Authority
and Responsibilities of Governance in Lay Aggregations:
A service ordered to
the common good
All
the moderators and leaders of the movements of international associations
before the Pope in the Vatican
EN ES FR IT PT
On
September 16, 2021, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life summoned the
moderators, presidents, and international leaders of all ecclesial movements,
new communities, and associations recognized or erected by the Holy See to
reflect on the theme “The responsibility of governance in lay aggregations. An
ecclesial service”.
The
core issue of the day was that of closely examining the themes included in the
General Decree "The International Associations of the Faithful", with
the aim of reflecting together on the exercise of authority in lay
aggregations.
The
Symposium, partially followed via videoconference because of the pandemic, took
place in the New Synod Hall, with the participation of about 300 people who, in
their various roles, share governance responsibilities in lay aggregations, as
well as some of the Dicastery's members and consultants.
With
great surprise, at 10:00 a.m. the Holy Father
arrived in the Hall, addressing a heartfelt message to all those present and to
those connected by videoconference. The
Pope first of all expressed his gratitude to the institutions represented in
the hall, for the evangelical witness they bear in the different circumstances
of ordinary life.
Then,
in his reflections on the theme of government as service, the Holy Father
pointed out to the participants two obstacles that can arise when governing:
"the desire for power", manifested in the "desire to be
everywhere”, which undermines all forms of subsidiarity and makes those who
govern believe they can make decisions regarding all aspects of the life of the
association and the people who are part of it; and "disloyalty,"
typical of those who assume that they are the sole interpreters of the charism
and, under the pretext of wanting to serve the Lord, serve only themselves. Therefore,
continued the Holy Father, in order to carry out a role in governance, we must
learn to consider ourselves as "unprofitable servants" (Lk 17:10),
in order to remain humble and docile to God's will, just as Jesus showed us
when he washed the disciples' feet.
When
the Holy Father left the Hall, the Prefect of the Dicastery, Card. Farrell
opened the session by immediately identifying "service" as the
fundamental and indispensable aspect of the exercise of governance in ecclesial
realities: service to the person, to the charism and to the mission of the
Church. Moreover, Farrell stressed, such service can only be grasped in its
ecclesial dimension. In this regard, he commented on the relationship between
association governance and ecclesiastical authority, referring to the intrinsic
and providential relationship that exists between charismatic and hierarchical
gifts.
Then
Msgr. Matteo Visioli, Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, took the floor. He focused his talk on the theological-ecclesiological
foundation of the concept of authority in the Church, and highlighted its
relational paradigm. He went on to formulate some of the consequences of
exercising the Church's authority, in particular of its risks.
In
the afternoon, Ms. Linda Ghisoni, Undersecretary for the Laity, structured her
presentation in three parts: after an overview of the ecclesial realities
affected by the Decree, the focal point of the meeting, she
examined the transition from the charism of the founder to the collective
charism. In this regard, the distinction made by Ms. Ghisoni between the
charisms or personal gifts of the founder and the essential nucleus of the
founding charism, which is destined to become collective and of which no one
retains neither the imprint nor the ownership, was fundamental. In light of
this distinction, it is clear that any personalization involves an attempt to
appropriate a gift that is, from its origin, intended to be collective.
Finally, in the last part of the speech, the Undersecretary of the Dicastery
gave some practical indications on how to implement the mandates of government
and the level of representativeness required by the General Decree.
Next,
Eliana and Paolo Maino, founders of the Via Pacis Community
and Don Stefano Aragno, Vice President of the Cenacolo Community, gave their
testimonies.
The
first to take the floor was Paolo Maino, who, having headed the Community he
founded with his wife and Don Domenico Pincelli for 40 years, explained how he
reached the decision to resign from the Presidency, a choice certainly not
common for a young founder. And yet, reflecting in the presence of God, Paolo,
together with Eliana, clearly saw that the Lord was asking something else of
him: "leaving was necessary for the future of the Community". Today
Paolo and Eliana ask themselves if this decision "was perhaps a turning
point which God allowed so as to prompt an improvement of the Community
itself".
Then
came Don Aragno’s intervention that was particularly moving. He described the
experience of "leaving" from a completely different point of view,
since today it is he who has substituted its foundress, Mother Elvira, in the
leadership of the Cenacolo Community. Don Aragno told us how the "step
down" taken by Mother Elvira generated a greater awareness of the true
protagonist of the history of the Cenacolo Community: the Holy Spirit, the
source of the charism and the only founder. This awareness, said Don Aragno,
matured precisely from that wise "detachment" from the personality of
the foundress, which made all the members, especially those who belonged since
the very beginning, more aware of the gift of grace received from God through
her, and promoted a renewed and more authentic "yes" to the work to
which the Lord called them.
The
luncheon, served in the atrium of Paul VI Hall, was also a valuable opportunity
for sharing, meeting and promoting dialog between the leaders of the
associations and movements and the officials and superiors of the Dicastery.
The
rest of the day was dedicated to questions and interventions from the
participants.
To
conclude the day, Card. Farrell revisited the highlights of the day's
proceedings underlining the need for formation for all, and at all levels, in
governance as well as service. Without a doubt, it was a very intense and
enriching day, starting from the Holy Father’s words and thanks to an open
sharing of the challenges and expectations common to all movements and associations
in serving the Church.
Address
of the Holy Father Francis to participants in the Meeting with moderators,
presidents, and international leaders of all ecclesial movements, new
communities, and associations [IT]
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