Conference at the USG
assembly, November 2010
RELIGIOUS
LIFE IN EUROPE - TOWARDS CONCRETE ORIENTATIONS
To
identify areas of promise, renewal and growth for consecrated life in
Europe already germinating now
I.
INTRODUCTION
The scope of the May assembly of the USG was to listen to Europe; at
this moment in history, what message does Europe have for us religious?
Two thirds of the input was entrusted to lay people who were asked to
address the assembly about their view of Europe and the call that
context addresses to the religious, as well as a diocesan bishop spoke
to us about the same. Together we looked at a continent that has
basically enjoyed 60 years of peace after centuries of war and
dictatorial regimes (with the exception of the wars in the Balkan and
in Georgia) and that has experienced the wonder of the non-violent
collapse of communism. However, now Europe finds itself plunged into a
crisis. Europe is aging and losing its influence in the world. It is
also experiencing a profound cultural transformation of which can be
attributed to its being exposed to the process of globalization,
distancing itself from its Christian roots and its reception of large
numbers of immigrants who are culturally rather distant.
From a Christian viewpoint we observe with sadness that many people
in Europe no longer build their lives on faith in the God of
Jesus Christ. In his opening words Fr. Pascual Chavez, SDB, president
of the USG, quoted Pope Benedict who stated in Turin that
“the concealment of God is part of the spirituality of the
contemporary human being … like a void in the heart that has
continued to grow larger and larger” (May 2, 2010). In this
context, as the lay contributors to our assembly pointed out, Europe
would be in dire need of a strong presence of consecrated persons who
have been so important throughout its history. Statistically,
Europe is home to about 25% of the world’s Catholics and to
about 40% of its religious. But, while religious life still presents
large numbers in Europe it is aging and shrinking.
The May assembly discussed, through extensive group work, the
challenges of the situation and the commitments Europe’s
religious may want to envisage. The group results were summarized in a
very clear way by Fr. Mario Aldegani, CSJ. His summary echoed certain
voices which challenge us religious to renew our trust in God as
portrayed in the anguish of ancient Israel when it finds itself in
front of the Red Sea. It was further mentioned in the groups that we
need to renew the quality of our communities, giving room to all
generations; that we must learn to speak a new language which can be
understood today; and that we are called to renew our option for the
poor by going to the periphery of society. When it comes to concrete
commitments, which should be the consequence of those challenges, the
following are mentioned: commitments to inter-cultural community
living, to offering spiritual itineraries to seekers, to making more
consequent invitations to laity to share our charisms and in general,
to putting mission at the center, instead of our own survival.
In spite of a number of stark references to the European crisis
situation, the May assembly was characterized by a spirit of hope; it
was the lay speakers who especially conveyed to us religious this
message of hope while not denying our demographic reality. They told
us: Europe needs you religious more than ever and you are capable of
rising to the challenge.
After having listened to Europe in May, the USG now wants to give
Europe an answer “identifying areas of promise, renewal and
growth for consecrated life already germinating now on this
continent”.
In my contribution I will start with descriptions of the changes in
Europe and in European religious life as they have surfaced, qualifying
them as strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats ; I will
then invite us to seek clarity about our goals and on this basis
finally name some possibilities for concrete action which seem to be
appearing on the horizon.
II.
ANALYZING HOW RELIGIOUS LIFE IS FACING THE CONTEXT OF
TODAY’S EUROPE
I found it significant that our lay speakers spent less time analyzing
our own situation as religious in Europa than on Europe itself. They
wanted to make us aware of the context we live in, and the message was
that Europe finds itself in crisis for which it urgently needs the
contribution of the religious and of all disciples of Christ.
For the purpose of method let us begin with a look at ourselves. What
are the our strengths and weaknesses as religious in Europe, at this
moment when a continent in crisis - which we will describe below -
needs our assistance? It is important that we be conscious of our own
possibilities. Then, in a second step, we will to move on to the
opportunities and threats we find on our continent.
1.
