English - Español - Français - Italiano - Português
Synod Hall Thursday, 21 May 2026
________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning to you all!
It is a please to meet with you this morning, to offer
some words, some reflections, but above all to think about the importance of
the charisms of the Holy Spirit, especially in these days before Pentecost.
I am delighted to welcome you once again this year, at
the start of your meeting. You hold positions of responsibility, at an
international level, within many different lay organisations, and you have been
invited by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life to strengthen the bonds of communion amongst you
and to reflect together on the theme of the governance of an ecclesial
community.
Adequate people and structures
In every social entity there exists a need for
suitable people and structures to guide and coordinate communal life. At its
root, the term “to govern” refers to the action of “holding the helm”, of
“steering a ship”. It is, therefore, a matter of providing a sure direction, so
that the community may be a place of growth for the people who belong to it.
Thus, in the Church too, some are assigned to governance.
However, in the Church, governance does not arise
simply from the need to coordinate the religious needs of its members. The
Church was established by Christ as a lasting sign of His universal salvific
will and is the place, willed by God, where all people, in every age, may
receive the fruits of Redemption and experience the new life that Christ has
given us. In this sense, the nature of the Church is sacramental: it certainly
has an external and institutional dimension with its structures and, at the same
time, is an effective sign of communion through which we participate in the
very life of the Trinity.
These distinctive characteristics of the Church are by
necessity also present in its governance, which is never merely technical; on
the contrary, it has a salvific orientation in itself, that is, it must be
directed towards the spiritual good of the faithful. Indeed, Saint Paul counts
it among the charisms: there are “workers of miracles”, he writes, “then
healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues” (1
Cor 12:28).
Service and democracy
With these premises in mind, let us now turn our
attention to associations of the faithful and ecclesial movements. Here,
governance is generally entrusted to laypeople and expresses participation in
the royal munus of Christ received in Baptism. It is placed at
the service of other faithful and of the life of the association, and is the
fruit of free elections, which must be understood as an expression of common
discernment: allowing everyone’s voice to be freely expressed.
If, as we have said, governance is a particular gift
of the Holy Spirit, which the members of a community recognize as present in
some of their brethren in the faith, at least three consequences derive from
this. The first is that it must be for the benefit of all (cf. 1 Cor 12:7),
that is, to promote the good of the community, of the association, and of the
whole Church. Governance, therefore, can never be exploited for personal
interests or worldly forms of prestige and power. The second consequence is that
it can never be imposed from above, but must be a gift recognizable within the
community and freely accepted; hence the importance of free elections to bring
it into effect. The third consequence is that, like every charism, the
governance of an association is also subject to the discernment of the Pastors,
who monitor the authenticity and orderly use of charisms (cf. Lumen gentium, 12; Iuvenescit Ecclesia, 9 and 17).
Relationity and co-responsability
Certain characteristics must always be present in
governance: mutual listening, shared responsibility, transparency, fraternal
closeness, and communal discernment (cf. Address to the participants in the General Chapter of
the Legionaries of Christ,
19 February 2026). In addition to this, I would like to recall that “good
governance, instead of focusing everything on itself, promotes subsidiarity and
the responsible participation of all the members of the community” (ibid.). These are simple guidelines, but ones always to be
kept in mind in the exercise of authority.
Prophecy, custody and valorization
Dear friends, your associations and movements have
different origins and possess well-defined histories, identities and ideals.
Those who govern them, therefore, take on a delicate task: on the one hand,
they are called to safeguard and promote the memory of a living heritage; on
the other, they have a “prophetic” role, which involves listening to current
pastoral needs in order to understand how to respond to the new challenges and
to the cultural, social and spiritual sensibilities of our time. Indeed, only
in this way can one be a Christian, a disciple and a missionary in today’s
society and Church. Part of the prophetic task of those in leadership,
therefore, is to promote the openness of the association or movement—and of
each of its members—to historical situations. Membership, in fact, is authentic
and fruitful when it is not limited to participation in activities within the
group, but interprets the signs of the times and reaches outwards, addressing
everyone, the culture of the times and mission areas that have not yet been
explored.
Communion and mutual listening
Another element of vital importance is communion.
Those who govern are required to have a particular sensitivity towards the
safeguarding, growth and consolidation of communion. This applies both to life
within the association or movement, and to communion with other ecclesial
realities and with the Church as a whole. Those who exercise a mission of
leadership in the Church must learn to listen to and welcome different
opinions, different cultural and spiritual orientations, and different personal
temperaments, always seeking to preserve, especially in necessary and often
difficult decisions, the greater good of communion. This requires a witness of
meekness, detachment and selfless love for one’s brothers and sisters and for
the community, which serves as an example to everyone.
Here I would like to emphasize the importance of this
dimension of communion with the Church as a whole. At times we find groups who
close themselves up and think that their specific reality is the only one, or
that it is the Church, but the Church is all of us, it is much more! And so our
movements must truly endeavour to live in communion with the entire Church, at
diocesan level. The bishop is therefore a very important figure of reference,
and if a group says, “No, we are not in communion with this bishop, we want
another one”, this will not do. We must try to live in communion with all the
Church, at diocesan level as well as at universal level.
Fidelity to charisma
In this light, we can better understand the meaning of
fidelity to the founding charism, which constitutes an indispensable point of
reference for the governance of an ecclesial community. Every authentic charism
already contains within itself fidelity and openness to the Church. To govern
in a manner faithful to the founding charism therefore means finding in it the
inspiration to open oneself to the journey the Church is undertaking in the
present, without becoming entrenched in the models—however positive—of the
past, but allowing oneself to be challenged by new realities and challenges, in
dialogue with all the other members of the ecclesial body.
Give yourself a gift
Dear friends, thank you for all that you are and all
that you do. Associations of the faithful and ecclesial movements are an
inestimable gift to the Church. There is great richness amongst you: so many
well-formed people and so many fine evangelizers; so many young people and
diverse vocations to the priesthood and married life. The variety of charisms,
gifts and methods of apostolate developed over the years allows you to be
present in the fields of culture, art, social life and work, bringing the light
of the Gospel everywhere. Cherish and, with God’s grace, nurture all these
gifts! The Church supports and accompanies you.
I bless you from the heart, invoking for all of you
the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
___________________________________
English - Español - Français - Italiano - Português
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 21 May 2026
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento