.
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 36.
284
Cf. 1983/CIC, Cann. 782 §2, 790 §1, 1º.
285
Cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach, Pastoral
Development, Mthatha 2004.
283
70
sigh of Christ’s presence among us.” 286 The various methods employed in the Gospel sharing
include the seven steps, group response, look–listen–love, and life–Bible–notes. It is in Gospel
Sharing Groups that the baptised experience a real conversion, begin to trust each other, cooperate more, share their joys and sorrows, and, inspired by the Word of God, reach out to the
wider community to share God’s love and message of salvation. The Gospel sharing addresses
the problem of ignorance of scripture and God’s word.
3.2.1.1.2 Small Christian Communities (SCC)
The Diocese of Mthatha has adopted the Asian Bishops’ vision of a New Way of Being
a Church, which is based on the ecclesial structure of Small Christian Communities, as its
model of being Church. According to this vision, the Church must be “a Communion of
Communities, where laity, religious and clergy recognize and accept each other as sisters and
brothers. They are called together by the Word of God which .... leads them to form small
Christian Communities ... .”287 The Church must be “a participatory Church where the gifts
that the Holy Spirit gives to all the faithful – lay, religious, and cleric alike – are recognized
and activated, so that the Church may be built up and its mission realized,”288 and must be “a
Church that faithfully and lovingly witnesses to the Risen Lord Jesus and reaches out to people
of other faiths and persuasions in a dialogue of life towards the integral liberation of all.”289
Through this visionary model of the Church, the Diocese of Mthatha intends to have a
Church “that lives by the Word of God on daily basis, a Church of equals where everyone is
known and loved, a Church where everyone participates and makes a contribution in the
286
THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha, rev.
ed., Mariannhill Mission Press, Mariannhil 2014, p. 10.
287
FEDERATION OF ASIAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCES, Journeying Together Toward the Third
Millennium. Statement of the Fifth Plenary Assembly, 27 July 1990, art. 8.1.1 (1), <
http://www.fabc.org/offices/olaity/AsIPA%20docs/Statement%20of%20the%20FABC%20Fifth%20Plenary%2
0Assembly-1990-Bandung-Indonesia.pdf >, (17 March 2018).
288
Ibidem, art. 8.1.1 (2).
289
Ibidem, art. 8.1.1 (3).
71
mission of the Christ …”290 In this way, the SCCs provide a platform for each member to
participate, contribute and collaborate with others in the missionary work on a local scale.
3.2.1.1.3 A Participatory Church
In the series C of MthIPA, titled A Participatory Church, the Diocese envisions and
prepares the faithful for a participatory Church in which all members of the diocesan
community participate fully in the life and mission of the Church. The faithful are called to
participate in the friendship of Christ, and in God’s plan for the world; they are recognised as
co-responsible fellow workers, not helpers, sent to participate in the mission of Christ. This
participation is made possible by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and thus realises the dream of a
participatory Church. 291 The idea of a participatory Church affirms and applies the norm of
can. 781 which calls the faithful to assume their part in the apostolate of the Church.
3.2.1.1.4 Training for Parish Teams
Having adopted the vision of a participatory Church, it becomes necessary to form a
new style of leadership which will realise a dream of a participatory Church. Hence, series D
of MthIPA, titled, Training for Parish Teams, intends to form, train and empower competent
leaders with a new style of leadership which serve like Jesus, encourages and trusts people,
motivates and enables them to take part in the life and mission of the Church. 292 The series
takes into account the need for competent leaders in the Diocese, particularly in parish
communities and SCCs. Competent leadership is necessary for the propagation of awareness
of the responsibilities of the faithful, especially the laity.
290
THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, p. 7.
Cf. MthIPA C/1-6
292
Cf. MthIPA D/1-9.
291
72
3.2.1.2 The Pastoral Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha
When Bishop Sipuka took possession of office in 2008, all MthIPA programmes were
subsequently integrated in the compilation of the Pastoral Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha.
The Policy envisions the Mthatha diocesan community as a caring family of God called into
personal relationship with Christ and communion among the members and which evangelises
with talents and skills in a purposeful, coordinated, systematic and sustainable manner. 293 The
vision is founded on and pillared by the principles of putting Christ in the centre, building the
community, and continuing the mission of Christ, which are locally called the Three Stars.294
Putting Christ at the centre consists in establishing an intimate relationship with him
through Gospel sharing, liturgical celebrations, the sacraments and prayer.295 It fosters a deep
knowledge of him and understanding of his mission that the faithful are called to embark on. It
enkindles the love for Christ, charity for the neighbour and missionary enthusiasm. Christ is at
the centre of the life of an individual Christian, of the community, the family and of the work
and relationships of both the individual person and the community. When Christ is at the centre,
the faithful are empowered and enkindled by his grace to share his love and continue his
mission in the world even in the midst of challenges they might face.
Building the community entails gathering and building “people as a family that prays
and worship together in communities of Community,”296 instilling the spirit of brotherhood,
and love and care for one another. It aims to maximise the “spirit of community and coresponsibility among the faithful” through promoting Small Christian Communities which are
home and family for everyone.297 In the light of Ad Gentes 15, building Christian community
293
Cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, art. I, p. 8.
Cf. Ibidem, art. II, 1-3, p. 9.
295
Cf. Ibidem, art. III, 1, a-c, pp. 10-11.
296
Ibidem, art. II, 2, p. 9.
297
Cf. Ibidem, art. III, 2, p. 10.
294
73
implies forming a “one People of God which is a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a purchased people’ (1 Pet. 2:9),” which will carry out the priestly, prophetic and royal offices
entrusted to it and be a sign of God’s presence in the world. Consequently building community
should not focus only on establishing harmonious relations and collaborations among the
faithful but also on establishing new Christian communities, which in fact is the goal of the
missionary action of the Church,298 that would soon be raised to parishes which will make the
Church fully present among the local peoples in order to lead them to faith, freedom and peace
of Christ by the example of its life and teaching, the sacraments and other means of grace. 299
With regard to continuing the mission of Christ, the policy urges all the faithful of the
Diocese to endeavour to continue the mission of Christ, which is essentially to evangelise and
to care “In a collaborative, inclusive and participative manner,”300 and “through team work and
shared leadership that values ongoing formation of the leaders.”301 Though the Policy does not
expand more on the methods, means, and manner of continuing the mission of Christ, it
however reiterates the norm of can. 781 that all the faithful share in the mission of the Church
and must thus assume their part in the missionary work.
3.2.1.3 The Bishop’s Newsletters and Pastoral Letters
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, in some of his pastoral letters and
monthly newsletters, called for the active participation of the faithful in the life of and in
building the local Church. The newsletters are directed to the diocesan clergy and other pastoral
workers while the pastoral letters are addressed to all the faithful in the Diocese.
298
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 786.
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 5.
300
Ibidem, art. II, 3, p. 9.
301
Ibidem, art. III, 3, p. 14.
299
74
3.2.1.3.1 Newsletter of October 2015: Proud to Be Evangelising Catholics
In the Newsletter of October 2015, the Bishop addressed the priests and pastoral
workers on the obligation of the baptised in the mission of the Church. He exhorted them to
remind the faithful to be part of the mission of the Church, not only in the Diocese but in the
universal Church as well, through prayer, works and generous financial support. The faithful
are urged to be proud of being evangelising Catholics. 302
3.2.1.3.2 Newsletter of October 2017: Mission Requires Prayer and Action
Addressing the priests and pastoral workers during the mission month of 2017, the
Bishop reiterated the theological principle of the missionary nature of Church. He therefore
ordered that the faithful should be encouraged during the mission month to reach out to another
person, group or situation in a way that will make God known and loved. They should be
encouraged to pray the Rosary, attend Mass during the week for the success of the Church’s
mission in the world, and to make a generous financial contribution to the Mission collection.303
He also emphasised that the success of the Church’s mission depends on both prayer
and action, “When we pray only and do nothing, our prayer does not bear fruit. On the other
hand, when we do actions without prayer we become functionalists who are empty of the
inspiration and sustenance by God, operating only from our inadequate humanity.”304 The
faithful are therefore to be urged to deepen their relationship and encounter with Christ through
Word, Sacraments and prayer, for it is the foundation of their missionary activity.
302
Cf. S. SIPUKA, Newsletter October 2015, 01 October 2015, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, Mthatha
2015, p. 3.
303
Cf. SIPUKA, Newsletter October 2017, 01 October 2017, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, Mthatha
2017, pp. 2-3.
304
Ibidem, p. 3.
75
3.2.1.3.3 Pastoral Letter on Feeding the Hungry
The pastoral letter on feeding the hungry305 brings out the practical elements of can.
781. It calls all the faithful of the Diocese to take part in the missionary activity through feeding
the hungry people. The call to feed the hungry is a response to the real need of the poor
experienced within the Diocese. The activity is a work of mercy motivated by the plight of the
hungry people, the example of Jesus who fed the hungry (cf. Mt. 14:13-21, Mk 6:30-44, Lk.
9:10-17 and Jn. 6:1-15), the obligation of faith and the long tradition of the Church. 306 It
consists not only in giving out material food to those in need but also spiritual food, for one
does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from God (Mt. 4:4), whereby the
faithful should inform the people about their identity and tell them that they follow Jesus'
instruction in feeding them, and remain open to share about their faith.307
3.2.1.3.4 Pastoral Letter on Encouraging Vocations
Since the Church is by its nature missionary and the work of evangelisation is the
fundamental duty of all the People of God, all the faithful are called and are duty bound to
participate in the missionary work of the Church by virtue of their baptismal vocation.
However, not all the faithful respond to this call and fulfil their missionary responsibilities. The
Bishop of Mthatha issued a pastoral letter on vocations on 2 April 2017 to encourage the
faithful to “respond to God who continues to call his people to a particular state of life with
particular gifts for service to society and ministry in the Church.”308
The pastoral letter was motivated by the shortage of vocations in the Diocese; not only
of priests and consecrated life but also of Christians committed to the mission of the Church
305
Cf. SIPUKA, Pastoral Letter Feeding the Hungry, 02 April 2017, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2017.
306
Cf. Ibidem, p. 1.
307
Cf. Ibidem, pp. 5-6.
308
S. SIPUKA, A Pastoral Letter to Encourage Vocations, 02 April 2017, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2017, p. 1.
76
and exemplary witness to Christian life. 309 The letter reiterates the teaching of Vatican II that
all God’s people in any state or walk of life are called to holiness;310 they are called, each with
a particular task, to be disciples and apostles who will participate in and continue Christ’s
mission through their various states of life.311
3.2.2
Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Legislation
The Catholic Diocese of Mthatha is part of the Southern African Catholic Bishops
Conference (SACBC) and is thus bound by the pastoral and missionary directives and decrees
of the Conference in accordance with norms of can. 455 §2 and of the Directory for the Pastoral
Ministry of Bishops.312 The SACBC has issued various documents that promote missionary
activity of the faithful within the Conference, such as Community Serving Humanity of 1989,
and a pastoral directive We are the Church of 1994. The Conference is currently working on a
new revised pastoral plan, Evangelizing Community Serving God, Humanity and All Creation.
