Source: http://www.clsadb.com/document/9bb57e13-4961-481d-b655-410dbbc84c13
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 00:03:43+00:00

Document:
Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples, Instruction on Missionary Cooperation Cooperatio missionalis, 1 October 1998.
1. John Paul II, Apost. Const. Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988) art 87: AAS 80 (1998) p. 882; cf. Code of Canon Law (CIC), c. 781,791.
2. Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 23; Decree Ad gentes, n. 38; Decree Christus Dominus, n. 6.
3. Cf. S. Cong. De Propaganda Fide, Instr. Quo aptius (24 February 1969): AAS 61 (1969), pages 276-281.
Following the new thrust given by the Code of Canon Law4 and Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio,5 the Congregation addressed the same theme in its 1995 Plenary Congregation, from 25 to 28 April, and from it emerged some valuable and concrete “Conclusive Proposals."
Then again the theme was reexamined, under the profile of common responsibility, in a special meeting held in Rome from 29 April to 1 May 1996, with the participation of a number of Bishop Presidents of the “Episcopal Commissions for Missions” and National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), chosen according to the criterion of representation of the whole Church.
The contributions of both the Plenary Congregation of 1995 and the Meeting of 1996 were a starting point for the revision of the Instruction Quo Aptius, still substantially valid, but in need of a global revision.
1. To reaffirm the doctrinal principles that are at the basis of missionary cooperation.
2. To provide guidelines on missionary cooperation, with special reference to the PMS, and in particular on relations between the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Episcopal Conferences.
3. To encourage and specify ways of carrying out certain initiatives in missionary cooperation in dioceses of territories of common right for the benefit of young Churches.
A number of Bishop members of the “Episcopal Commissions for Missions” and various National Directors of the PMS helped to draft this present Instruction which contains the completely revised material of the Instruction Quo Aptius.
4. Cf. CIC cs. 781, 782, 791.
5. Cf. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990) nn. 77-86: AAS 83 (1991) pages 324-333.
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples hopes that the fruits of this common work of revision may contribute towards giving a new thrust to missionary cooperation; this is indispensable so that the mission ad gentes of the Church can promote a “new Springtime of the Gospel,"6 as desired by the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II.
“The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature."7 She received the mandate to carry on the universal Plan of salvation which springs, from all eternity, from the “source of love," that is from the charity of God the Father. She presents herself to the world as the continuation of the mystery and mission of Christ, sole Redeemer and first Missionary of the Father, and she is a “universal sacrament of salvation."8 She is gathered in unity throughout the world by the Holy Spirit, the principal Agent of mission, from whom she receives light and energy to proclaim the truth about Christ and the Father whom he revealed. The mission of the Church, therefore, has an essentially “trinitarian” character.
The Church is profoundly convinced of her own identity and mission, and she lives this experience through the commitment of her sons and daughters.
6. Ibid., n. 86: AAS 83 (1991), p. 333.
7. Vatican II Decree Ad gentes n. 2.
8. Cf. Vatican II, Dog. Const. Lumen gentium, nn. 1, 45: Decree Ad gentes, n. 5. Cf. Paul VI, Apost. Exort. Evangelii nuntiandi (8 December 1975), n. 15: AAS 68 (1976), pp. 1315; cf. John Paul II, Encycl. Lett. Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), nn. 9-10: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 257-259.
“As the Father sent me so I too send you” (Jn 20:21). This announcement of Jesus is binding and expresses in the best possible manner the unity and continuity of mission. In fact, the “missio ecclesiae” has its origin in “missio Dei."
The whole Church is called to commitment in missionary activity through active cooperation. Every Christian, by virtue of baptism and confirmation, enters the flow of supernatural activity, in an eternal plan for universal salvation; this is God’s own plan, which is being fulfilled day after day for the benefit of the successive generations that come to form the great human family.
9. Cf. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 6; John Paul II, Encycl. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 34: AAS 83 (1991) pp. 279-280; cf. also: ibid, n. 20: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 267-268.
