On the "Church of the Poor"

My Dear Brothers in the Episcopacy,

1. It is with immense joy that I greet you, the Filipino Bishops from the Provinces of Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Lipa, Ozamis and Zamboanga, on the occasion of your visit "ad Limina Apostolorum." You are the first of three groups of Filipino Bishops who, over the course of the next two months, will be coming to Rome to "see Cephas" (cf. Galatians 1:18), to share with him "the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties" ("Gaudium et Spes," 1) of your local communities. These days are a time of grace for you as you pray at the tombs of the Apostles and seek to be strengthened in preaching "the unsearchable riches of Christ," making known "the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things" (Ephesians 3:8-9).

My words to you today, and those that I shall address to your fellow Bishops when the next two groups arrive, are meant for all of you in the Philippines whose task it is to "tend the flock of God that is your charge" (1 Peter 5:2).

2. At the beginning of this new millennium, shortly after the close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Filipino Bishops convoked the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal, taking up once more the theme that, ten years earlier, had been the inspiration for one of the most significant events in the ecclesial life of your local Church: the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines. In fact, the National Consultation focused its attention squarely on the results of the Council, taking a careful and realistic look at the continuing implementation of the decrees arising from it.

As I share my thoughts with you, I too would like to place my reflections in the context of this Council and the recommendations that came from it. Three key pastoral priorities emerged from the plenary council: the need to be a Church of the poor, the pledge to become a true community of the Lord's disciples, and the commitment to engage in renewed integral evangelization. Since the Filipino Bishops will be making their "ad Limina" visits to Rome in three groups, I shall use each of these points as a broad backdrop for my comments to each group. For you, I shall start with the first priority: the Church of the poor.

3. In the Vision-Mission Statement for the Church in the Philippines, we read the simple and incisive declaration: "Following the way of our Lord, we opt to be a Church of the poor." The plenary council dealt extensively with what it means to be a Church of the poor (cf. Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, 122-136). It gave a succinct description of the Church of the poor as a community of faith that "embraces and practices the evangelical spirit of poverty, which combines detachment from possessions with a profound trust in the Lord as the sole source of salvation" (ibid., 125). This echoes the first Beatitude -- "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

We do well to note that this preference for the poor is in no way exclusive but embraces all people regardless of economic class or social standing. It is a Church, however, that gives preferential attention to the poor, seeking to share time and resources in order to alleviate suffering. It is a Church that works with all sectors of society, including the poor themselves, in search of solutions to the problems of poverty, in order to free people from lives of misery and want. It is a Church moreover that makes use of the talents and gifts of the poor, relying on them in the mission of evangelization. The Church of the poor is a Church in which the poor are welcomed, listened to and actively involved.

4. In a very real way, then, a true Church of the poor contributes much to the needed transformation of society, to social renewal based on the vision and values of the Gospel. This renewal is an undertaking that has the lay faithful as its principal and essential agents: therefore, the laity must be given the necessary tools to carry out this role successfully. This entails a thorough formation in the Church's social doctrine, and constant dialogue with clergy and religious concerning social and cultural issues. As Pastors and spiritual leaders, your careful attention to these tasks will do much to serve the Church's mission "ad gentes": for "by the grace and call of Baptism and Confirmation, all lay people are missionaries; and the arena of their missionary work is the vast and complex worlds of politics, economics, industry, education, the media, science, technology, the arts and sport" ("Ecclesia in Asia," 45).

5. Of course, we must not lose sight of the fact that the immediate and perhaps most important arena of lay witness to Christian faith is marriage and the family. When family life is healthy and flourishing, there is likewise a strong sense of community and solidarity -- two essential elements for the Church of the poor. Not only is the family an object of the Church's pastoral care but it is also one of the most effective agents of evangelization. In fact, "Christian families are today called to witness to the Gospel in difficult times and circumstances, when the family itself is threatened by an array of forces" (ibid., 46). You and your priests, therefore, should be ever ready to help couples to relate their family life in concrete ways to the life and mission of the Church (cf. "Familiaris Consortio," 49), nourishing the spiritual life of parents and children through prayer, the word of God, the sacraments, examples of holiness of life and charity.

The witness borne by being a Church of the poor will also be of inestimable value to the family in its Christian and social vocation. Indeed, without ignoring the deleterious effects of secularism or of legislation that corrupts the meaning of family, marriage and even human life itself, we may note that poverty is certainly among the major factors exposing Filipino families to the risk of instability and fragmentation. How many children have been left to live without mother or father because one or both parents have had to seek work abroad? Moreover, the many different types of exploitation that can undermine family life -- child labor, pornography, prostitution -- are often linked to dire economic conditions. A Church of the poor can do much to strengthen the family and to combat human exploitation.