RELIGIOUS LIFE IN EUROPE - SHOWING STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES
a) STRENGTHS
What we heard in May about our strengths can encourage us. In a
nutshell it was said:
• In Europe, religious life has
great model personalities to offer, even in very recent times;
• It shows an unknown face of
the Church;
• It disposes of a vast
north-south network which can put Europe in a broader perspective;
• Europe’s religious
life breathes with “two lungs”: the
eastern and the western spirituality;
• The religious could be
considered as a UNESCO World Heritage for Europe, such is their
historical merit for the continent;
• Even in the secularized part
of Europe religious life continues to survive; with smaller numbers new
approaches to evangelization are made and new communities are founded;
• It was also noted that few
sectors of the Church have made such important efforts of renewal and
restructuring as religious life.
b) WEAKNESSES
Several weaknesses of religious life were pointed out as well. The
diminishment in numbers is evident and it was said that we religious
can be called an endangered species. How and why is that the case? The
following four elements were brought up - I admit that the emphasis on
these is mine:
•
We lack visibility. Our
profile and purpose are often unclear.
We are sometimes confused about the type of work we want to do. For the
apostolic congregations one could say that our traditional
“business model” is no longer working, and we
struggle to find a new one. Meanwhile we have taken refuge in parish
ministry and as a consequence the identity and the public image many
religious have adopted is very similar to the identity and the image of
the local clergy.
•
We are affected by
individualism and the quest for a comfortable lifestyle
It is only normal that as religious we are influenced by the context
that surrounds us, and we might be too weak in this aspect. Mauro
Magatti characterized the context as one of a “smiling
nihilism”. One could add that, given that the present
nihilism is so attractive, the real weakness would consist in not
seeing its dangers.
•
We are still unconsciously
making comparisons with the days when we were numerous and powerful
Among us there is as hidden nostalgia for the 50ties, and a few of us
may still be looking for some isolated spots where things are as they
used to be and a certain type of Christendom remains intact.
This type of weakness would prevent us from responding to the present
needs.
•
We find it still difficult to
admit some of our past errors
The obvious past errors are those of misconduct which are now being
published everywhere in the west, including several European countries.
One of the things we are learning in the process of exposure of our
scandals and of our lack of appropriate supervision is that our heart
and our words must above all be with the victims of such abuse. This is
somehow a similar situation as at a funeral when the pain of those
grieving must get all the attention, no matter what else has happened.
It is a weakness if we point out too easily the positive side of
ourselves and our institutions. Loss of reputation is bad enough but we
must not appear as defensive - it will be better that with time others
stand up and take our side. It is the suffering of the victims which
needs our undivided attention.
The reference in Fr. Aldegani’s summary to past errors we
should admit, may also refer to another type of error; past errors in
judging the signs of the time. Have we taken too long to recognize that
the environment that surrounds us today in Europe is no longer
friendly, as it appeared to be around the time of Vatican II?
Regarding the errors of the past, I found an interesting remark by a
North American author. The journalist John Allen speaks of a new
generation of religious whom he calls
“millennials”, which is different from the
“Vatican II generation”. He has the following to
say:
“The Vatican II generation grew up within a strong Catholic
culture and to some extent reacted against it, seeing it as overly
stifling and controlling. The defining cultural crucible for
millennials, however, has been a rootless secular world.
They’re eager to establish a strong sense of Catholic
identity, not to reform or redefine it. In essence, they’re
reacting against the world, not the church.” (NCR, Aug. 14,
2009)
In my opinion we should listen attentively to this new generation; they
are of course not perfect, but perhaps we could learn about
today’s society and recognize our past errors in dealing with
it.
I insert into this part on our weaknesses another quote from the New
World, from Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, a Canadian who teaches in the
US. He was asked to compile “a list of 10 of the major
spiritual questions bubbling in the Catholic
world”. In particular the following three might
help to describe our spiritual struggle as religious here in Europe.
“1. The struggle with the atheism of our everyday
consciousness, i.e., the struggle to have a vital sense of God within
secularity, which, for good and for bad, is the most powerful narcotic
ever perpetrated on this planet; to be a mystic rather than an
unbeliever.”
“5. The struggle for interiority and prayer inside of a
culture that constitutes a virtual conspiracy against depth and
serenity -- to keep our eyes set against an infinite horizon.”
“9. The struggle to link faith to justice, ecology, and
gender -- to get a letter of reference from the poor.”
2.
EUROPE - PRESENTING OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS TO RELIGIOUS
LIFE
To us religious, such as we are, with our strengths and weaknesses,
Europe has been entrusted as our mission field. It offers us great
opportunities which we must recognize and poses threats we must be
aware of. But it is part of a world immensely loved by God
and destined for salvation and liberation.
a) OPPORTUNITIES
We do not often mention some of the most obvious opportunities we enjoy
in Europe.