10. Cf. ibid., n. 1: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 249-250.
11. Cf. ibid., nn. 31-35; AAS 83 (1991), pp. 276-281.
12. Cf. ibid., n. 11: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 259-260; CIC, c. 791, 1.
Missionary cooperation requires adequate coordination for it to be carried out in a spirit of ecclesial communion and in an ordered manner, and thus effectively attain its goal. As participation in the very communion of God, One in Three, there exists a relationship of interior unity and communication among the particular Churches, between each of these and the universal Church, and among all the members of the People of God. This communion is lived in a mutual way and, concretely, in relation to specific missionary activity. No one must be prevented from carrying out this interexchange of ecclesial charity and missionary dynamism. The essential quality of ecclesial communion is in fact its concreteness, so that it involves everyone and reaches the concrete person in his or her real-life context.
Today too, we should be able to say of Christian communities, committed to the universal mission, that they act “with one heart and with one mind” (Acts 4:32).
13. Cf. ibid., nn. 77-86: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 324-333; CIC, can. 781.
14. Cf. CIC, cc. 781.
15. Cf. John Paul II, Enc. letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 77: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 324-325; cf. also: ibid, n. 90: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 336-337.
The local Churches, both at the national level with their own missionary Commissions of the Episcopal Conference, and at the diocesan level, have a similar role in their own sphere.
Many ecclesial bodies operate under the coordination and direction of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, with missionary cooperation as their specific objective, either total or in part. These bodies are the expression of the multiform presence of the Spirit who strengthens the Church from within, in order to carry out the evangelization of the whole of humanity. Among these bodies we should mention the various institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, lay associations, Christian movements, volunteer groups and others. On the basis of their own constitutions or statutes, they work effectively in the vast and varied field of missionary cooperation, using particular means and methods, having their own autonomous structures and organization.
16. Cf. ibid., n. 75: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 322-323.
17. Cf. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 29; John Paul II, Ap. Const. Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), art. 85: AAS 80 (1988), p. 881.
18. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 28; John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 75: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 322-323.
The role of support and coordination on the part of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples at the universal level, and by the Bishops’ Conferences and individual Bishops at the local level, greatly contributes to the unity of spirit and action of the bodies engaged in missionary cooperation.
Within the sphere of missionary cooperation are the PMS which have a primary and proper role. These Societies originated from charismatic initiatives begun by lay people and priests, with the intent of supporting the activity of missionaries, animating and directly involving priests, consecrated persons and lay people in prayer, in offering of sacrifice, in promoting vocations, in charitable and concrete activities.
While it should be underlined that the PMS are of charismatic origin, it is also necessary to point out that the Church has guaranteed their authenticity, recognized them and adopted them as her own, through the direct intervention of the Petrine Office.
The Pontifical Mission Society for the Propagation of the Faith, to foster interest in universal evangelization among all sectors of the People of God, and to promote spiritual and material aid among local Churches, as well as the exchange of apostolic personnel.
19. John Paul II, Ap. Const. Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), art. 91: AAS 80 (1988), p. 883.
children to share their faith and material goods with children of the more needy regions and Churches; and to foster missionary vocations from an early age.
The Pontifical Mission Society of St Peter the Apostle, to increase awareness among Christians of the importance of local clergy in mission territories and invite them to collaborate by spiritual and material means in the formation of candidates to the priesthood and the consecrated life.
The Pontifical Missionary Union, to foster missionary consciousness and formation of priests, seminarians, members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life and their candidates, as well as lay missionaries directly involved in universal missionary activity. It is like the soul of the other Societies, since its members are specially geared to fostering a missionary spirit in Christian communities and to fostering greater cooperation.
20. Paul VI, Message for World Mission Sunday 1968 (2 June 1968): AAS 60 (1968), p. 401; cf. also Paul VI Message for World Mission Sunday 1976 (14 April 1976): Enchiridion delta Chiesa Missionaria, II, p. 240.
21. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 84: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 330-331.
22. Ibid.; cf. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 38.
The nature, aim, and task of each individual Society were confirmed or defined by special Statutes, approved definitively by the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, on 26 June 1980, and valid for the whole Church. These, in the present circumstances, constitute a practical tool for increasing missionary cooperation in the specific areas of the four Societies.
Given their nature and value, the PMS should be present and operative in every particular Church whether of ancient or new foundation. In this way commitment to missionary cooperation will become the “conscience of the Church."