Before moving on from the topic of the family, I must add a word of praise for the Filipino Bishops and all who worked with you to make the Fourth World Meeting of Families, held in Manila at the beginning of this year, such a success.

6. Dear Brothers, the sharing of my thoughts with you today would be incomplete if I failed to mention the unsettling presence of terrorist activity in the Philippines and the abhorrent episodes of violence erupting there. These are indeed a cause of grave concern, and I wish you to know that I share your preoccupations and am close to you and your people in these painful and distressing circumstances. With you, I cannot condemn such acts strongly enough. I call on the parties involved to lay down the weapons of death and destruction, rejecting the despair and hatred which these entail, and to take up the arms of mutual understanding, commitment and hope. These are the sure foundations for building a future of authentic peace and justice for all.

In the campaign against terrorism and violence, religious leaders have a vital role to play. "The various Christian confessions, as well as the world's great religions, need to work together to eliminate the social and cultural causes of terrorism. They can do this by teaching the greatness and dignity of the human person, and by spreading a clearer sense of the oneness of the human family" (Message for the 2002 World Day of Peace, 12). This, my Brothers, is an explicit call for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and cooperation, which are themselves further components of a true Church of the poor. I encourage your efforts in this regard and urge you to increase the opportunities for yourselves and your communities to engage in fruitful exchanges with other believers in Christ and with your Muslim brothers and sisters.

In a special way I recommend that the Bishops-Ulama Forum emphasize at the local level the joint "Commitment to Peace" presented at the Day of Prayer for Peace held in Assisi on January 24, 2002. Two hundred religious leaders joined me at that time in condemning terrorism, and together we committed ourselves "to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion, and ... to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism" (Commitment 1). This, my Brothers, must be the clear pledge of the religious leaders in Mindanao and throughout the Philippines.

7. These then are some of the reflections that I wish to share with you. With full support for your ongoing special commitment to the poor, I commend you and your priests, religious and lay faithful to Mary, the humble and obedient handmaid of the Lord. As a pledge of grace and strength in her Son, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
 

* * * * *

Pope Urges Solid Preparation for Laity and Priests

Your Eminence,
Dear Brother Bishops,

1. On the occasion of your visit "ad Limina Apostolorum" I warmly welcome you, the Filipino Bishops from the Provinces of Caceres, Capiz, Cebu, Jaro and Palo. You are the second of three groups who are making this solemn pilgrimage to the city of the Apostles Peter and Paul. It is my fervent prayer that your time together with "the Successor of Peter" and those who assist him in his pastoral ministry will be a source of renewed zeal and strength for you when you return to your respective local Churches. I am especially pleased to greet Cardinal Vidal, and I thank him for the sentiments he conveyed on behalf of the Bishops, clergy, religious and faithful of your Dioceses.

As I mentioned to the first group of Bishops from the Philippines, the significant ecclesial events of the Second Plenary Council held in 1991 and the more recent National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal have had positive lasting effects in the lives of Filipino Catholics. The Plenary Council stressed the need for three fundamental pastoral initiatives: becoming a Church of the poor, developing into a community of disciples of the Lord, and engaging in renewed integral evangelization. Indeed, the challenge of fully implementing this threefold plan continues to breathe new life into the Filipino Church and Filipino society at large. Having already developed the theme of the Church of the poor in my comments to the first group of Bishops, I now focus my attention on the second priority: becoming a true community of disciples of the Lord.

2. The National Pastoral Consultation describes the Church in the Philippines as "the community of disciples who firmly believe in the Lord Jesus and who joyfully live in harmony and solidarity with one another, with creation and with God" (Vision-Mission Statement of the Church in the Philippines). This brings to mind the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of John, when he explains that being a disciple of the Lord is not a whimsical decision but is instead a serious, loving response to a personal invitation: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. This I command you, to love one another" (John 15:16,17). The manner in which the disciples express their love is one of the many topics that you and your Brother Bishops sought to address, clearly teaching that to become a true follower of Christ requires "integral faith formation." In fact, it is only through this authentic discipleship, based on loving solidarity, that the Philippines can begin to resolve the worrisome dichotomy between faith and life which plagues so many modern societies.

3. In my Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Asia" I mentioned the pride which Asians take in their religious and cultural values of love of silence, contemplation, simplicity and harmony, to name but a few. "All of this indicates an innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom in the Asian soul" (No. 6). This "spiritual insight" is clearly witnessed in the deep religious sentiments of the Filipino people and is fertile ground in which to nurture the disposition that leads every Christian to a more authentic discipleship. Your Pastoral Letter on spirituality explains that it is Christ-centered commitment which defines your people as pilgrims on the way to their true home. Regular attendance at Sunday Mass, active participation in parish activities and feasts, impressive Marian devotions and the large number of national shrines in your country are but a few examples of the rich Christian heritage which constitutes an integral part of your country's life and culture. Notwithstanding these positive aspects, there still exist certain contradictions among Christians and in Filipino society at large. These incongruities can only be rectified by your being fully opened to Christ's spirit, going into the world and transforming it into a culture of justice and peace (cf. "Apostolicam Actuositatem," 4).

