The Belgian Bishops’ Conference recently presented its pastoral plan for 2002-3. Called ‘Year of diakonia’, it is the result of a reflection already anticipated in the Declaration “The mission of Christians in the world” of January 2001. “Placing one’s own life at the service of one’s fellowmen and of a just society is not a monopoly of Christians. But by virtue of the Christian faith, such service acquires an added content, a specific orientation, and an unexpected depth and meaning. In what does this specific character consist? We wish to invite the whole ecclesial community in our country to reflect, during the pastoral year between September 2002 and June 2003, on vocation to service”: with this objective, announced in the Declaration, the Belgian bishops inaugurated the Year of diakonia. To avoid the danger of confusion with the ministry of the permanent diaconate, the Bishops’ Conference has chosen ‘Sent to serve’ as its theme for 2002-2003. “The Church affirm the bishops cannot serve without being close to real life and without continuous inculturation. Otherwise she would immediately find herself in a kind of offside position”. “Today they continue the Church must undoubtedly perform her service in a different way than in the recent past. Our roots do not justify clinging onto previous models of presence in society. We must learn to exercise the ‘gift of discernment’ and clearly and courageously to decide what should be held onto and what should be discarded and, above all, what needs most urgently to be done”. The bishops indicate various way of responding today to the question once put to Jesus “who is my neighbour?”: the family, the weakest and most defenceless, the oppressed. This also means concerning ourselves with how best to use the goods of the earth and hence with ecology; the cancellation of the debt of the poor countries and globalization; the reception of immigrants and co-existence between cultures and religions; peace and democracy. Particular attention will be devoted to believers involved in various fields of service especially assistants in the parishes and leaders of Christian organizations and institutions active in the ‘tertiary sector’ to help them in a process of spiritual development. It is the Lord say the bishops who calls Christians and sends them to serve. The best service that the disciples of Christ may perform is to live the Gospel and to ‘speak of God’ to their fellowmen in a cultural context “in which the importance of individualism and self-affirmation, together with the predomination of science and technology, is very strong”. Believers have the chance to remind man that he is, first and foremost, a being in relationship with others who may find in God the source of genuine freedom. Service to God and service to man are not two competing realities, but can only be realized together. That’s why 2003/2004 says the Declaration “will be dedicated to our vocation to evangelization and, in the following year, to prayer and the sacraments. So it’s a pastoral plan for three years. Our vocation is one only, but it comprises three aspects: serving, proclaiming and praying”. C.S.