• Absence of war, rule of law,
freedom of opinion, religious freedom, historical privileges, etc.
At least in the countries of the European Union we have the advantage
of these opportunities which we may take for granted.
• Religious life is at home in
Europe, most of our religious institutes were born here
Another obvious opportunity we have is our rootedness and the fact that
we share centuries of history with the people of the continent.
Religious life cannot be labeled as foreign to Europe.
There are less obvious opportunities which our common reflection in May
made us aware of.
• It has been often repeated
that Europe needs values to build its future, and we religious have
experience with some of these values
Is it too pretentious to say that we religious have experience with
living precisely those values Europe is in need of? This opportunity
lies in the fact that we can offer our long and vast experience of
things like hospitality, inter-cultural communion, sharing material
resources, sensitivity for ecology, long-term commitment, etc.
• Europe has the capacity of
rebirth and we religious have experience with long-haul journeys
The opportunity lies in becoming a prophetic minority where hope is
kept alive. Secularism has been compared to adolescence; parents know
that another stage of life will follow and a new relationship between
the generations will be established. We must begin to prepare for the
time after the present darkness.
• People excluded by the
prevailing system are in need of recognition and we religious have
always stood beside forgotten and abandoned sectors of society
The present situation produces crying needs among the excluded who are
the aging, the unemployed, the immigrants, the victims of trafficking,
the dying, the handicapped, the unborn, etc. Here lies an opportunity
for a silent or loud witness to values that challenge the system
through our presence among these groups of people. What happened with
Mother Theresa in India can also happen in old Europe.
• Europe is a laboratory
We do not live in a forgotten corner of the world. On the contrary, the
world is watching Europe. Personally I have always been surprised how
much the young religious of my institute inquire about the west: What
happens with you? Where do we find Christians in Europe? What
about vocations to consecrated life? Many others in the civil society
are watching Europe as well. People say that to find out the latest
trends in society one should watch California. Watching Europe, people
do not expect to discover the latest trends but the deeper
undercurrents of thought. As a German, I am amazed that words like
“Zeitgeist” and
“Weltanschauung” have made their way into the
English language. Europe remains a laboratory of ideas and whatever we
can achieve here will have repercussions in the rest of the world.
b) THREATS
A continent which, according to Mauro Magatti is being dominated by a
“techno-nihilistic capitalism” will also pose
threats to those who either cannot agree with such a system and those
who cannot compete in it. One keeps wondering how such a system can
possibly gain so much terrain, as I still remain surprised that the
ideas of the European Karl Marx could profoundly change distant China.
Maybe the convincing power of the present way of thinking it is the
hidden result of the totalitarian ideologies of the last century which
have left many people with a great inner emptiness.
Pope Benedict XVI, has quite clearly warned Europe of the present
global threats, dangerous to the Europeans themselves and to the world,
which are the consequence of our alienation from God. He advised the
participants in a European Meeting of University Professors in June
2007 that “unless we do know God in and with Christ, all of
reality becomes an indecipherable enigma." Speaking to Africans, he
referred to certain ideologies as “toxics from the
west”, mentioning “practical materialism, combined
with relativistic and nihilistic thought” and
“religious fundamentalism, mixed with political and economic
interests”. As it was said above, this
present global threat is the more dangerous the more it comes with a
smiling face, in a deceptive culture of death that is smiling all the
way.
Some specific threats are easier to recognize. While they could be seen
as opportunities if we are strong enough to grow with them, they have
the potential to hurt us and make us weaker.
• Decline, fear, pessimism
We are living on an aging continent, where “the combination
of the demographic decline, economic slackening and political and
institutional fragility make up a deadly blend that risks pushing
Europe towards sad decline. (…) the prevailing emotion is
fear”. (Mauro Magatti)
• Change of balance between
local people and immigrants
The population will increasingly be replaced by immigrants and their
children. In 2020, more than half of all births in the Netherlands will
be non-European. Currently there are 52 million Muslims in Europe
(excluding Turkey and Azerbaijan), a figure that will double in 20
years. By 2025 one in three children born in Europe will be born in
Muslim families.
