To the Bishops of Gabon (18 February 1982)
ShareOn Thursday, 18 February 1982, the Holy Father addressed the Bishops of Gabon in Libreville, whom he encouraged “to unite [their] efforts in an ever more profound, affective and effective collegiality.”
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
1. Time did not allow me to visit your dioceses of Franceville, Mouila, Oyem; All our meetings take place in the archdiocese of Libreville, in the capital, but I am obviously addressing all of your priests, your men and women religious, your faithful, whom you will kindly assure of my affection. And I thank you, I thank them, for this cordial welcome.
Gabon deserved this pastoral visit since evangelization really started there for most of the countries of equatorial and western Africa. And I have not forgotten this impressive map that your President, Monseigneur Félicien Makouaka, brought me exactly twelve days ago to illustrate this progression which leaves us in admiration.
Admiration for the zeal of the missionaries, impatient to make the Good News known to their brothers in Africa; admiration for the people among you who believed in the Gospel and accepted baptism. In a sense, you are the firstfruits of the gospel harvest throughout this region. I share your pride.
2. The Church in Gabon still remains remarkable for the relatively large number of its members compared to the entire population, for the network of its Christian schools, its Catholic associations, and for the freedom it enjoys. But you are very lucid about the limits of these positive aspects, and you shared with me very simply, in your written and oral reports, your pastoral concerns: the scarcity of priests and nuns from the country, the difficulty of perseverance of vocations, the lack of educators who are deeply Christian enough, the distance from religious practice among many, the hesitation before Christian marriage, the difficulty in having an impact on the moral and social climate, the still insufficiently indigenous character of the 'Church. The causes are diverse. You fear both a resurgence of certain pagan practices and the harmful influence of certain aspects of the European mentality which, far from being progress, are in fact a degradation of faith or morals.
Faced with such a situation, we must focus on positive signs, and there are some, as I emphasize in each of my speeches. Without minimizing the demands of the Gospel, we must maintain a lively hope: the hope that God can bring about great things in his Church, commensurate with our faith and our fidelity; I will come back to this tomorrow during the homily at Mass.
Allow me to raise four points with you.
3. Speaking of the laity, how can we not rejoice in the vitality of certain prayer groups and very diverse Christian movements? Above all, we note, among a growing number of faithful, the desire to take, in agreement with the priest and without encroaching on his specific role, all their responsibility in their Christian communities, for catechesis or animation, and also the desire to better understand the link between their faith and their professional and social commitments. If these lay people are demanding, in their Christian reflection or in the initiatives they want to take, let us rejoice! And let us do everything to provide them with the spiritual and doctrinal deepening they need.
Let us also help them to discover the meaning of the sacraments and in particular of regular and active participation in Sunday Mass: they must understand that this is where their union, the union of their whole life, with Jesus Christ is established. , that it is a requirement of holiness, but also a means, a remedy for their weakness. Let us work to ensure that the liturgy is dignified and prayerful.
4. Second aspect: pastoral care of the family also requires great discernment and firm commitment. You had well analyzed the complex situation of families in view of the Roman Synod. From the current perspective, many cases will undoubtedly remain difficult, and in order to resolve them we cannot minimize what is related to the Christian mystery of marriage and its requirements.
But no family should feel excluded from the Church or unfit for a decisive journey towards the Christian fullness of conjugal love, as I wrote in the exhortation “ Familiaris Consortio ”. What is most important is to make the ideal of the Christian family shine, not only in its theory, but as it is lived in the homes which have accepted it. You will never do too much for the pastoral care of the family: is this not the place par excellence where Christian virtues take root – which catechesis will flourish – and also the virtues of the citizen?
5. But the concern that is particularly close to your heart and rightly so is priestly and religious vocations. It's quite disconcerting: how have the various efforts attempted over so many years - Father Bessieux was concerned about this since his arrival and a small Seminary opened in eighteen hundred and fifty-six - have had so little impact? of fruits? I repeat that this is truly a fundamental problem, the test of religious vitality and the condition of this vitality. I know how much you are looking for the solution, even if for the moment “expatriate” priests – as you say – help you to the point of sometimes ensuring almost the entire ministry, as in the diocese of Franceville. I am also delighted by the fraternal and trusting understanding that reigns between everyone. But it is appropriate to hasten more complete support by an African clergy.
The preparation of vocations consists first of all in making people appreciate and desire the priesthood, and it is the testimony of a zealous, radiant, available priestly life that will best contribute to this. It is important to make people understand the urgency, the beauty of the apostolic ministry, which corresponds to the deep expectations of the faithful. Above all, it is essential to arouse a great love of Christ, a spirit of prayer, a climate of generosity, which will make people accept the renunciation of family life and a profane situation undoubtedly better paid, for the highest service of God and brothers.
Perhaps it is also appropriate to involve your Gabonese priests even more in ecclesial responsibilities, because they must get used to taking over at all levels.
May they finally acquire the conviction that it would be unhealthy to transpose to Africa the most questionable aspects of the questioning of the priesthood which affects certain sectors of the Church in Europe and elsewhere! Wouldn’t it be like a “foreign body” in your country, inconsistent with its problems?
Many of these observations, of which you are certainly convinced yourselves, would also apply to the nuns from your region. What a wonderful role they could have with African women, through their availability to all, if there were more of them, and from younger generations!
6. Finally, regarding your responsibilities as Bishops, beloved Brothers, I encourage you to unite your efforts in an ever more profound, affective and effective collegiality. I know there are many problems: you have to deal with so many things, with limited resources! But perhaps this is an invitation to prioritize your activities. Just as you undoubtedly ask your priests to free themselves from certain tasks in order to devote themselves entirely to evangelization, I hope you will find the means to free yourself as much as possible from the burdens that are too purely administrative – whether priests or lay people. competent people could manage with you - so as to devote yourself to what is fundamental for the Bishop: preaching, pastoral visits, the cordial, spiritual and doctrinal support of your priests, Gabonese or others, and dialogue with all the workers apostolic so that they feel encouraged and helped in discernment and in the commitments to make. Your first role, like mine, is to confirm your brothers.
I will carry all your pastoral intentions in prayer and I bless you with all my fraternal affection.
© Copyright 1982 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