4. Fulfilling these noble aims necessitates a commitment on your part to prepare the lay faithful to be true disciples for the world. It is the Pastors of local Churches who ensure that the laity has at its disposal programs of spirituality and catechesis to prepare it for this mission. I am encouraged to see the many ways in which the Church in the Philippines strives to fulfill this responsibility. This is apparent not only in the educational opportunities offered by so many Dioceses but also in the various lay organizations and in the small faith communities and movements which are thriving in your country. Although these groups may seem quite diverse at first glance, in fact "they all come together in an all-inclusive and profound convergence when viewed from the perspective of their common purpose" ("Christifideles Laici," 29). This is especially the case when such groups are actively involved in parish life and maintain a relationship of open and affectionate communication with one another, their parish priests and their Bishops. As Christ teaches "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34).

5. One of the major contributions the Church can make in guaranteeing a solid preparation of the laity is to ensure that seminaries and religious houses are training future priests to be dedicated disciples of the Word and Sacrament. It is a complex process that begins with the proper selection of candidates. In this regard, I recommend that you and your priests actively search for good, pious and well-balanced young men for the priesthood and challenge them to be not afraid "to put out into the deep" for a catch of inestimable value (cf. "Novo Millennio Ineunte," 1).

Once a candidate is selected, the process of preparing him to be a good and holy priest begins. This demands that "the spiritual formation and doctrinal instruction of the students in a seminary be harmoniously blended" ("Codex Iuris Canonici," c. 244) and supervised by well-trained formators. We can speak here of the diverse types of formation: human formation, which assists the candidate to live and internalize priestly virtues, especially those of simplicity, chastity, prudence, patience and obedience; intellectual formation, which emphasizes an in-depth study of philosophy and theology, at all times maintaining fidelity to the teachings of the Magisterium; pastoral formation, which enables the candidate to apply theological principles to pastoral praxis; and spiritual formation, which stresses the essential need for regular celebration of the sacraments, especially the Sacrament of penance, together with private and devotional prayer and frequent visits with a spiritual director (cf. "Pastores Dabo Vobis," 43-59, "Codex Iuris Canonici," c. 246 ). Any course of priestly formation which offers these elements will indeed produce ministers who will joyously "struggle to be faithful to the Lord and to serve his flock unswervingly" ("Pastores Dabo Vobis," 82).

6. The National Pastoral Council discussed at great length the need to support and assist priests in their ministry and resolved to "seek creative ways of ongoing formation" for the clergy (Proceedings and Addresses of the NPCCR, January 2001, p. 59). This may be likened to the continuing renewal of "spirit and mind" that Saint Paul writes about in his Letter to the Ephesians (cf. 4:23-24). As in the case of the formation of seminarians, priestly formation demands a "harmoniously blended" approach which at all times promotes the priestly virtues of charity, prayer, chastity and faithful celebration of the liturgy, practices unappreciated or even rejected by modern culture and its media.

Today's clergy must be careful not to adopt the secular view of the priesthood as a "profession," a "career" and a means of earning a living. Rather, the clergy must see the priesthood as a vocation to selfless, loving service, embracing wholeheartedly the "esteemed gift of celibacy" and all that this involves. Here I wish to emphasize that celibacy is to be regarded as an integral part of the priest's exterior and interior life, and not just as a long-standing ideal which is to be respected (cf. "Presbyterorum Ordinis," 16). Sadly, the lifestyle of some clergy has been a countersign to the spirit of the evangelical counsels which should be a part of the spirituality of every priest. The scandalous behavior of a few has undermined the credibility of many. I wish you to know that I am aware of the sensitive way in which you have attempted to address this issue, and I encourage you not to lose hope. True discipleship calls for love, compassion and at times strict discipline in order to serve the common good. [It should] always be just and always be merciful.

7. Dear Brothers, as you prepare for your return home I leave you with these reflections, knowing that you will continue to guide your people effectively on the lifelong pilgrimage of true discipleship. Take consolation in the fact that you are not alone on this journey, as our beloved Mother Mary, the Morning Star that lights up our lives and banishes the darkness of night accompanies you, ushering you and your faithful into the new dawn (cf. Pastoral Letter on Filipino Spirituality). As a pledge of joy and peace in her Son, the Santo Niño, I impart my Apostolic Blessing.

He likes to drive trucks and read books...