• Minority situation of
Christians, cornered between non-believers, believers of other
religions and fundamentalists
It seems we Christians are not yet used to our minority situation and
are still trying to somehow swim with the current even if it leads to
nihilism.
Are we too pessimistic as we look at Europe from the angle of the
threats it poses? I believe that the picture is rather realistic.
However, our call is to never lose hope, while we clearly fix our eyes
on the reality. We heard in May that Europe has shown in the past an
amazing ability for renaissance if it was helped. We should remember
that many of the institutes of apostolic religious life were founded in
the wake of the French Revolution when everything was falling apart.
The historical experience of these institutes could provide us with the
ethos to face the present challenges as well.
III.
WHAT ARE OUR GOALS?
Fr. Pascual Chavez reminded us in May at his opening address, that the
aim of our reflection on religious life in Europe is not our own
survival but to be prophets. If we speak about Europe it is because we
want to take on our responsibility for a continent in which we
religious are in a true sense forefathers. We are undertaking this
reflection for Europe, not for ourselves.
Before we move on to the practical questions, and prepare the material
for certain strategies, it would be important to briefly outline our
goals as religious in Europe. Let me mention a few goals we may all
agree upon within the obvious differences between religious charisms.
•
We want to evangelize Europe
While every religious family will have its own focus we all might agree
that our goal in Europe is to evangelize the people of the continent
and their cultures. I found it striking how close to the actual
situation the words from the 1999 Synod for Europe are:
“Acknowledgment must first be made of the fundamental role
played by monasticism and consecrated life in the evangelization of
Europe and in the shaping of its Christian identity. This role must
continue to be played today, at a time when a “new
evangelization” of the continent is urgently
needed”. (Ecclesia in Europa 37)
Recently a new Pontifical Council for New Evangelization was created;
Pope Benedict XVI said that the new organism has “the
specific task of promoting a renewed evangelization in countries where
the first proclamation of the faith already resounded, and where
Churches are present of ancient foundation, but which are going through
a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the
sense of God'”. I believe all religious will be able to fully
agree with the goal of “renewed evangelization” in
Europe.
•
We want to be present wherever
the need is most urgent
Another goal common to all of us is that, as religious, we want to be
present where the most urgent need is found. According to the charism,
this need is identified in different fields, from academics to family
education, from art and culture to work with undocumented immigrants
and JPIC work, or it can be seen in pure contemplation and prayer. In
any of these cases, the call to evangelize does not originate from our
interest to find some work to do or to discover a niche to survive but
from the objective needs of the other and of the European society as
such.
•
We do not limit ourselves to
Christians but our goal is to reach those of other beliefs and those
outside any faith community
Again, the choice will depend on each religious community but it is
evident that the Europe of today demands a clear missionary outreach to
those who do not share our Christian faith which is the majority. We
have the advantage that in most countries this can be done in a climate
of religious freedom.
•
In our life and mission we
want to express our own identity as religious, that is, a group of
people who follow Jesus in a particular way.
Our goal-setting should finally take into account and respect our
identity as religious and as institutes with a particular charism, even
if sometimes we will have to adapt to urgencies. What Lumen Gentium
says about religious life gives us the framework: “Christ
proposed to His disciples this form of life, which He, as the Son of
God, accepted in entering this world to do the will of the Father. This
same state of life is accurately exemplified and perpetually made
present in the Church”. (LG 44c). Even if our primary goal is
not survival, we do want our specific form of life to visibly continue
since we consider it a precious gift from God.
IV.
TOWARDS PRACTICAL ACTION - WHAT AREAS OF PROMISE, RENEWAL AND
GROWTH CAN WE IDENTIFY?
The main purpose of our reflection is to “identify areas of
promise, renewal and growth for consecrated life in Europe already
germinating now” - that is the theme I was given. After
listening to Europe and envisaging our goals the next step is to
strategize, to find out where we could start in areas that are
promising as fields of evangelization, and which for us will lead to
renewal and growth.
I have two preliminary remarks for this strategizing part. First, when
it comes to action, leadership will be essential. I have often observed
in the provinces of my congregation that the new is already there, and
some creative and capable members of our religious family have
identified where we could start to work. I recall a young religious who
would go around with a van and seek contact with people on marketplaces
in Germany, or two young religious in Poland who were starting off a
new type of youth ministry. I think I am not saying anything new, but
it is very important that leadership takes up these initiatives,
evaluates them and makes them an common endeavor of the local or
provincial community. If this does not happen we will end up with maybe
prophetic but individual works whose influence on our overall mission
is limited and whose future remains uncertain.
