AAS 80 - La Santa Sede
AAS 80 - La Santa Sede AAS 80 - La Santa Sede
1224 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale You, more than anyone, know the goodness and commitment of your priests. You also know the difficulties they face when certain cultural and social factors clash with Christian doctrine or the requirements of their Catholic priesthood. Sometimes they are without sufficient fraternal support because they may have to live alone and far from one another. Expérience shows that there is only one really effective remedy : a deep personal faith nourished by constant prayer, and a life-style based on self-giving and humility, in an effort to identify ever more fully with Christ, the high priest who offered himself up unblemished to God. 9 For this reason everything that you do in collaboration with each other and with the religious com- munities involved, in order to sustain and increase the spiritual growth and fraternal communion of the priests working in your Diocèses, is a magnifìcent service to them and to the Church. 6. As for the life and ministry of priests and Religious in your country, it is cl car that they have a special role and responsibility in "incarnating" the Gospel in the culture of the people whom they serve. The word of God is directed to ail cultures, and the task is to translate the treasure of the faith, in ail its originality and without betrayal, into the legitímate variety of expressions found among the various peoples of the world. Inculturation is not the simple assimi lation of local customs, expressions or outlooks into the life of the Church. It proceeds above ali from the very power of the Gospel to transform, purify and elevate the genius and values of every culture. Once the éléments of a particular culture are seen truly to conform to the revealed message as held and transmitted by the Church, then they can be incorporated into the worship, life and ministry of the ecclesial community. There is always a need for a genuine discernment that is subject to a corresponding pastoral charism entrusted to the magisterium of the Bishops. 7. To recali the important role of catechists and Catholic teachers in evangelization in your country is to mention something that is seif evident to you who work with them daily and dépend on them in your pastoral ministry. I am aware of the many efforts you are making to give them the formation and support they need. To all of them I send a special greeting in the Lord, and I ask him to 9 Cf. Heb 9:11-14.
Acta Ioannis Pauli Pp. II 1225 strengthen their faith and sustain them in consolidating the Christian communities in which they work. Today there is a need too for improved adult cathechesis, both for those who are Coming to the faith for the first time and for the faithful in general who are called upon to live their Christian lives in an increasingly complex and sometimes secularized environment. The defence of the Christian family, the upliolding of the dignity of the human person in the face of old and modern forms of violence against the image of God in every individual, including the unborn child, are serious challenges requiring unity and collaboration between clergy and laity. These are also areas in which a spirit of ecumenical collaboration with members of other Christian Communities, and dialogue with the followers of other religious traditions, can bring results beneficiai to all concerned. In the wake of the recent Synod of Bishops on the thème of the Laity, the Church is called to foster lay involvement at all levéis, in parishes, through lay organizations and by enabling lay persons to assume their proper roles of responsibility in Church activities. Much has already been done in this field, and you have expressed your intention to pursue this path still further in your local Churches, by seeking to intensify the formation of the laity for their specific tasks, both ecclesial and social. Do not hesitate to promote the formation 0 f Catholic leaders capable of taking a prominent place in the cultural and public life of your country. To achieve this purpose, you are blessed to have in Nairobi the Catholic Higher Institute of Bastern Africa, which I had the joy of inaugurating at the time of the Inter national Eucharistie Congress in 1985. This Institute offers invaluable resources for the training of lay leaders, as well as for the entire spiritual and ecclesial life of your ever maturing local Churches. 1 can only encourage you to pursue the many ideas which you are already considering for the constant improvement of Catholic éducation. In this respect too it is heartening to know that more attention is being given to the Catholic présence in the media, and that you are in the process of responding to the need for a Catholic newspaper. Leaders in these endeavours should be moved by a sincere desire to serve the genuine progress and well-being of their fellow-citizens. 8. My dear brother Bishops : whoever looks at the state of the Church in Kenya is immediately impressed by the sense of commit ment, the hard work and self-giving which characterizes you, the
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1224 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale<br />
You, more than anyone, know the goodness and commitment of<br />
your priests. You also know the difficulties they face when certain<br />
cultural and social factors clash with Christian doctrine or the<br />
requirements of their Catholic priesthood. Sometimes they are without<br />
sufficient fraternal support because they may have to live alone and<br />
far from one another. Expérience shows that there is only one really<br />
effective remedy : a deep personal faith nourished by constant prayer,<br />
and a life-style based on self-giving and humility, in an effort to<br />
identify ever more fully with Christ, the high priest who offered<br />
himself up unblemished to God. 9 For this reason everything that<br />
you do in collaboration with each other and with the religious com-<br />
munities involved, in order to sustain and increase the spiritual growth<br />
and fraternal communion of the priests working in your Diocèses,<br />
is a magnifìcent service to them and to the Church.<br />
6. As for the life and ministry of priests and Religious in your<br />
country, it is cl car that they have a special role and responsibility<br />
in "incarnating" the Gospel in the culture of the people whom they<br />
serve. The word of God is directed to ail cultures, and the task is<br />
to translate the treasure of the faith, in ail its originality and without<br />
betrayal, into the legitímate variety of expressions found among the<br />
various peoples of the world. Inculturation is not the simple assimi<br />
lation of local customs, expressions or outlooks into the life of the<br />
Church. It proceeds above ali from the very power of the Gospel to<br />
transform, purify and elevate the genius and values of every culture.<br />
Once the éléments of a particular culture are seen truly to conform<br />
to the revealed message as held and transmitted by the Church, then<br />
they can be incorporated into the worship, life and ministry of the<br />
ecclesial community. There is always a need for a genuine discernment<br />
that is subject to a corresponding pastoral charism entrusted to the<br />
magisterium of the Bishops.<br />
7. To recali the important role of catechists and Catholic teachers<br />
in evangelization in your country is to mention something that is seif<br />
evident to you who work with them daily and dépend on them in<br />
your pastoral ministry. I am aware of the many efforts you are<br />
making to give them the formation and support they need. To all<br />
of them I send a special greeting in the Lord, and I ask him to<br />
9 Cf. Heb 9:11-14.
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