3.2.2.1 SACBC Pastoral Plan: Community Serving Humanity
The SACBC, on May 1989, issued a pastoral plan for the Conference titled Community
Serving Humanity.313 The plan aims at achieving two main goals, namely, building community
according to the mind of Christ and becoming a Church serving humanity. Building community
entails transforming parishes and congregations in order that they become home for everyone,
where members know one another, work together and relate to one another as brothers and
sisters. Becoming a Church that serves humanity consists in transforming parishes and
309
Ibidem.
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 40.
311
Cf. S. SIPUKA, A Pastoral Letter to Encourage Vocations, pp. 3-4.
312
Cf. CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS, Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops Apostolorum
Successores,
22
February
2004,
nos.
28-32,
<
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cbishops/documents/rc_con_cbishops_doc_20040222_aposto
lorum-successores_en.html#Chapter_II >, (24 March 2018).
313
Cf. SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Community Serving
Humanity. Pastoral Plan of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa, May 1989, Lumko Publications, Germiston
1989.
310
77
congregations to resemble Christ in preaching God’s Word and caring for human well-being
and dignity in an undivided manner, in concern for human needs and situations, and in working
for the transformation of the whole human life. 314
The means for achieving the community building would be through establishment of
Small Christian Communities and task groups. It would be achieved by promoting the Renew
process, associations, sodalities and movements of the faithful. Other means of achieving
community building are promoting and fostering participative liturgical celebrations,
catechetical formation of all the faithful, Gospel sharing, and shared ministries. They are
promoting a sense of oneness between the clergy and the community they serve, promoting
new leadership attitude, and removing discrimination of any form in the society.315
According to the pastoral plan, the Southern African Church envisions to serve
humanity through making the world more human, detecting human needs and meeting them,
and overcoming injustice. Serving humanity and meeting human needs is the task of all the
faithful, “We wish our parishes to become communities where all believers act together to build
a better, a more human world.”316 Through serving humanity and meeting their needs in the
spirit and charity of Christ, the faithful therefore participate in the mission of the Church, whose
soul, source and criterion of operation, according to Pope John Paul II, is charity.317
3.2.2.2 Pastoral Directive on Co-responsibility in the Church
Following up on the Pastoral Plan, the SACBC, in 1994, issued a pastoral directive on
co-responsibility in the Church titled We Are the Church,318 which sought to give practical
314
Cf. Ibidem, Pastoral Plan, p. 6.
Cf. Ibidem, Pastoral Plan, nos. 6-17.
316
Ibidem, Pastoral Plan, no. 21.
317
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 60.
318
Cf. SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, We Are the Church. Pastoral
Directive on Co-responsibility in the Church, Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Pretoria 1994.
315
78
details of implementing the Pastoral Plan vision. The directory stresses that “it is each and
every baptized member of the Church who is responsible for the Gospel,” and from among
which some are raised to the ordained ministers “in order to bear an additional responsibility
for the building up of the Church” without abolishing the responsibility of the other baptised.319
As such, the two forms of responsibility, that is, of the baptised and the ordained, are “closely
linked to each other that neither can function without the other.”320 This reflects the norm of
can. 208 that though the ministries of the laity and the ordained are distinct in function and
responsibilities, they are both equally ordered to the building of the Body of Christ.
The directory uses the terms ‘co-responsibility’ and ‘participation’ to characterise the
role of the faithful in the life and mission of the Southern African Church. Co-responsibility,
according to the directory, means that each of the faithful exercises his or her “responsibility
only in a way that is linked to the responsibility of the other.” 321 Participation emphasises that
“nobody is without his or her part of the common task” in the Church, and that “every member
of the community has a part to fulfil and is obliged to do so.” 322 Areas in which coresponsibility and participation are to be manifested include evangelisation, world
transformation, liturgical celebrations, decision making, lay ministry, Small Christian
Communities, and associations of the faithful.323
3.2.2.3 Evangelizing Community Serving God, Humanity and All Creation
The SACBC is currently preparing a new pastoral plan document which will be titled
Evangelising Community Serving God, Humanity and all Creation.324 The new pastoral plan
319
Ibidem, no. 3.
Ibidem, no. 4.
321
Ibidem, no. 2.
322
Ibidem, no. 5.
323
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 23-62.
324
Cf. SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Evangelising Community
Serving God, Humanity and all Creation, (draft document yet to be published).
320
79
invites all the faithful and the communities of the Southern African Church to be and to become
an evangelising community serving God, humanity and all creation. Its vision is that the family
of God in Southern Africa should “commit to work together with others for the good of all, by
responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, through Worship, Proclamation of
the Word of God, Formation, Advocacy, Human Development and Care of Creation.” 325 The
pastoral plan is envisaged to help all the faithful “to listen and respond to the leading of the
Spirit, to enter into the Father’s plan for our Church and world; to be missionary disciples of
Jesus in the present.”326 This new pastoral plan builds up on the previous one of 1989 and
emphasises the aspect of evangelising through serving God, humanity and all creation.
3.2.3
Particular Legislations from Other Episcopal Conferences and Dioceses
The Diocese of Mthatha is in the process of being fully or sufficiently self-reliant in
various aspects of the Church’s life such as personnel resources, financial resources and
missionary resources. To help accelerate the growth towards a fully missionary Church, the
Diocese will need to learn from other particular Churches how they do their missionary work.
Hence this section examines the missionary prescriptions from other particular Churches.
3.2.3.1 Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference
The Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference held its Second National Pastoral Congress
in Sunyani in August 2014 on the theme: The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the
Christian Faith in Ghana in the Light of Africae Munus. Following the Congress, the
Conference issued pastoral guidelines on 12 January 2015. The guidelines treated the subjects
of new evangelisation, family life, youth, liturgy, social communication, education and school
325
326
Ibidem, p. 5.
Ibidem, p. 2.
80
apostolate, biblical apostolate and small Christian communities, inter-religious dialogue, good
governance, and justice and peace.327
The Pastoral Guidelines acknowledge the “urgent need to pursue a new evangelisation
that requires of the Church the need to employ new and dynamic ways of spreading the Gospel
message.”328 They recognised as well the need to “develop the awareness among the People of
God that all are called, by virtue of our baptism, to preach the Gospel in word and deed (Matt.
28:19-20).” Consequently, they urged all Christians to work towards an authentic personal
conversion and to re-propose the Gospel to those who are experiencing a crisis of faith and
reach out to lapsed Catholics without compromise.329
The Bishops invite all the faithful, the evangelisers of the new evangelisation, to
“complement the shepherd’s model of evangelisation which works to maintain the flock within,
with the fisherman’s model that launches out consistently into the deep (cf. Lk. 5:4) to bring in
others who are not yet in the fold (cf. Jn. 10:16).”330 They call for an ongoing formation,
training and motivation of the whole Christian community, according to the various categories
of the faithful, for the missionary work of the Church, as well as the establishment of a national
programme to be coordinated by catechetical offices in various particular Churches of Ghana.331
3.2.3.2 Diocese of Clifton Pastoral Guidelines: Called to Be a People of Hope
Another particular provision related to the norm of can. 781 are the pastoral guidelines
of the Catholic Diocese of Clifton in England which were issued in November 2008.332 Under
Cf. GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOP’S CONFERENCE, Pastoral Guidelines Issued By The Ghana
Catholic Bishops’ Conference In The Wake Of The 2014 Second National Pastoral Congress Held In Sunyani, 512 August 2014, 12 January 2015, < http://accracatholic.org/2014-pastoral-guidelines/ >, (30 April 2018).
328
Ibidem, no. 1.
329
Ibidem, no. 2.
330
Ibidem, no. 1.
331
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 8-16
332
Cf. D. LANG, Pastoral Guidelines Called To Be A People of Hope, November 2008, <
https://cliftondiocese.com//////wp-content/uploads/2017/07/called-to-be-a-people-of-hope.pdf >, (30 April 2018).
327
81
the subject of the Church as communion which aims at calling the faithful to live and work
together, the guidelines state that “all Christians are called to be a sacrament, an effective
sign and instrument, of the unity of all humanity.”333 Working together “underpins and deepens
the mission of the Church,” and the “very way in which we collaborate with one another is part
of our mission.”334 Furthermore, the guidelines highlight the foundation of collaboration
among all the faithful in stating: “Authentic collaborative ministry is based on a common
understanding of the vocation of all the baptised in the work of the Church.”335
On the subject of the ‘Church of Mission,’ the pastoral guidelines remind the faithful
that when they encountered the call of Christ, they were entrusted with a mission, called by
Christ to be his witnesses today, and to share the light of faith with others. Consequently, the
guidelines set out further practical ways to respond as individuals and parishes to Christ’s call
to bear effective witness to faith and point out that “when our parishes are outward looking,
when we live for others, the Church flourishes. When we look in on ourselves we die.”336 The
baptised are called to “follow Jesus’ example in being pro-active in reaching out to others.”337
The guidelines therefore seek to form a Church that does not focus only on maintaining its
status quo but more on reaching out to those who are still outside the Church or even do not
know Christ. The guidelines are forming missionary Diocese and parishes.
3.2.3.3 Archdiocese of Perth: Pastoral Letter on Today’s Missionary Challenge
On Pentecost of 2012, the Archbishop of Perth in Australia, through the pastoral letter
on Today’s Missionary Challenge, announced the formation of a new initiative that would
respond to the missionary challenge of Australia.338 The Archbishop reminded his faithful that
333
Ibidem, p. 14.
Ibidem, p. 15.
335
Ibidem.
336
Ibidem, p. 26.
337
Ibidem, p. 28.
338
Cf. B.H. HICKEY, Pastoral Letter Today’s Missionary Challenge, 12 June 2011
334
82
the mission of the Church which the Risen Lord entrusted to the Apostles and began on the
first Pentecost, “is still the same and that it has become increasingly urgent in these days of
rising secularism.”339 The Archbishop pointed out that the task of the Church to offer the Good
News of salvation to the world is “the task of every member of the Church, not just the clergy
or the Religious;” thus every member of the Church is called to manifest to the world the
attractiveness of an authentic Christian life. 340
The pastoral letter urged the faithful not to allow themselves to be intimidated or
silenced by the forces that oppose them but to remain faithful to their call of offering the world
the liberating truth of Christ. To this end, he announced the formation of a “Faith Centre” for
evangelization, which would be open to the public; he set as its first priority the task of reaching
out to the unbelievers, the second, reaching out to lapsed or faraway Catholics, and the third,
the deepening of faith of practising Catholics. 341 In this way he put in place practical means of
implementing the norms of cann. 781 and 211 and of ensuring that the faithful remain
missionary conscious and effective.