A second remark is that we need not to give in to excessive fear when
faced with the these terrible sounding threats like capitalism,
nihilism, secularism. A few years ago I came across an article from an
Italian sociology Professor, Massimo Introvigne. He explains, what in
sociology is called the Theory of Religious Economy, developed first in
the United States by Stephen Warner. It is, to a great extent, in
contrast with the secularization theory which for some time has been
used to explain the decline of church attendance and membership. The
theory of religious economy sees the situation differently, as an
article explains: “In cultures where one religious group has
a monopoly, religious participation tends to decline. … In a
competitive religious economy, some denominations/churches fare well,
others fail to renew and lose ground.” I have not
studied this theory in depth but it has made me wonder whether we do
not use secularism too often to explain the decline in church
attendance we observe. From a purely sociological point of
view, there is a “market” for religion. If we are
present in that marketplace and know how to present our
“merchandise” we do have a chance to make the
message of Jesus the Christ heard, even in a secularized environment.
Does this not remind us of Saint Paul making Christ present on the
areopagus of Athens?
1.
AREAS OF PROMISE, RENEWAL AND GROWTH INSIDE CONSECRATED LIFE
As Christians and as religious, eager to evangelize the world that
surrounds us, we are in turn quite affected by this world. As religious
we feel the temptation to do many things without God, to give in to
individualism and a feel-well mentality, to avoid long term
commitments, to buy in to xenophobia, etc. One could say that
we are also “evangelized” by the secular good news
of the European and western world. Because of this strong influence it
would be wise to begin our strategizing with ourselves as the point of
reference. The time has come to have a look at our way of being, before
we strategize on what we should do for and with others. From the May
meeting, I identify three areas within religious life which should draw
our attention.
a) FINDING OURSELVES, BECOMING HUMBLE AND
PROUD AT THE SAME TIME
A biblical figure mentioned several times at the last assembly is
Nicodemus. Like Nicodemus we have good qualities and are seeking the
friendship of Jesus but something is missing: more courage, getting out
into the open. This can only happen if we are reborn from the
Spirit. We all know that the present culture of appearances and
superficiality must be overcome but first we must become a new creation
ourselves. Of course, through our baptism and our religious
consecration we already are this new creation. It is a treasure that
may have to be rediscovered, or better appreciated. Let me suggest that
we need to become, at the same time, more humble and more proud.
MORE HUMBLE. Several of us agreed in May that we must honestly
recognize our mistakes.
As to the present time, the question of our life style was mentioned,
for instance how we are served by employees today when we did things
ourselves decades ago. Our being too busy was also pointed out. One
could add that also our recreation deserves attention: Can we find
other ways of recreating, can we get away from the screens?
Enzo Bianchi says: “’It is time that there be
time,’ Paul Celan wrote in a poem. Yes, it is time that there
be time, especially in a religious life that runs as the world does,
that complains not to have time, showing what one of its idols
is.”
As to the past, we have reasons to be humble as well. There is not only
the question of sexual or financial scandals but also the compromise
with the powerful, which includes the heavy legacy of colonialism. I
have been around in Southern Africa - were we always standing where we
should have been when the African countries became independent not so
long ago?
MORE PROUD. Finding ourselves again this way and becoming more humble
we will grow in true self-esteem. While recognizing our sins we will
learn, like Paul, to boast of Jesus Christ and be proud of things that
truly deserve it, for instance of having saints among us. Each
religious family will find reasons to praise God: “O house of
Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! O house of
Levi, bless the Lord! You that fear the Lord, bless the
Lord!” (Ps 135,19-20)
At the last assembly we were surprised that non-religious observers can
be more optimistic about us than we are ourselves. Why is this so? Why
is religious life in Europe still seen in such a positive light so that
we can be proud of it?
History plays a role - what would Europe be without Basil, Augustin,
Benedict and Scholastica, Cyril and Method, Francis and Claire, Thomas
Aquinas, Theresa of Avila …
The language which reaches the heart most directly are not mere facts
but rather, beauty. The gospel appeals to many people simply because it
is beautiful. As someone well known to us said: we must return to
religious life all of its enchantment.