The simultaneous dependency on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on the Bishops’ Conferences, and on individual Bishops requires an organized plan at a working level. This should be carried out in a spirit of concrete collaboration at different levels of responsibility, sharing the same means, in view of reaching a common objective.
23. John Paul II, Ap. Const. Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), art. 85: AAS 80 (1988), p. 881.
24. Ibid., art. 91: AAS 80 (1988), p. 883.
25. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 84: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 330-331.
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and on the Bishops, they have their own right to a certain autonomy that is recognized by the competent authority and indicated in the Statutes. This autonomy is expressed dynamically in the search for suitable ways of cooperation, to meet the demands of a missionary reality constantly changing and requiring new forms of intervention.
In every country there should normally be only one National Director for all four Mission Societies, if they exist, or for all four of the goals to which they tend. In some cases one Director may be responsible for several nations.
The appointment of a National Director falls to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, preferably after the presentation of a terna of candidates by the Bishops’ Conference, through the Papal Representative.
The appointment is for a five year term, renewable normally for only a second successive term.
The basic duty of the National Director is to promote and direct the PMS in the country and coordinate their functioning in the individual Dioceses.
In all duties connected with his office, the Director must faithfully observe the Statutes, other possible norms issued by the Apostolic See, and special directions from the Bishops’ Conference.
All National Directors will take active part in assemblies which, as laid down in the Statutes, are convoked for them, for the purpose of examining common problems and planning the distribution of funds, giving due attention to the necessities of every mission Church, following criteria of equity, and safeguarding priorities. They will present to the respective General Secretaries financial and informative reports on the activities of the Societies, according to given indications.
On no account may National Directors use, for particular purposes or works, offerings of the faithful collected for the mission ad gentes, either on Mission Sunday or on other special occasions. This is binding in conscience and indispensable for safeguarding the fair and universal distribution of aid that is guaranteed by the PMS on behalf of the Pope and the College of Bishops.
Given the common missionary responsibility of Bishops, a special “Episcopal Commission for Missions’ should be set up within each Bishops’ Conference.28 Its duty will be to foster evangelization ad gentes, missionary animation and cooperation in their various forms, and to maintain relations with the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and with the Bishops’ Conference, in order to guarantee unity of action. The dynamism and coordinating capacity of this Commission greatly helps missionary cooperation in each country.
26. Cf. CIC, c. 791 2.
27. Cf. ibid., c. 782.
28. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 38; Paul VI, Apost. Letter Ecclesiae sanctae (6 August 1966), III, art. 9: AAS 58 (1966), p. 784.
a. To suggest and encourage suitable initiatives for the missionary formation of the clergy, for supporting Missionary Institutes, and for the development of missionary awareness in particular Churches, so that the faithful may be personally involved in activity ad gentes and be committed to cooperation.
b. To promote the PMS in every Diocese, assuring the specific nature and effective influence of each one according to their Statutes.
e. To see that all initiatives of missionary cooperation are promoted and harmoniously integrated, so that none operates to the detriment of the other, and always safeguarding the universal and primary character of the PMS.
29. Cf. Pius XI, Motu Proprio Romanorum Pontificium (3 May 1922) n. IX: AAS 14 (1922), p. 327; Paul VI Letter Ap. Ecclesiae sanctae (6 August 1966), III, art. 7: AAS 58 (1966), p. 784.
30. Cf. CIC, c. 791 4; PAUL VI Apost. Letter Ecclesiae sanctae (6 August 1966), III, art. 8: AAS 58 (1966), p. 784; Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 38.
The PMS may put before this Council matters of national interest which they consider important and which should be examined and dealt with, in a context of unity, by all those involved in missionary cooperation. It falls to the Council to put these same matters to the Bishops’ Conference, so that appropriate decisions may be taken.
31. Cf. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 27.
32. Cf. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 66: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 314-315.
33. Paul VI Letter Ap. Ecclesiae sanctae (6 August 1966), III, art. 11: AAS 58 (1966), p. 784.
Where there are also Regional Councils, their structure and functioning will be similar to those of the National Council.