3.3
Practical Evaluation of Conformity of the Particular Law with the Provision of
Can. 781 In the Diocese of Mthatha and Some Challenges with the Application
The particular legislations discussed above demonstrate the awareness of the particular
ecclesiastical authorities of their obligation to initiate, direct, coordinate and sustain missionary
work in their territories as prescribed in cann. 394; 782 §2; 790 §1 for diocesan bishops as well
as implied in can. 447 for Episcopal Conferences which are to promote the greater good the
Church offers to humanity. These particular norms have applied and expanded, in concrete
<
http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/News__Events-News-2011-June-Archbishops_Pastoral_Letter_TodaysMissionary_Challenge_.htm >, (30 April 2018).
339
ibidem.
340
Cf. Ibidem.
341
Cf. Ibidem.
83
current situations, the principles of can. 781 and expanded them in the concrete situations of
particular Churches.
According to Astigueta and Fernando Rentamal, can. 781 contains three theologicojuridical principles: firstly, that the Church is missionary by its very nature; secondly, that
evangelization is the fundamental duty of God’s people; and lastly, the duty and right of all the
faithful to take part in the task of evangelisation.342 These principles are reflected in the
particular norms above and are translated into action.
In relation to the background of the problem raised in this work, the particular norms
give ways of resolving them. They respond to the challenges faced by the faithful with regard
to awareness of their responsibility and assumption of their part in the mission of the Church.
Specifically, the Pastoral Policy of Mthatha Diocese addresses the issues concerning SCCs,
knowledge of Catholic faith, leadership and active participation. Nevertheless, without
prejudice to the pastoral letter Feeding the Hungry and Encouraging Vocations, the policy does
not seem to address adequately the issues concerning missionary outreach to non-believers and
the unbaptised, re-evangelisation of the lapsed Catholics and lack of vocations.
3.3.1
Agents of the Church’s Missionary Work in the Diocese of Mthatha
Canon 781 prescribes that “all the Christian faithful, conscious of their responsibility,
are to assume their part in the missionary work” of the Church. A similar prescription is
provided in can. 211 in which spreading the divine message of salvation is the duty and right
of all the Christian faithful. The participation in the missionary work is in accordance with
“each one’s own condition and function” as provided in can. 208. This implies that there is a
Cf. D.G. ASTIGUETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” p. 50; F.
RETAMAL, “The Missionary Activity of the Church (Cann. 781-792)” in Exegetical Commentary on the Code
of Canon Law, Vol III/1. Prepared under the responsibility of the Martin de Azpilcueta Institute, Faculty of Law,
University of Navare, Wilson & Lafler – Montreal and Midwest Thelogical Forum, Chicago 2004, p. 138.
342
84
concrete diversity among the People of God, differences in the means of participation in the
Church’s mission, and different levels of responsibility. 343
Hence, the agents of missionary activity in the Diocese of Mthatha are all the faithful
of the Diocese in their diverse condition and function. Categorically, they are the diocesan
bishop and his curial officials, the deans, the priests in charge of parishes, the members of the
religious institutes, the laity in their various categories, as well as the diocesan structures such
as the parishes, the Small Christian Communities, the pastoral councils and the families.
3.3.2
Some Challenges Affecting the Application of Can. 781 in Mthatha Diocese
There are various challenges affecting the application of the norm about the
responsibility of the faithful in fulfilling the missionary activity of the Church according to can.
781 in the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha. Can. 781 requires the faithful to be conscious of their
responsibility and assume their part in the missionary work. Among the challenges are
inadequate formation of the faithful, influence of secularism, lack of scriptural knowledge, lack
of guidelines for missionary activity, and the shortage of sacred ministers.
3.3.2.1 Inadequate Formation of the Faithful
The ecclesiastical law requires a proper and appropriate formation and training for all
who “permanently or temporarily devote themselves to special service of the Church” in order
that they “fulfil their function properly and carry out this function conscientiously, eagerly, and
diligently.”344 To emphasise the necessity of formation, John Paul II wrote: “In all areas of
Church life, formation is of primary importance. People who have never had the chance to
learn cannot really know the truths of faith, nor can they perform actions which they have never
343
344
Cf. R.J. KASLYN, “The Christian Faithful,” p. 258.
CIC/1983, Can. 231 §1; Cf. CIC/1983, Cann. 234, 235, 646, 652.
85
been taught.”345 Consequently, where formation is lacking, the faithful may not know their
responsibilities and thus participation in the missionary work will be minimal.
3.3.2.2 Influence of Secularism
Secularism is described as a spirit or tendency, a system of political or social philosophy
that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship with a view that matters of public education
and civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element. 346
According to Noeline Nakato, secularism implies “the refusal to give God any place in the
society and social life and to follow Him only in the private lives and homes of peoples.” 347
Consequently, in a society that is characterised by this view of secularism, the faithful tend to
be discourage from expressing their faith publicly, thus affecting the assumption of and
participation in the missionary work of the Church.
3.3.2.3 Influence of Globalisation
The phenomenon of globalisation is described as “a process by which national and
regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through the global network
of trade, communication, immigration and transportation.”348 Similarly, Nakato describes it as
“a phenomenon whereby the whole world is considered as being connected by modern
telecommunications and as being interdependent economically, socially and politically.” 349
Globalisation has positive aspects highly beneficial to the missionary activity. However, when
considered from an economic point of view, it is a profit-centred culture based on competition
and aggressiveness, which, at the extreme, “includes selfish concentration on oneself and
345
Cf. Ecclesia in Africa, no. 75.
DICTIONARY.COM, s.v. “secularism,” < http://www.dictionary.com/browse/secularism > (05 May 2018).
347
Cf. N. NAKATO, “Canon Law. A Legal Instrument for the Renewal of Faith,” in African Journal of
Canon Law, vol. 1/1 (January 2014), p. 37.
348
FINANCIAL TIMES, Definition of Globalisation, < http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=globalisation
>, (05 May 2018).
349
N. NAKATO, “Canon Law. A Legal Instrument for the Renewal of Faith,” p. 34.
346
86
personal needs, materialism, whereby one’s worth is determined by the wealth he or she
has.”350 As a result, a person imbued in this culture tends to lose and drift away from the
principles of faith and the Gospel to the detriment of the missionary work.
3.3.2.4 Lack of Scriptural Knowledge
Where there is lack of solid biblical instruction and knowledge, the missionary work
can neither commence, continue nor have any influence in the society. According to Dei
Verbum, the Scriptures, taken together with the sacred Tradition, are the supreme rule of the
Church’s faith, present God’s own Word in an unalterable form, and offer a personal encounter
with the heavenly Father. 351 The nourishment of the Scriptures enlightens the mind, strengthens
the will and fires the hearts of men with God’s love. 352 It is thus necessary that the faithful learn
the surpassing knowledge of Christ by frequent reading and meditating on the Scriptures. There
is a general perception that Catholics do not know the Bible. Where this is true, the faithful
tend to feel incompetent and become reluctant to fulfil their missionary responsibilities.
3.3.2.5 Lack of Guidelines Specifically for Missionary Activity
Ad Gentes states that it is “the responsibility of the bishop, as the head of the diocesan
apostolate and its centre of unity, to promote missionary activity, guide and coordinate it.” 353
Can. 782 §2 prescribes that “individual bishops are to have special solicitude for missionary
work, especially by initiating, fostering, and sustaining missionary endeavours in their own
particular Churches.” Accordingly, it is necessary that the bishop put in place pastoral guidelines
for the missionary activity which specify the responsibilities of various categories of the
faithful, various missionary activities that can be done within the context and circumstances of
350
Ibidem.
Cf. CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Constitutio Dogmatica de Divina Revelatione Dei Verbum, 18
Novembris 1965, no. 21, in AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 827-828, (English Translation in A. FLANNERY (gen. ed.),
Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and post conciliar documents, St Pauls, Bandra 2004)
352
Cf. Ibidem, no. 23.
353
Ad Gentes, no. 30.
351
87
the diocesan community, and the methods of action in order to initiate, guide, coordinate and
sustain the missionary action of the faithful. Where such concrete guidelines are lacking, the
faithful may not know what to do, when to do it or how to act, and so the result is inactivity.
3.4
Responsibility of Christ’s Faithful in Fulfilling Their Missionary Obligations
The missionary responsibility of each member of the Church is a consequent of the
fundamental missionary nature of the Church.354 The responsibility may be fulfilled in different
ways such as spiritual support, financial support and some form of active participation.355 Can.
781 of the 1983 Code prescribes: “all the Christian faithful, conscious of their responsibility,
are to assume their part in the missionary work.” However, Astigueta noted that the legislator
does not specify the responsivities of each in can. 781 but leaves that to the subsequent canons.
He further notes that the phrase ‘their responsibility (propriae responsabilitatis)’ does not refer
only to the categories of the faithful, namely, the magisterium, clerics, the religious and the
laity, but to the responsibility of each member within each category. 356 The missionary
responsibilities of the faithful can therefore be categorised into specific responsibilities, that is,
those ascribed to a specific category in the light of can. 208, and general responsibilities
ascribed to all the faithful.
3.4.1
Responsibilities Ascribed to All the Faithful
All the baptised are responsible for the mission of the Church on various levels and
forms, depending on their condition and function in the Church. However, there are general
responsibilities for all those who are involved in the missionary activity. From his commentary
354
Cf. J.A. CORIDEN, “Missionary Action of the Church (Cann. 781-792),” in J.P. BEAL et al., (eds.),
New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Commissioned by the CANON LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA,
Paulist Press, Mahwah 1985, pp. 560.
355
Cf. CANON LAW SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, The Canon Law Letter and
Spirit. A Practical Guide to the Code of Canon Law, Geoffrey Chapman, London 1995, p. 431.
356
Cf. D.G. ASTIGUETA, “La Naturaleza Misionera de la Iglesia Segun el Can. 781 del CIC,” p. 59.
88
and reflection on Redemptoris Missio, Anthony Bellagamba drew a list of some of the
responsibilities of the faithful.357
3.4.1.1 Responsibility of Internal Renewal of Faith and Christian Life
Vatican Council II invited all the faithful “to undertake a profound interior renewal so
that … they might play their part in missionary work among the nations.”358 The same call was
made by Pope John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio no. 2, that amidst negative tendency and
declining interest towards missionary activity to the nations, the Church should renew her
missionary commitment, and that there should be an interior renewal of faith and Christian life.
