A great challenge

The “effective” use of the means of social communication that the Church has at her disposal for evangelising, and hence radio, television and internet to “place men and women in contact with Jesus Christ and His Church”: that is one of the key points in the pastoral letter on mission in the 21st century that the bishop of Breda and delegate for missions, interfaith dialogue and aid to development within the Dutch Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor MUSKEN , presented in recent days. The letter was published on the Dutch bishops’ website on 2 June, coinciding with Pentecost. Following the announcement of the letter, the Dutch Catholic Church launched a great challenge. The decline in the number of faithful, the financial difficulties faced by the Church and the unwillingness of people to get involved in pastoral work demand a change. What is required today is a Church that is more visible in society and a new impetus. A series of measures are also planned in the fields of catechesis, ecclesial presence and evangelization. In their pastoral letter the bishops spell out their vision of these developments. In “Witnesses to the hope that is in us”, their first missionary letter since 1974, the Dutch bishops use of lever of faith in Dutch society, which is now largely secularised; they don’t propose infallible solutions to reach people with the Gospel, but they take a courageous stand and encourage the faithful to assume an “attitude of missionary life”. WHAT MISSION? What is the mission of the Church in the 21st century, both inside the country and abroad? Many such questions are posed by the bishops in their pastoral letter. But the most important challenge of the missionary movement in the 21st century “is on the terrain of the new evangelization”, and therefore, the bishops continue, “how can we in our world and in our country enable people to know Jesus Christ and his Gospel?”. The bishops also pay attention to the role of Catholics in society and the contribution they can make: “the Dutch bishops wish to play a more active role in the public debate and in stimulating the Catholic voice so that it may be heard in social discussions”. They also express the hope that “the Catholic social organizations find a new missionary impetus, not rooted in nostalgia for a long-gone past, but supported by the conviction that a vital Catholic voice should be heard” in Dutch society. Apart from using its own media to this end, the Church ought to “address herself to men and women who have a weak link with the Church, also through other channels”. One example might be that of rendering parish magazines more widely accessible and proposing lessons on the faith, as on the occasion of the sacraments, such as baptism and matrimony, even if at an elementary level. That is the hope; so the parishes ought as a consequence to throw open their doors, and become real community centres where people can meet together. A CHURCH AS REFUGE. “We seem to have become to some degree a Church as refuge. That’s why out of fear we keep our doors locked from the outside world”, warn the bishops. They therefore appeal “to conscientious Catholic men and women” to make the Catholic voice heard with clarity in the social debate. It is they themselves who want to give a good example, offering the faithful the depth of their faith, because, they point out, “so many Catholics in our country remain mute when their faith is placed on the line. They have difficulty in explaining what being Christians means for them and what God means for them”. MISSIONARY SUGGESTIONS. In spite of secularisation in the Dutch ecclesiastical province, the bishops are joyfully investing in the transmission of the faith. The pastoral letter offers a number of practical “missionary suggestions”, ranging from the development of ecclesiastical services aimed specifically at new arrivals to recommendations on parish choirs. AT THE SIDE OF THE POOREST. “Faith”, recall the bishops, “is aimed not just at the transmission of the Gospel, but also at caring for the disadvantaged in our own local area and expressing solidarity with the poorest in the world”. The role to be played by dialogue with other regions is also fundamental. SECULAR ISLAND. “The link with the flourishing Catholic Churches in the southern hemisphere may help the faithful in Europe not to get discouraged”, write the bishops, and not to feel themselves “a secular island in a religious world”. Those Churches in the poor world, the bishops underline, will also “have need for financial support, but we can also receive in exchange their spiritual richness and vital inspiration” FACT FILE. The letter runs to 21 pages. It is easy to consult, subdivided into chapters, each devoted to one of the questions tackled. It begins with “the mission of Jesus Christ”, followed by “I am with you”, “men and women on the road”, “Pentecost”, “the new evangelization”, “making Christ visible”, “spiritual cement”, “interfaith dialogue”, “terrorism”, “ecumenism in the 21st century”, “country of missionaries”, “globalization”, “seeking committed Catholics”, and “multicultural society”. In addition the letter contains 16 practical suggestions and 4 interviews on “how to become Catholics”.