Besides the National Missionary Council set up by the Bishops’ Conference, the PMS should have their own National Council, in conformity with their Statutes.
a. Firstly, we recall the invitation made by the Supreme Pontiffs to Bishops and bodies involved in missionary activity ad gentes, to cooperate actively and faithfully with the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. This cooperation has its juridical foundation in the authority conferred by the Supreme Pontiff on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,34 and it is also a consequence of that necessary apostolic communion for which the Lord prayed during the Last Supper: “Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me” (Jn 17, 21). On the practical level, the PMS should refer to the Bishops’ Conferences and to the Bishops who are responsible for local missionary cooperation, just as the Conferences and Bishops should refer to the PMS.
b. The programmes of the PMS must be integrated into the country’s pastoral plans. This integration will be assured by joint proposals made by the Episcopal Commission and by the Conference’s National PMS Office.
34. Cf. John Paul II, Ap. Const. Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), art. 85-92: AAS 80 (1988), p. 881-883.
What has been said for missionary promotion throughout the country is also true for individual Dioceses, where the PMS Diocesan Director will be a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council.
e. The National Director of the PMS should find support from the Episcopal Commission for carrying out this service, which must be integrated and never in competition with that of others responsible for, or involved in, missionary cooperation.
f. It would be helpful if the President of the Episcopal Commission were invited to the annual national PMS meetings. This would enable him to follow their activities more closely at the stages of planning and review.
35. Cf. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 83: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 329-330.
36. Cf. CIC, cc. 782, 791.
37. Cf. ibid., canon 1267 §3; cf. c. 791 §4.
to carry out his duty in unity of spirit and intent with the directives and chosen options of the Bishops and the local Church. The National Director should be associated with the Episcopal Commission in the most efficient manner possible.
The need for association between the National Director and the Episcopal Commission may find a positive solution, not only through an attitude of communion, but also through the way in which national bodies are structured.
c. other ways may be freely chosen provided that the objective of unity of spirit and action is followed, and that confusion between the various responsibilities is avoided.
Conferences must be intense, creative, and dynamic. Consequently, any initiative in contact between them is to be lauded and encouraged, since it is in itself a sure incentive for missionary activity.
Therefore to all Bishops’ Conferences and to the individual Bishops we offer, on the occasion of ad limina visits, the possibility of meeting with those responsible for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who make themselves available for an exchange of information and for working out programmes. These meetings will give priority to the area of missionary cooperation in its various aspects, as well as that of communion and exchange of charity among the Churches.
Moreover, the Presidents of the Episcopal Commissions are invited, not only to make individual visits to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, but also to attend meetings on missionary cooperation organized by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on a regular or occasional basis, either in Rome or in other central places. Likewise the representatives of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples should take part in national or continental meetings on missionary cooperation organized by the Bishops’ Conferences. Mutual participation in missionary meetings, with exchange of experiences and initiatives, will be to the advantage of the Church’s work of universal evangelization and will strengthen the bonds of communion and cooperation between the Holy See and the particular Churches, as well as among the ecclesial communities themselves, thus fostering missionary cooperation.
more developed.38 For implementation of this form of ecclesial communion and missionary cooperation, besides the observance of canonical norms,39 consultation with the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and with one’s own Bishops’ Conference is also recommended.
a. Fidei donum priests, who are a unique sign of the bond of communion between the Churches, should be selected from among the most suitable candidates and should be duly prepared for the particular work that awaits them.40 Moreover, on their definitive return, they should be welcomed and adequately reintegrated into the presbyterate and the Diocesan pastoral scene. The Diocese should take advantage of their experience to foster the missionary formation of the ecclesial community.
38. Cf. Vatican II, Decree Ad gentes, n. 38 and 41; Decree Christus Dominus, n. 6; John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 68 and 85: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 316,331-332.
39. Cf. CIC, cc. 271, 790.
40. Cf. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 68: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 316.
41. Cf. CIC, cc. 574 §2, 676, 783; John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 69: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 317-318.