He stated: “Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Church's
universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and
support.” Consequently, to fulfil their missionary obligations efficiently and effectively, and to
sustain their interest, commitment and active participation in the missionary work, the faithful
of Mthatha need to undergo interior renewal of faith and Christian life. To achieve this, the
Gospel and faith sharing in the SCCs need to be revitalised.
3.4.1.2 Responsibility to Proclaim, Establish and Serve the Kingdom of God
Participating in the missionary work implies proclaiming, establishing and serving the
Kingdom of God, which is the ultimate goal of the Church’s missionary activity.359 Pope John
Paul II wrote that the proclamation and establishment of God’s kingdom are the purpose of
Jesus for which he was sent. 360 Hence, the faithful who are determined to put Christ at the
centre, to build Christian communities and to continue the mission of Christ, 361 have the
357
Cf. A. BELLAGAMBA, The Mission of the Church. A Commentary and Reflection on the Encyclical
Redemptoris Missio by Pope John Paul II, St Paul Publication-Africa, Nairobi 1993, pp. 81-82.
358
Ad Gentes, no. 35.
359
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 9, 12.
360
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 13.
361
Cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, art. II, 1-3, p. 8.
89
responsibility of proclaiming, establishing and of being servants of the kingdom of God since,
through baptism, they share in the threefold function of Christ.
3.4.1.3 Responsibility to Discover, Foster and Be Open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church, who makes her one in communion and
ministry, provides her with different hierarchical and charismatic gifts, and who gives life to
ecclesiastical structures and inspires in the hearts of the faithful the same spirit of mission that
impelled Christ,362 is the principal agent of the whole of the Church’s mission. He works
through the agents of the missionary activity and simultaneously in those who hear them.363 In
fulfilling their missionary obligations, the faithful have the responsibility to discover, foster
and be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit who is mysteriously present in every human heart,
blows where he will, and who implants and develops his gifts in all individuals and peoples. 364
3.4.1.4 Responsibility to Accept Witness as the Primary Form of Mission
Vatican II stated:
All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of the word, wherever they live,
have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put on in baptism, and to reveal the
power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at confirmation, so that others,
seeing their good works, might glorify the Father (cf. Mt. 5:16) and more perfectly perceive
the true meaning of human life and the universal solidarity of mankind.365
Christian witness, of which John Paul II taught that it is the first and irreplaceable form of
mission,366 is indeed an essential and most effective element of missionary work and an
obligation for all Christians. The witness of Christian life “covers all ambits of human life, the
family (cf. can. 226, §1), professions (can. 225, § 1 and 2) and the whole of this is made possible
through word and action.”367 It is therefore the responsibility of the Christian faithful, in
362
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 4.
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 21.
364
Cf. Ibidem, no. 29.
365
Ad Gentes, no. 11.
366
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 42
367
J.M. OWOR, “Lay Participation in the Munera Sanctificandi et Docendi Christi,” in in African
Journal of Canon Law Studies, Vol. 1/2, June 2014, p. 71.
363
90
fulfilling their missionary obligations, not only to accept witness as the primary form of mission
but primarily to live a life that attest to the love of God and neighbour, the Gospel values, and
care and respect for human dignity, in both word and deed.
3.4.1.5 Responsibility to Proclaim Christ With Boldness and Faithfulness
All forms of missionary activity are directed to the proclamation of the mystery of
Christ who is the centre of the whole economy of salvation and the subject of proclamation.368
According to Luigi Chiappetta, the proclamation of the Gospel is the fundamental aspect of
missionary activity for which the individual faithful must have a personal responsibility and
commitment.369 Hence, the faithful have the responsibility to proclaim Christ with boldness
and faithfulness, with conviction and faith, keeping in mind that the proclamation of Christ is
never a merely personal act but is done in communion with the whole ecclesial community.370
3.4.1.6 Responsibility to Promote Development in All Its Aspects
Promoting development of persons in all its aspects is the concern of the Church who
follows in the footsteps of her Founder Jesus Christ who said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to
proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk. 4:18-19). This Messianic text demonstrates that
the Lord Jesus considered himself as one sent to relieve human misery and combat every kind
of neglect and injustice.371 Pope John Paul II taught: “Integral human development — the
development of every person and of the whole person, especially of the poorest and most
368
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 44.
Cf. L. CHIAPPETTA, Il Codice Diritto Canonico. Commento giuridico-pastorale, Vol. 2, Terza
Edizione, Edizione Dehoniane Bologna, Bologna 2011, p. 32.
370
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 45.
371
Cf. Ecclesia in Africa, no. 68.
369
91
neglected in the community — is at the very heart of evangelization.”372 Hence, integral human
development cannot be separated from the missionary activity.
The Church promotes development primarily through formation of consciences and the
gradual maturing of ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour.373 It is therefore the
responsibility of all the faithful to promote integral human development in fulfilling their
missionary obligations. For the faithful of Mthatha Diocese, this responsibility can be fulfilled
through participating in and contributing to the development projects of the Catholic
Development Centre whose mission is “to alleviate hunger, poverty and environmental
degradation through sustainable development, which restores human dignity, social and
economic justice in disadvantaged rural and urban communities.”374 Furthermore, the Pastoral
Policy provides that the Small Christian Communities are also to focus on social and economic
development through “reflecting on their faith in such a way that it leads them to engage in
development projects in their neighbourhood.”375 The development accompanying missionary
activity should have Christ as its end and fountain.
3.4.1.7 Responsibility to Be on the Side of the Poor
One of the principles of the Church’s social doctrine is the universal destination of
goods, which entails that “God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and all peoples
so that all created things would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice
tempered by charity.”376 This principle requires a reaffirmation of a preferential option for the
poor, that is, “the poor, the marginalized and in all cases those whose living conditions interfere
372
Ibidem.
Cf. Redemptoris Missio, no. 58.
374
CATHOLIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER, Our Mission, < http://www.cdcumthatha.co.za/ >, (10 May
2010); cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, art. XV, 2, p. 43
375
THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, art. XV, 1, p. 43.
376
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 02 April 2004, no. 171, < http://www.vatican.va/roman-curia/pontificalcouncils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio_dott-soc_en.html >, (10 May 2018).
373
92
with their proper growth should be the focus of particular concern.”377 Being on the side of the
poor is an obligation to charitable works prescribed in can 222 §2, which states that the
Christian faithful “are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the
Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.”
According to John Paul II, the works of charity, which constitute the option for the poor
and the vulnerable, “reveal the soul of all missionary activity: love, which has been and remains
the driving force of mission, and is also ‘the sole criterion for judging what is to be done or not
done, changed or not changed.’”378 He also taught that the option for the poor affects the life
of each Christian “inasmuch as he or she seeks to imitate the life of Christ, but applies equally
to our social responsibilities and hence to our manner of living, and to the logical decisions to
be made concerning the ownership and use of goods.”379
The option for the poor highlights an obligation to care for the poor and the vulnerable
in the society, to give the same rights to others, to protect the poor and the vulnerable, to give
relief to those in most need, and to provide charity, defence, and liberty to those who deserve
it. It is an obligation to look after those who are in poverty and are in need, to create conditions
for them to be heard, defended against injustice, and to provide opportunities for their
empowerment and attainment of the fullness of their human lives.
As such, the option for the poor is not just an idea or a principle but a call to action of
all people. The Bishop of Mthatha, through his pastoral letter Feeding the Hungry, has called
upon all the faithful of the Diocese to participate actively in the project of feeding the hungry,
which consists not only in giving out material food to those in need but also spiritual food and
377
Ibidem, no. 182.
Redemptoris Missio, no. 60.
379
IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Litterae Encyclicae Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 30 Decemberis 1987, no.
42, in AAS, LXXX (1988), p. 572.
378
93
proclaiming Christ to them. 380 It is therefore the responsibility of the faithful, as they fulfil their
missionary duties, to have a great concern for the poor, to assist them from their own resources,
and to promote their human dignity. By so doing they continue the mission of Christ.
3.4.2
Specific Responsibilities of the Faithful
The specific responsibilities of the Christian faithful in fulfilling their missionary
obligations can be categorised in accordance with the condition and functions of the faithful in
the light of can. 207. Hence, there are responsibilities proper to the magisterium of the universal
Church, to the diocesan bishop and his equivalents in law according to can. 381 §2, the clerics
of the particular Church, the members of the religious institutes, and the lay faithful.
3.4.2.1 Responsibilities Proper to the Magisterium of the Universal Church
The responsibility of supreme direction and coordination of endeavours and actions
belonging to missionary work for the universal Church belong by law to the Roman Pontiff
and the College of Bishops who represent and exercise the supreme authority in the Church.381
The Roman Pontiff exercises his supreme responsibility for the Church’s mission “principally
through the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples”382 whose competence is to direct
and coordinate throughout the world the work of the evangelization of peoples itself and
missionary cooperation; it is competent for those things which pertain to all the missions
established for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ throughout the world and therefore for
whatever is connected with the assignment and transferal of the necessary ministers, for
describing ecclesiastical boundaries and proposing those who will govern them. 383
380
Cf. SIPUKA, Pastoral Letter Feeding the Hungry, pp. 5-6.
Cf. CIC/1983, Cann. 782 §1, 331, 336; L. CHIAPPETTA, Il Codice Diritto Canonico, p. 33; A.
MONTANA, Il Diritto nella Vita e nella Missione della Chiesa, Vol. 1, seconda edizione, Edizione Dehoniane
Bologna, Bologna 2006, p. 349.
382
CANON LAW SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN, The Canon Law Letter and Spirit, p. 431.
383
Cf. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Constitutio Apostolica De Romana Curia Pastor Bonus, 28 Iunii
1988, nos. 85-92, in AAS, LXXX (1988), pp. 881-883.
381
94
Individual bishops have the responsibility of being sponsors of the universal Church
and all the Churches, and consequently to have special solicitude for missionary activity by
arousing, fostering and sustaining missionary initiatives.384 This solicitude entails, among other
things, preparing invocations for missions, appointing a priest who will promote missionary
work in the diocese, promoting and fostering vocations for missions among their clergy and
youth, promoting the pontifical work of the missions, making use of missionary institutes to
develop concern for missions, and making use of national or regional mission council for
greater unity and effectiveness. 385
3.4.2.2 The Diocesan Bishop and His Equivalents in Law
The missionary responsibility of the local ordinary in the particular Church entrusted
to his care, in addition to the ones mentioned above, includes directing missionary work, raising
up souls who will offer prayers and works of penance for the evangelisation of the world,
fostering vocations to missionary institutes, exhorting and assisting diocesan congregations to
undertake their own work in the missions, and sending some of his best priests who offer
themselves for mission work to dioceses lacking in clergy.386 Other responsibilities of the local
ordinary, particularly in mission territories, according to can. 790 §1, are to promote, regulate
and coordinate both new initiatives and established works concerning missionary activity, and
to ensure that there are proper working agreements with Moderators of institutes doing
missionary work in his particular Church.
3.4.2.3 The Missionary Responsibility of the Priests
Vatican II teaches that the priests who represent Christ the head, act in his name and
are collaborators of the episcopate “are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd
384
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 782 §2.
Cf. Ecclesiae Sanctae III, nos. 3-11.
386
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 38.
385
95
the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament.”387
Their very life is consecrated to the service of the missions.388 It is the responsibility of priests
therefore, in fulfilling the missionary activity, to be aware of what is still lacking to the fulness
of the Body of Christ and of what must be done and therefore organise their pastoral work that
it contribute to the spread of the Gospel among non-Christians.
It is the priests’ responsibility to stimulate and maintain among Christ’s faithful a zeal
for evangelisation of the world by
teaching them through preaching and religious instruction of the Church’s duty to proclaim
Christ to the nations; by impressing on Christian families the honour and the need for
fostering missionary vocations among their own sons and daughters; by promoting
missionary fervour among young people from Catholic schools and associations so that
future preachers of the Gospel might spring from them. 389
These responsibilities are further strengthened by the norms of cann. 275 §2 and 529
§2 which prescribe that clerics must acknowledge and promote the mission which the laity
exercise in the Church and in the world.
3.4.2.4 The Religious’ Responsibility for Missionary Activity
By virtue of their consecration through profession of the evangelical counsels, the
members of religious institutes totally dedicate themselves to God, are dedicated to seeking
perfection of charity in the service of God’s kingdom, for God’s honour, the building up of the
Church and the salvation of the world. 390 On account of this dedication to the service of the
Church, the religious are “obliged to engage in missionary action in a special way and in a
manner proper to their institute.” 391 All the four religious institutes in the Diocese of Mthatha
are of active life. In fulfilling their missionary obligation, they have the responsibility to bear
387
Lumen Gentium, no. 28.
Cf. Ad Gentes, no. 39.
389
Ibidem.
390
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 573 §1.
391
CIC/1983, Can. 783.
388
96
public witness to a deep, personal experience of Christ by the whole of life, by sharing the
faith, hope, love and joy, by working in a way that what is done and how it is done proclaim
Christ, and by fidelity to the mandated apostolate of one’s proper institute.392
They have the responsibility to sustain their religious life by a deep life of prayer, of
which prayer is a necessary condition for proclaiming the Gospel;393 they are to carry out their
apostolic action, which must proceed from intimate union with God and must confirm and
foster it, in communion with the Church and in the name and by the mandate of the Church.394
They are also bound to observe the missionary work provisions made by the diocesan bishop
for the Diocese in accordance with the norms of can. 790.
3.4.2.5 The Responsibility of the Lay Faithful in Missionary Work
The Second Vatican Council teaches that the lay Christian faithful, even when occupied
by temporal affairs, “can, and must, do valuable work for the evangelisation of the world, …
and must cooperate in spreading and in building up the kingdom of Christ.”395 Can. 225, which
deals with the mission of the laity, its foundation, modality and ambits,396 prescribes, in
paragraph 1, that the lay persons are bound by the general obligation and possess the right to
work for the evangelisation of the world through the Gospel; and, in paragraph 2, it states that
“they are bound by a particular duty to imbue and perfect the order of temporal affairs with the
spirit of the Gospel and thus to give witness to Christ.”
392
Cf. CONGREGATION FOR RELIGIOUS AND FOR SECULAR INSTITUTES, Essential Elements
in the Church's Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate, 31 May
1983, nos. 33-34, < http://www.vatican.va/roman-curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc-con-ccscrlifedoc_31051983_magisterium-on-religious-life_en.html >, (11 May 2018).
393
Cf. Ibidem, nos. 28-29.
394
Cf. CIC/1983, Can. 675 §§ 2 and 3.
395
Lumen Gentium, no. 35.
396
Cf. A. MONTANA, Il Diritto nella Vita e nella Missione della Chiesa, Vol. 1, p. 209.
97
This missionary obligation flows naturally from the reception of the sacraments of
initiation. Hence, it is founded on divine law, not on concession of the hierarchy;397 and as
such, it does not require the specific formal permission or deputation of the Church authority.398
Thus, the laity have the responsibility and the honour to spread the Christian message by their
example of life and the word in various areas of their life, work and relationships.399
In fulfilling their missionary activity, the lay Christian faithful of Mthatha Diocese have
the responsibility, as they participate in the order of secular affairs, to bring Christ at the centre
of their work and relations, be it in economics, politics, education, social development,
healthcare or wherever they are involved. They are to evangelise through their service to others
or through the transformation of the secular world into a world permeated with Christ,400
particularly in those areas where only them have access. They are to participate actively and
collaborate with other faithful in the life and mission of the Church such as in religious
education in schools, catechesis, liturgical celebrations.
3.5
A Way Forward in Fulfilling the Missionary Responsibilities of the Faithful
The universal and particular prescriptions have set the principles and enacted norms
which enable the faithful to assume their part in the missionary work in accordance with one’s
responsibilities determined by their conditions and functions in the Church. Without prejudice
to these juridical provisions, the following recommendations are made so that the faithful of
Mthatha Diocese effectively and zealously fulfil their responsibilities for the greater good of
both the diocesan and universal Church’s missionary endeavours and work.
397
Ibidem.
Cf. D.L. BARR, “The Obligations and Rights of the Lay Christian Faithful (Cann. 224-231),” in J.P.
BEAL et al., (eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Commissioned by the CANON LAW
SOCIETY OF AMERICA, Theological Publications in India, Bangalore 2013, p. 293.
399
Cf. L. LORUSSO, “L’Azione Missionaria degli Istituti di Vita Consacrata,” in Ius Missionale, Vol.
V (2011), p. 14.
400
Cf. Ibidem.
398
98
3.5.1
Missionary Oriented Small Christian Communities
The Diocese of Mthatha has adopted the small Christian community structures and ideal
as its way of being Church; the Policy has prescribed that they be established in every parish.401
The SCCs have therefore become essential elements of the ecclesial structures of the Diocese.
What is recommended here is that they be restructured in such a way that they become vehicles
of missionary work for the faithful. They are to become centres of missionary action and
missionary outreach for the parish and the platforms for the faithful to fulfil their missionary
responsibilities in their social neighbourhood. Their activities and organisation need to become
missionary oriented.
These could be achieved through appointing, in each SCC, two persons who will take
count of lapsed Catholics and unbaptised persons in the neighbourhood, appointing two persons
who will take count of the poor and the needy, and two others to look at other challenges and
needs of the society. When the data has been collected, the SCC will then observe, discuss and
reflect together, using one of the Gospel sharing methods, on how to respond effectively to
those needs and challenges. The SCCs can make themselves visible in the society as missionary
agents by visiting the bereaved families in the society, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked
and by being involved in other various social development projects.
3.5.2
Restructuring Parishes to Be Missionary Oriented Parishes
The parish is a concrete and local manifestation of the universal Church where the
faithful are nourished by the Word of God and the sacraments.402 Tullio Citrini describes the
parish as a local Church.403 As such, it is missionary. It is a place where the vision and plan for
401
Cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, The Pastoral Policy, p. 7; art. III, 2.
Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 28.
403
T. CITRINI, “La Parrocchia Come Chiesa Locale,” in La Parrocchia. XXXI Incontro di Studio Centro
Dolomiti Pio X – Borca di Cadore 28 giugno – 2 luglio 2004, Edizione Glossa, Milano 2005, p. 90.
402
99
missionary action becomes real and a base from which a missionary activity is carried.404 Since
the faithful share in the evangelising mission of the Church and have the duty and right to
partake in the apostolate of the Church, it is recommended that the pastors “organise parishes
for evangelisation by communicating a vision, managing for results, and providing
administrative support.”405 This implies that parish leadership needs to change the operating
system of the parish into one that is missionary oriented. The leadership of a parish is to create
an environment that arouses the missionary consciousness of the faithful and enables the
faithful to readily assume their part in the missionary work.
It is recommended that for the parish to be missionary oriented, there must be
missionary programmes put in place particularly for reaching out to the unbaptised and the
lapsed. This could be achieved by establishing a missionary outreach committee made up of
those persons appointed in the SCCs which will plan, execute and evaluate missionary work of
the parish, and support the missionary activities of the SCCs. The parish can also make itself
visible as a missionary local Church through liturgical processions such as Corpus Christi and
Palm Sunday, through showing concern for and involvement in the welfare and development
of the peoples outside the Church, and through holding missionary seminars and workshops.
3.5.3
Availability of Christian Literature
One of the ways of arousing the missionary awareness of the faithful, of inciting them
to participate in the apostolate, and of updating them about the missionary needs of the Church
as decreed by Ad Gentes 36, is to make available to them necessary Christian literature and
updated information regarding the missions. Consequently, priests, religious and lay
theologians, with the approval of the local ordinary, should make available good literature on
the Bible and Christian doctrine for Christian formation. Similarly, some of the important
404
405
Cf. R.S. RIVERS, From Maintenance to Mission, p. 151.
Ibidem, p. 195.
100
Church documents, such as the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and the social teachings of
the Church, should be brought down to the understanding of the lay people.
Such documents should be translated into local languages to make them available to
the ordinary Christians in print form and in the diocesan and parochial websites. The same
material can be made accessible for those who cannot read and write in audio and visual forms.
It can also be disseminated through radio and television, seminars, workshops and conferences,
and by presenting it and discussing it in the meetings of the SCCs and associations of the
faithful. The communications officer would need to communicate up-to-date information
concerning the situations and needs of the missions.
3.5.4
Pastoral Guidelines for Missionary Activity
Law is a necessary component of society, of social life and social relations; it is
necessary for the regulation of the exercise of obligations and rights of individuals in a society.
According to Burke,
A people without law is not a people; it is no more than a horde or a mob. It is the possession
and observance of a common law that turns a group of individuals into a people, with shared
ideals, customs and destiny, who treat one another with justice and respect under an
authority that they look up to as the guardian of the common good and the protector of
popular rights.406
The diocesan community, as a society of believers in a specific territory and
with particular culture and customs, needs its own laws which govern all its
members, protect the rights of members, prescribe the obligations of each member
according to his or her condition and function, and which take into consideration the
context and circumstances of the community.
The Bishop is empowered, in accordance with norms of cann. 381 §1 and
790, to enact the norms suitable and proper to his Diocese which promote, direct and
406
C. BURKE, The Lawless People of God?, p. 25.
101
coordinate missionary endeavours and works. It is recommendable that the Bishop
of Mthatha put in place particular norms that regulate the missionary activity of all
the faithful in the Diocese and which also specify responsibilities proper to each.