Forms of direct cooperation between Churches, which come under the term of “twinning," also have their own validity. Nevertheless, care should be taken not to limit one’s range of action to one objective or isolate oneself with regard to other general initiatives of missionary cooperation, in particular those of the PMS, so as to safeguard the principle of universal equity in the distribution of funds. In bringing about this particular type of collaboration one should not neglect, moreover, to give attention to the ecclesial context, to the style of life, and to dialogue between Diocesan authorities. The PMS National Office should be informed about initiatives of twinning undertaken by Dioceses and parishes.
a. International tourism, which is a mass phenomenon, together with the growing reality of migration, demands that Christians commit themselves to bearing witness to faith and evangelical charity, as well as showing an attitude of respect for cultural interexchange.
42. Cf. CIC, c. 225.
43. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), nn. 37, 82: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 282-286, 328-329.
missionary formation, the value of a direct experience for priests and even for Bishops themselves should not be underestimated.
c. For reasons of study or work Christians are led from young Churches to territories of ancient Christianity, and Christians of both young and ancient Churches go to settle in territories where Christianity is a minority, or little known, or even harassed. In these cases, the Bishops’ Conference should give special care to ensure that the faithful are not abandoned to themselves or deprived of religious assistance.44 It is helpful, when this phenomenon involves considerable numbers, that the Churches of origin also intervene, contacting those receiving their members.
d. In countries of ancient Christian tradition, very often nonChristian groups are formed which are not easily visible or quantifiable, for whom it will be necessary to provide, besides a welcome and social assistance, also first evangelization. The missionary responsibility here falls, in various ways, to the Bishops, to the parish priests, and to their coworkers and the whole Christian community. The Episcopal Commission for Missions, in contact with the PMS, should feel the duty of taking an interest in these immigrants, availing of the cooperation of returned missionaries from their countries, as well as other people belonging to those same countries. Besides these non Christian immigrants in Churches of ancient Christian tradition, there are also local adults who are not baptized; these too must be included in the work of first evangelization. These situations are complex, they represent a new challenge for many Churches, and modify the boundaries both of mission ad gentes and of missionary cooperation.
44. Cf. CIC, c. 792.
45. John Paul II, Enc. Letter Redemptoris missio (7 December 1990), n. 85: AAS 83 (1991), pp. 331-332.
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, for its part, encourages this inter-Church exchange, the concrete fruit of that universal communion that Christ guarantees in the Church through his living and active presence. Nevertheless, the Congregation sees fit to call attention to a new phenomenon. A scarcity of vocations in certain Churches of ancient foundation leads these to seek personnel, particularly priests and women religious, from mission territories, in exchange for other assistance, particularly financial. It follows that, even with the best of intentions, the young Churches are thus deprived of sizable apostolic forces that are indispensable for their Christian life and for progress in evangelization among the population for the most part not yet baptized. Considering that ecclesial communion must increase and not hinder mission ad gentes and the growth of the young Churches, this way of acting must be limited and reordered.
48. John Paul II, Apost. Letter Tertio millennio adveniente (10 November 1994), n. 57; AAS 87 (1995), pp. 39-40.
forms of missionary cooperation, being well aware of the spirit of faith, generosity and sacrifice that this entails.
The norms and guidelines contained in this Instruction are limited to certain practical aspects, aimed at fostering improved coordination among the various forces operating at the level of missionary cooperation, particularly between the Bishops’ Conferences and the PMS. They highlight the positive experience of recent years while remaining attentive and open to challenges from present-day situations, encouraging new undertakings and initiatives.
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples feels it has thus offered a valid contribution to the renewal and relaunching of missionary cooperation, which is always an irreplaceable means of support for missionary activity ad gentes. With confidence then, it entrusts to the maternal protection of Mary, Star of Evangelization, all those in the Church who are working so that the proclamation of Christ may reach the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8).
This Instruction has been referred to by the undersigned Cardinal Prefect in the Audience of 10 September this year with the Holy Father, who has approved it and ordered that it be published.
Rome, Office of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on the Feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus, Patroness of the Missions, 1 October 1998.
AAS 91 (1999): 306-324; Comm 31 (1999): 14-33; OssRomEng, 31 (November 25, 1998), insert, i-iv.

References: art 87
 art. 85
 art. 91
 art. 85
 art. 91
 art. 9
 art. 7
 art. 8
 art. 11
 art. 85
 §3
 §4
 §2