3.5.5
Formation and Training of Agents of Missionary Work
A solid formation of all the agents of missionary work is needed.407 Without a deeper
understanding, knowledge and conviction of the truths of faith that are to be spread to the ends
of the earth, the faithful will always shy away from fulfilling their missionary responsibilities.
John Paul II taught that “In all areas of Church life formation is of primary importance … For
this reason the whole community needs to be trained, motivated and empowered for
evangelisation, each according to his or her specific role within the Church.”408 An effective
formation for missionary work will have to focus on theologico-juridical aspects of the
missionary activity. It will have to focus not only on doctrinal content of the truth of faith, but
also on methodological aspect of missionary activity.
It will have to impart a determination or roles and skills required in fulfilling the
missionary responsibilities. Above all, the formation is to encompass the whole Christian
community. All the baptised, according to their condition, must be individually prepared and
trained so that they are up to the missionary task they are called to fulfil. 409 Such formation can
be in the form of catechesis classes, seminars, workshops, and conferences organised on
diocesan, deanery and parish level. It can also be in form of Bishop’s newsletters addressed to
all faithful in the Diocese, regular pastoral letters, audio and visual presentations. The
formation can also take place through social media.
Cf. L. LORUSSO, “L’Azione Missionaria degli Istituti di Vita Consacrata,” p. 15.
Ecclesia in Africa, no. 75
409
Cf. L. LORUSSO, “L’Azione Missionaria degli Istituti di Vita Consacrata,” p. 15.
407
408
102
3.5.6
Missionary Oriented Catechesis
Catechesis, according to General Directory for Catechesis, “promotes and matures
initial conversion, educates the convert in the faith and incorporates him into the Christian
community.”410 It is essentially an ecclesial act aiming at putting people “not only in touch, but
also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ.”411 Catechesis thus enables the believers
to better and intimately know the Lord in whose mission they share and whose mandate they
fulfil. Furthermore, catechesis prepares the faithful “to live in community and to participate
actively in the mission of the Church.”412 The Directory further prescribes that there should be
ongoing Christian education so that, through the action of the Holy Spirit, “the gift of
‘communion’ and the task of ‘mission’ are deepened and lived in an increasingly intense way.”413
The Catechism Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha made determinations primarily for
preparation for the reception of sacraments of initiation and of marriage, for administrative
procedures and methodology of catechesis.414 Nevertheless, there is a need for ongoing
catechetical formation for all the faithful in the Diocese for deepening their relationship with
Christ and missionary consciousness. Thus, the Diocese needs to enact a formation programme
for ongoing catechesis, in line with the General Directory for Catechesis numbers 69-72, which
will be more missionary oriented. This can be achieved by reinforcing the diocesan catechetical
commission and the parochial catechetical committees, by including in the programme for all
catechetical stages some material and lessons specifically on the missionary work of the Church,
and by putting in place catechetical year plan for parishes and SCCs. Perhaps re-introducing
paid catechists in the Diocese of Mthatha could reinforce its catechetical programmes.
410
CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, General Directory for Catechesis, 11 August 1997, no. 61,
Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi 1998, p. 48.
411
Ibidem, no. 80.
412
Ibidem, no. 86; cf. Ad Gentes, no. 14
413
Ibidem, nos. 69-70.
414
Cf. THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, Policy Document for Catechesis, 17 November
2010, Diocese of Mthatha, Mthatha 2010.
103
3.5.7
Learning from Other Particular Churches and Bishops Conferences
Vatican Council II and the 1983 Code have made it clear that the Pastors of particular
Churches are to be solicitous for the mission of the universal Church and the particular
Churches in need, offer mutual and fraternal aid to other Churches, and enter into collaboration
with one another.415 The Congregation for Bishops further directs that as far as permissible,
and with the agreement of the Holy See and of the Ordinary concerned, “the Bishop is
encouraged to establish a relationship with a particular missionary Church, sending
missionaries and material resources in accordance with agreed commitments.”416
The Diocese of Mthatha is a relatively young Church which is not yet self-sufficient in
various aspects. To strengthen its missionary action and to empower the faithful to effectively
and zealously take up their missionary responsibilities, it needs aid of other advanced or more
capable particular Churches. Hence it is recommended here that it will do well to learn from
other particular Churches of their means of fulfilling missionary responsibilities regardless of
the challenges they may face. This learning could be through mutual exchange of resources
such as personnel, material, intellectual, literature and financial resources.
3.5.8
Establishment of a Diocesan Missionary Desk
The norms for implementing the Ad Gentes Decree prescribe that a priest should be
appointed in each diocese to effectively promote the work of the missions.417 This provision is
re-enforced by can. 791, 1º which prescribes that “a priest is to be designated to promote
effectively endeavours for the missions, especially the Pontifical Missionary Works.” In the
light of these provisions, it is recommended that a missionary desk or office, led by a designated
415
Cf. Christus Dominus, no. 6; Lumen Gentium, no. 23; Ad Gentes, no. 38; CIC/1983, Cann. 782 §2, 431 §1.
Apostolorum Successores, no. 17.
417
Cf. PAULUS PP. VI, Litterae Apostolicae Motu Proprio Datae Ecclesiae Sanctae III, Normae Ad
Exsequendum Decretum (SS. Concilii Vaticani II «Ad Gentes Divinitus»), 06 Augustii 1966, no. 4, in AAS, LVIII
(1966), p. 783.
416
104
priest, be established for the Diocese of Mthatha, which will focus on promoting the missionary
action to the unbaptised and the lapsed Catholics, promoting awareness of missionary
responsibilities of the faithful through missionary awareness campaigns such as missionary
seminars or workshops, in conjunction with the Pontifical Missionary Works and directives.
3.5.9
Thorough Research on Challenges Affecting Missionary Action
With many Catholics, particularly the youth, leaving the Catholic Church and more not
fulfilling their missionary responsibilities and participating in the apostolate of the Church,
there is a need to conduct a professional research which will study these issues. The study could
look at the core reasons and circumstances which lead to the faithful leaving the Church for
other churches and being reluctant in taking part in the apostolate as well as suggesting
measures to be implemented to resolve those challenges.
Conclusion
Every Christian faithful needs to have a clear understanding and a full acceptance of
his or her role in the missionary activity of the Church, and subsequently fulfil his or her
responsibility with greatest commitment and zeal. This chapter has analysed the particular
prescription on the responsibility of the faithful in fulfilling the missionary activity with
specific focus on the guidelines of the Diocese of Mthatha and the Southern African Catholic
Bishops’ Conference. The main area of focus was the missionary responsibility of the faithful
in the missionary activity of the Church, categorising it into responsibilities proper to specific
category of the faithful and those which apply to all the faithful. The chapter has also examined
the challenges impeding the faithful of Mthatha from being conscious of their responsibility
and from assuming their proper part in the missionary work. It therefore made some
recommendations that would eliminate some of the challenges as well as empowering the
faithful to remain faithful and committed in their missionary works and endeavours even
amongst those challenges which cannot be removed.
105
GENERAL CONCLUSION
This research has established that all the baptised members of the Church, namely, the
clergy, the laity and religious, who by virtue of baptism share in the priestly, prophetic and
royal function of Christ, are responsible for the spread of the Gospel of Christ, the kingdom of
God for the building up of the Body of Christ, the Church. Each has the responsibility according
to one’s condition and function in the Church.
The first chapter examined can. 781 in terms of its sources, formulation journey, content
and of its relation to other canons both in 1983 Latin Code and in 1990 Oriental Code. It was
established that can. 781 is a new norm whose iter to the final promulgated norm of 1983 Code
began in 1980 and whose immediate sources are Vatican II’s Ad Gentes and Lumen Gentium.
The examination of the content of can. 781 established three theologico-juridical principles,
namely, the Church is missionary by its very nature, evangelisation is the fundamental duty of
all the People of God, and all the faithful participate in the missionary work of the Church.
These principles are based on the ecclesiology of Vatican II. A further examination on the
relation of can. 781 with other canons established that the canon is not isolated but its norms
and the values it prescribes form a coherent canonical doctrine and discipline.
The second chapter examined the doctrine and praxis of the norm of can. 781
throughout the history of the Church, focusing particularly on the biblical tradition, the patristic
literature, medieval literature through to Vatican II teaching and the papal writings. This
historical examination has established that proclaiming the good news of salvation and teaching
the nations all that Christ has taught has always been highly esteemed by and regarded as a
primary duty of the Church and thus manifested the Church’s missionary nature founded in the
mission of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the plan of the Father to reconcile
the world with himself. In obedience to the mandate of the Lord and inspired by the Holy Spirit,
106
the Christian faithful throughout the history of the Church have always embarked on
missionary works and endeavours. The Vatican II and papal teaching on missionary
responsibility of the faithful has given firm foundational principles to the norm of can. 781.
Chapter three has analysed the particular legislation on the responsibility of the faithful
in the missionary work of the Church with specific focus on the guidelines issued by competent
authority of the Diocese of Mthatha in relation to the universal law and regional directives
issued by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The main objective of the
chapter was to establish how the Diocese of Mthatha has applied the norm of can. 781 in its
own missionary activity. The chapter further established that the responsibilities of the faithful
can be categorised into those ascribed by law in accordance with functions and conditions of
the faithful and those ascribed to all the faithful. These responsibilities have not been
adequately and concretely defined in the present guidelines of the Diocese of Mthatha.
Every Christian faithful needs to have a clear understanding and a full acceptance of
his or her role in the missionary activity of the Church, and subsequently fulfil it with greatest
commitment and zeal. This research, to some extent, has clarified the missionary responsibility
of the faithful and how the baptised, amid the challenges to the mission of the Church, can
effectively, passionately and efficiently assume their part in the mission of the Church. This
research is not conclusive. In fact, it has made the researcher aware of the lack of sufficient
literary material on the subject of investigation and aroused the enthusiasm to further
investigation on the subject matter. There is still a greater need for further research on the
subject of the responsibility of the faithful in the mission of the Church, specifically in areas
such as missionary parishes, particulars missionary guidelines, the role of SCCs in missionary
work, and in missionary responsibility of the clergy.
107
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Canonical Sources
Codex Iuris Canonici, auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus, 25 Ianuarii 1983, in
AAS, LXXV (1983-II), pp.1-317.
Code of Canon Law, (Latin-English ed., translation prepared under the auspices of the Canon
Law Society of America, Canon Law Society of America, Washington DC 1983).
Codex Iuris Canonici, PII X P.M., Iussu digestus, Benedicti XV Papae, auctoritate
promulgatus, 27 Maii 1917, Romae 1917, in AAS, IX (1917), par. II. pp. 1 – 456.
The 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law, in English translation with extensive Scholarly
Apparatus by E.N. PETERS, Ignatius Press, San Francisco 2001.
Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, Auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II Promulgatus, 18
Octobris 1990, in AAS, LXXXII (1990), pp. 1045 – 1363.
The Code of Canon Law of the Eastern Churches, Latin-English Ed., translation prepared under
the auspices of the Canon Law Society of America, Canon Law Society of America,
Washington DC 1983).
PETERS, E.N., Incrementa in Progressu 1983 Codicis Iuris Canonici. With a Multilingual
Introduction (English, Français, Italiano, Espanol, Deutsch, Polski), Wilson & Lafleur
Ltee, Montreal 2005.
PONTIFICIA COMMISSIO CODICI IURIS CANONICI RECOGNOSCENDO, “Acta
Commissionis. Coetus Studiorum, Città del Vaticano 1977,” in Communicationes, 1
(1969), pp. 27-37.
PONTIFICIA COMMISSIO CODICI IURIS CANONICI RECOGNOSCENDO, Coetus
Studiorum de Munere Docendi, Series Altera, Sessio II, 24-28 martius 1980, in
Communicationes, 29 – 30 (1997 – 1998), pp. 99 – 168.
2. Bible
The New African Bible, Biblical Text of the New American Bible,
ST. PAUL’S COMMUNICATIONS, (ed.), Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi 2011.
108
3. Vatican II Sources and Other Conciliar Documents
CONCILIUM VATICANUM II, Decretum De Activitate Missionali Ecclesiae Ad Gentes
Divinitus, 07 Decembris 1965, in AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 947 – 990, (English translation
in A. FLANNERY, (gen. ed.), Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar
Documents, Vol. I, St. Pauls, Mumbai 2004, pp. 715-752).
______, Decretum De Apostolatu Laicorum Apostolicam Actuositatem, 18 Novembris 1965,
In AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 837-864, (English translation in A. FLANNERY, (gen. ed.),
Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents, Vol. I, St. Pauls,
Mumbai 2004, pp. 676-702).
______, Constitutio Dogmatica de Divina Revelatione Dei Verbum, 18 Novembris 1965, in
AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 817-835, (English trans. in A. FLANNERY, (gen. ed.), Vatican
Council II. The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents, St. Pauls, Bandra 2004, 663-675).
______, Decretum De Pastorali Episcoporum Munere In Ecclesia Christus Dominus, 28 Octobris
1965, in AAS, LVIII (1966), pp. 673 – 701, (English translation in A. FLANNERY,
(gen. ed.), Vatican Council II. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Vol. I, St.
Pauls, Mumbai 2004, pp. 505-544).
______, Constitutio Dogmatica de Ecclesia Lumen Gentium, 21 Novembris 1964, in AAS, LVII
(1965), pp. 5 – 75, (English Translation in A. FLANNERY, (gen. ed.), Vatican Council
II. The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents, St. Pauls, Bandra 2004, pp. 320-382).
4. Papal Sources
BENEDICTUS PP. XV, Epistola Apostolica Maximum Illud, 30 Novembris 1919, in AAS, XI
(1919), pp. 440-455.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Africae Munus, 19 Novembris
2011, in AAS, CIV (2012), pp. 239 – 314.
FRANCISCUS PP., Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Evangelii Gaudium, 24 Novembris
2013, in AAS, CV (2013), pp. 1019 – 1137.
GIOVANNI PAOLO II, Udienza Generale Mercoledì, 19 Aprile 1995,
<
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/audiences/1995/documents/hf_jp-
ii_aud_19950419.html >, (12 September 2017).
109
IOANNIS PP. XXIII, Allocutio Ad Emos Patres Cardinales in Urbe Praesentes Habita,
25 Ianuarii 1959, in AAS, LI (1959), pp. 65-69.
______, Litterae Encyclicae Princeps Pastorum, 28 Novembris 1959, in AAS,
LI (1959), pp. 833-864.
IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, Litterae Encyclicae Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 30 Decembris 1987,
in AAS, LXXX (1988), pp. 513-586.
______, Constitutio Apostolica De Romana Curia Pastor Bonus, 28 Iunii 1988, in AAS,
LXXX (1988), pp. 841-934.
______, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Christifideles Laici, 30 Decembris 1988,
in AAS, LXXXI (1989), pp. 393-461.
______, Constitutio Apostolica Sacri Canones, 18 Octobris 1990, in AAS, LXXXIII (1991),
pp. 1033-1044.
______, Adhortatio Apostolica Post-Synodalis Ecclesia in Africa, 4 Septembris 1995,
in AAS, LXXXVIII (1996), pp. 5-82.
______, Litterae Encyclicae Redemptoris Missio, 7 Decembris 1990, in AAS, LXXXIII
(1991), pp. 249 – 300.
PAULUS PP. VI, Allocutio Ad Patres Conciliares, 6 Novembris 1964, in AAS, LVI (1964),
pp. 998 – 999.
______, Allocutio Ad E.mos Patres Cardinales et ad Consultores Pontificii Consilii Codici
Iuris Canonici recognoscendo, 20 Novembris 1965, in AAS, LVII, (1965) pp. 985-989.
______, Litterae Apostolicae Motu Proprio Datae Ecclesiae Sanctae III, Normae Ad
Exsequendum Decretum (SS. Concilii Vaticani II «Ad Gentes Divinitus»), 06 Augusti
1966, in AAS, LVIII (1966), p. 783-787.
______, Nuntius Universis sacris Praesulibus et Christifidelibus, die recurrente rei missionali
provehendae per totum Orbem Catholicum dicato, 11 Octobris 1966, in AAS, LVIII
(1966), pp. 907______, Allocutio Sodalibus Primarii Consilii Italicae Actionis Catholicae, 11 Ianuarii 1975,
in AAS, LXVII (1975), pp. 103-108.
110
______, Nuntius Universis sacris Praesulibus et catholicis Christifidelibus, die rei missionali
provehendae per totum orbem dicato recurrente, 14 Aprilis 1976, in AAS, LXVIII
(1976), pp. 341-347.
______, Nuntius Occasione oblata diei, qui per totum catholicum orbem ad missionales
res provehendas celebrabitur, 14 Maii 1978, in AAS, LXX (1978), pp. 345-349.
______, Adhortatio Apostolica Evangelii Nuntiandi, 08 Decembris 1975, in AAS, LXVIII,
(1976), pp. 5-76, (English translation in A. FLANNERY (gen. ed.), Vatican Council II.
Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents, Vol II, St Pauls, Bandra 2007, pp. 735-786).
PIUS PP. XI, Litterae Encyclicae Rerum Ecclesiae, 28 Februarii 1926, in AAS, XVII (1926),
pp. 65-83.
______, Littera Apostolica Distracto Territorio a Vicariatu Apostolico de Mariannhill
Erigitur Praefectura Apostolica de Umtata, 30 Martii 1930, in AAS, XXII (1930), p. 483.
PIUS PP. XII, Constitutio Apostolico, De Umtata, 13 Aprilis 1937, in AAS, XXIX (1937),
pp. 327-328.
______, Constititio Apostolico Africa Meridionalis, 11 Ianuarii 1951, in AAS, XXXXIII
(1951), pp. 257-263.
______, Litterae Encyclicae Evangelii Praecones, 2 Iunii 1951, in AAS, XXXXIII
(1951), pp. 497-528.
______, Litterae Encyclicae Fidei Donum, 21 Aprilis 1957, in AAS, XXXXIX (1957),
pp. 225-248.
5. Documents of the Roman Curia
CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS, Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops
Apostolorum
Successores,
22
February
2004,
nos.
28-32,
<
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cbishops/documents/rc_con_cbisho
ps_doc_20040222_apostolorum-successores_en.html#Chapter_II >, (24 March 2018).
CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS, Notae Directivae Postquam Apostoli, 25 Martii
1980, in AAS, LXXII (1980), pp. 343-364.
______, General Directory for Catechesis, 11 August 1997, Paulines Publications Africa,
111
Nairobi 1998.
CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES, Profile, 24 May 2010,
<http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cevang/documents/rc_con_cevan
g_20100524_profile_en.html >, (19 February 2018).
CONGREGATION FOR RELIGIOUS AND FOR SECULAR INSTITUTES,
Essential Elements in the Church's Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes
Dedicated
to
Works
of
the
Apostolate,
31
May
1983,
<
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc_con_ccscrli
fe_doc_31051983_magisterium-on-religious-life_en.html >, (11 May 2018).
CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF THE CHURCH, (ed.), Annuario Pontificio 2017,
Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta Del Vaticano 2017.
______, Annuario Pontificio 2010, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta Del Vaticano 2017.
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine
of the Church, 02 April 2004, < http://www.vatican.va/roman-curia/pontificalcouncils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio_dottsoc_en.html >, (10 May 2018).
6. Synodal Documents
SYNOD OF BISHOPS, “The Final Report of the 1985 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops,”
19 December 1985, in Origins 15, no. 27 (1986), pp. 444-450.
7. Documents of Particular Churches
THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MTHATHA, Mthatha Integral Pastoral Approach, Pastoral
Development, Mthatha 2004.
______, The Pastoral Policy of the Diocese of Mthatha, rev. ed., Mariannhill Mission
Press, Mariannhill 2014.
______, Policy Document for Catechesis, 17 November 2010, Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2010.
FEDERATION OF ASIAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCES, Journeying Together Toward the
112
Third Millennium. Statement of the Fifth Plenary Assembly, 27 July 1990,
http://www.fabc.org/offices/olaity/AsIPA%20docs/Statement%20of%20the%20FAB
C%20Fifth%20Plenary%20Assembly-1990-Bandung-Indonesia.pdf >, (17 March 2018).
GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOP’S CONFERENCE, Pastoral Guidelines Issued By The Ghana
Catholic Bishops’ Conference in The Wake Of The 2014 Second National Pastoral
Congress
Held
In
Sunyani,
5-12
August
2014,
12
January
2015,
<
http://accracatholic.org/2014-pastoral-guidelines/ >, (30 April 2018).
HICKEY, B.H., Pastoral Letter Today’s Missionary Challenge, 12 June 2011
<http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/News__Events-News-2011-June-ArchbishopsPastoral-Letter__Todays_Missionary_Challenge_.htm >, (30 April 2018).
LANG, D., Pastoral Guidelines Called to Be A People of Hope, November 2008,
<
https://cliftonDiocese.com//////wp-content/uploads/2017/07/called-to-be-a-people-
of-hope.pdf >, (30 April 2018).
SIPUKA, S.A., Pastoral Letter Synthesis of the Bishop’s Observations on His Visit to the
Parishes, 28 August 2011, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha, Mthatha 2011.
______, Newsletter November 2013, 1 November 2013, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2011.
______, Newsletter October 2015, 01 October 2015, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2015.
______, Newsletter October 2017, 01 October 2017, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2017.
______, A Pastoral Letter to Encourage Vocations, 02 April 2017, Catholic Diocese of
Mthatha, Mthatha 2017.
______, Pastoral Letter Feeding the Hungry, 02 April 2017, Catholic Diocese of Mthatha,
Mthatha 2017.
SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Community Serving
Humanity. Pastoral Plan of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa, Lumko
Publications, Germiston 1989.
113
______, Evangelising Community Serving God, Humanity and all Creation,
(draft document yet to be published).
______, We Are the Church. Pastoral Directive on Co-responsibility in the Church,
Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Pretoria 1994.
8. Commentaries
BARR, D.L., “The Obligations and Rights of the Lay Christian Faithful (Cann. 224-231),” in
J.P. BEAL et al., (eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Commissioned
by the CANON LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA, Theological Publications in India,
Bangalore 2013, pp. 291-303.
BRECHTER, S., “Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity,” in H. VORGRIMLER, (gen.
ed.), Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, vol. IV, Freiburg, Herder, Montreal,
Palm Publishers, 1969, pp. 112-124.
CANON LAW SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, The Canon Law Letter and
Spirit. A Practical Guide to the Code of Canon Law, Geoffrey Chapman, London 1995.
CHIAPPETTA, L., Il Codice Diritto Canonico. Commento giuridico-pastorale, Vol. 2, terza
edizione, Edizione Dehoniane Bologna, Bologna 2011.
CORIDEN, J.A., “Missionary Action of the Church (Cann. 781-792),” in J.P. BEAL et al.,
(eds.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Commissioned by the CANON
LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA, Paulist Press, Mahwah 1985, pp. 559-564.
DILLON, R.J., “Acts of the Apostles, (44:16),” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary,
Theological Publications in India, Bangalore 2001, pp. 722-767.
HERRANZ, J., “Genesis and Development of the New Code of Canon Law,” in Exegetical
Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Vol 1, Prepared under the responsibility of
the Martin de Azpilcueta Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Navarra, Wilson &
Lafleur – Montreal and Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago 2004.
KASLYN, R.J., “The Christian Faithful,” in J.P. BEAL et al., (eds.), New Commentary on the
Code of Canon Law, Commissioned by the CANON LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA,
Theological Publications in India, Bangalore 2013, pp. 241-290.
114
KOONAMPARAMPIL, P.J., “Titulus XIV: De Evangelizatione (Cann. 584-594),” in P.V.
PINTO, (ed.), Commento al Codice dei Canoni Delle Chiese Orientali, Libreria
Editrice Vatican, Città del Vaticano 2001, (pp. 463-484).
MONTANA, A., Il Diritto nella Vita e nella Missione della Chiesa, Vol. 1, seconda edizione,
Edizione Dehoniane Bologna, Bologna 2006.
K. McNAMARA, “The People of God,” in Vatican II. The Constitution of the Church. A
Theological and Pastoral Commentary, K. McNAMARA, (ed.), Franciscan Herald
Press, Chicago 1968, pp. 103-162.
K. RAHNER, “The Hierarchical Structure of the Church, with Special Reference to the
Episcopate (Art. 18-27),” in H. VORGRIMLER, (gen. ed.), Commentary on the
Documents of Vatican II, Vol. I, Herder & Herder, New York 1967, p. 206.
RETAMAL, F., “The Missionary Activity of the Church (Cann. 781-792)” in Exegetical
Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Vol. III/1, Prepared under the responsibility
of the Martin de Azpilcueta Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Navare, Wilson &
Lafler – Montreal and Midwest Thelogical Forum, Chicago 2004.
9. Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries
BURROWS, W., “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2003
<
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
maps/evangelii-nuntiandi >, (15 June 2017).
DICTIONARY.COM, s.v. “secularism,” < http://www.dictionary.com/browse/secularism >
(05 May 2018).
HOFFMAN, J., “Mission,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, The Catholic University of
America, Washington, D.C. 1967, pp. 904-905.
NEMER, L., “Mission and Missions,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Vol. 9,
Thomson-Gale, Washington, D.C. 2002, pp. 683-689.
SANTOS, J.L., “Missioni (Missiones),” in Nuovo Dizionario Di Diritto Canonico, Edizioni
San Paulo, Milano 1993, pp. 701-704.
115
10. Books
ADDISON, J.T., The Medieval Missionary. A Study of the Conversion of Northern Europe
A.D. 500-1300, International Missionary Council, New York 1936.
BELLAGAMBA, A., The Mission of the Church. A Commentary and Reflection on the
Encyclical Redemptoris Missio by Pope John Paul II, St Paul Publication-Africa,
Nairobi 1993.
BLAUW, J., The Missionary Nature of the Church. A Survey of the Biblical Theology of
Mission, McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc, New York 1962.
BULGARELL, M., La principale modalità di attuazione dell’attività missionaria della Chiesa
nel can. 786 del Codice di Diritto Canonico, Pontificia Università “San Tommaso
d’Aquino in Urbe”, Roma 1996.
BUONO, G., Missiology. Theology and Praxis, Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi 2006.
BURKE, C., The Lawless People of God? Authority and Freedom in the Church,
Scepter Publishers Kenya, Limuru 2009.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Veritas, Dublin 1994.
COMBY, J., How to Understand the History of Christian Mission, SCM Press, London 1996.
CHRYSOSTOM, J., “The Homilies of St John Chrysostom on the Acts of the Apostles, Part I,
Hom. I-XXVIII, Homily XVIII, Acts 7:54,” in A Library of Fathers of the Holy
Catholic Church. Anterior to the Division of the East and West, Oxford, London 1851.
DISCHL, M., Transkei For Christ. A History of the Catholic Church in the Transkeian
Territories, Mariannhill Mission Press, Mariannhill 1982.
“The Epistle to Diognetus,” in LIGHTFOOT, J.B., (ed. & trans.), The Apostolic Fathers,
Digireads.com Publishing, Stilwell 2007, pp. 487-511.
EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA, The History of the Church, G.A. WILLIAMSON, (trans.)
Penguin Classics, London 1965.
FELICIANI, G., Il Popolo di Dio, terza edizione, Società Editrice Il Mulino, Bologna 2003.
HAHN, F., Mission in the New Testament, Allen-son, Naperville 1965.
116
HARMLESS, W., Desert Christians. An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism,
Oxford University Press, New York 2004.
KAISER, W.C., Mission in the Old Testament. Israel as a Light to the Nations, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids 2000.
LOCHENG, C., Missiology. Introduction to the Roots of the Great Commission, CUEA Press,
Nairobi 2011.
MARTÍN, J.G., L’azione Missionaria nel Codex Iuris Canonici, seconda edizione, Edicurla,
Roma 2005.
MERTON, T., No Man Is an Island, Shambhala Publications, Boston 2005.
MILLOT, R., Missions in the World Today, Hawthorn Books, New York 1961.
O’MALLEY, J.W., What Happened at Vatican II, Oxford University Press, New York 2008.
ORIGEN, Contra Celsum, H. CHADWICK (Trans.), Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge 1965.
QUASTEN, J., Patrology, Vol. III, Spectrum Publishers, Utrecht 1960.
RIVERS, R.S., From Maintenance to Mission. Evangelization and the Revitalization of the
Parish, Pualist Press, Mahwah 2005.
SALACHIS, D., Il Magistero e l’evangelizzazione dei popoli nei Codici Latino e Orientale,
Centro Editoriale Dehoniano, Bologna 2001,
SMITHER, E.L., Missionary Monks. An Introduction to the History and Theology of
Missionary Monasticism, Cascade Books, Eugene 2016.
11. Articles
ALESANDO, J.A., “The Revision of the Code of Canon Law: A Background Study,” in Studia
Canonica, 24 (1990), pp. 91-146.
ASTIGUETA, D.G., “La naturaleza missionera de la Iglesia segun el can. 781 del CIC,”
in Ius Missionale, anno III, 2009, pp. 27-62.
BEVANS, S.B., “Mission at the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965,” in New Theology
117
Review, Vol. 25/2, (March 2013), pp. 7-15.
BOHR, D., “Evangelisation: The Essential and Primary Mission of the Church,” in The Jurist,
Vol. 39 (1979), pp. 40-87.
CITRINI, T., “La Parrocchia Come Chiesa Locale,” in La Parrocchia. XXXI Incontro di
Studio Centro Dolomiti Pio X – Borca di Cadore 28 giugno – 2 luglio 2004, Edizione
Glossa, Milano 2005, pp. 87-95.
CUNNINGHAM, A., “Church People as Missionary: A Ministerial Church,” in The Jurist,
Vol. 39 (1979), pp. 154-182.
DE PAOLIS, V., “La Chiesa Missionaria e il Codice del Concilio,” in La Chiesa è Missionaria.
La Ricezione nel Codice di Diritto Canonico, Urbaniana University Press, Città del
Vaticano 2009, pp. 17-55.
ERRÁZURIZ, C.J., “La Dimensione Missionaria del Munus Docendi Ecclesiae. Profili
Giuridici,” in La Chiesa è Missionaria. La Ricezione nel Codice di Diritto Canonico,
Urbaniana University Press, Città del Vaticano 2009, pp. 58.
FANNING, D., “The New Testament and Missions,” 2009, in Themes of Theology that Impacts
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eo >, (21 December 2017), pp 1-18.
GLEESON, B., “The Church as the People of God: A People in Communion,” in Australian
eJournal of Theology, 5 (August 2005), p. 1-10.
GOMEZ, F., “Mission History from the Beginnings to the Modern Period,” in Following Christ
in Mission. A Foundational Course in Missiology, Pauline Sisters Bombay Society,
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LORUSSO, L., “L’Azione Missionaria degli Istituti di Vita Consacrata,” in Ius Missionale,
Vol. V (2011), pp. 13-27.
MCGARRY, M.B., “Contemporary Roman Catholic Church Understanding of Mission,” in
Christian Mission-Jewish Mission, Paulist Press, Ramsey 1982, pp. 119-146.
MOSKALA, J., “The Mission of God’s People in the Old Testament,” in Perspective Digest,
118
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NAKATO, N., “Canon Law: A Legal Instrument for the Renewal of Faith,” in African Journal
of Canon Law Studies, Vol. 1/1, (January 2014), pp. 28-50.
OWOR, M.J., “Lay Participation in the Munera Sanctificandi et Docendi Christi,” in African
Journal of Canon Law Studies, Vol. 1/2, (June 2014), pp. 46-85.
REUTER, A., “The Missionary Activity of the Church (Canons 781-792),” in Studia Canonica,
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SCHREITER, R.J., “The Impact of Vatican II,” in The Twentieth Century, Orbis Books,
Maryknoll 1999, pp.158-172.
VADAKUMPADAN, P., “Ecclesiological Foundation of Mission,” in Following Christ in
Mission. A Foundational Course in Missiology, Pauline Sisters Bombay Society,
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