“The appeal and interest that
‘enchantment’ awakens — as part of
something intrinsically ‘good’ — is
passed on by itself and when it is perceived, invites reception and
sharing. Scholastics used to say, Good is disseminated by itself,
without anything or anyone propagating or spreading it. Rather than
speculating, we can understand what ‘enchantment’
means and is in the sense that we are using it here, in the appeal that
Jesus had for his first followers.” (Bro Alvaro
Rodríguez, FSC)
b) OFFERING GOD THE CENTER PLACE
In a time when faith in the God of Jesus Christ is apparently
evaporating fast, we religious are called to witness to the primacy of
God. Someone said we must witness to a God with whom we communicate,
and not just to a God about whom we speculate. The search for God is to
occupy center stage in our lives again, of God to whom we
pray: “your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will
praise you.” (Ps 63,4)
In this second area of promise, renewal and hope the practical issue is
that the intensity of our relationship with the God of Jesus Christ
needs to increase. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. referred to someone
outside the circle of our usual saints when he made this point in an
interview: “Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy
Scouts and a man who wasn’t himself particularly religious,
once said: ‘I like my religion the same way I like my tea
– boiling.’”
We are in real danger of becoming lukewarm and secularized ourselves,
which would mean trying to build a religious life without God at its
core. To realize the challenge, we have only to look at our founders.
They have always been intensely religious people, up to the point of
apparent insanity. If we speak of the new ardour that is needed as of
one of our strategies, the language is of course improper.
God’s Spirit is the main actor here - what we can
do is only to empty ourselves for God’s mystery and, like
Jacob, struggle with him until he blesses us.
The Word of God speaks to us on many pages about the passionate,
seemingly less than reverential relationship with God, of Abraham,
Jacob, Moses, of the prophets, and of Job, and in the New Testament
about the every-day familiarity with Jesus in the lives of the apostles
and of Mary. They are so much present in the European works of art and
it is up to us to avoid that they just become museum pieces.
c) HEEDING THE CALL FOR GREATER COMMUNION
The walls around old monasteries do not tell the truth: in reality
religious are not walled in but rather are very good
communicators. Baptism, consecration through the vows, prayer, the
Eucharist - they not only express the covenant with God but also create
intense relationships which include all people and all of creation
excluding no one. Our Christian life is meant to be communicative of
the Eucharistic way: full of gratitude to God, creating communion among
us all and giving ourselves away for those far off.
An area of promise for religious life lies in becoming aware again of
this treasure of communion, so much needed in an individualistic
society where loneliness and fragmentation cause endless suffering.
This spirit of communion will make us cross borders; it will take us
far into the fields of inter-cultural and interreligious relationships
and it will make us quite visible and not walled-in. Someone said in
May: our true visibility ought to be charity.
An area of communion to be mentioned is active openness to vocations.
Although our main goal is not to recruit but to pave the way for the
Kingdom of God, we must also give a clear message that we do not want
to remain alone in our endeavors and that our life and mission urgently
need partnership. It is too easy to give up. If we are truly heeding
the call for greater communion we will also make moves to be actively
and strategically present at places where vocations are more likely to
be found, and while our patience is sometimes stretched we continue to
pray to the “Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
his harvest” (Lk 10:2).
Another area of communion is with the laity who want to live the
charism of our founders. I have always felt it as a gift from the
Spirit that such lay people are available, seeking contact with us,
ready and willing to share our mission.
In religious life the call for greater communion should also be
expressed through inter-cultural communities. A wide field of
possibilities opens up here, here some of our communities can become
really prophetic.
Another opportunity exists in inter-congregational endeavors. There are
already some examples of them, and we could go further. If the
vocations are not numerous in some countries, why not try out
inter-congregational formation houses as well?
It is again interesting to see how many of these ideas about religious
life Europe were already expressed at the 1999 European Synod. For
instance, the need of witnessing to life’s transcendent
dimension and to fraternity were clearly indicated: “The
demand for new forms of spirituality, now making itself felt throughout
society, needs to find a response in the acknowledgment of
God’s absolute primacy which consecrated persons experience
in their total gift of self and their permanent conversion in a life
offered up as true spiritual worship. … In
today’s multicultural and multi-religious world, there is
also a demand for the witness of that evangelical fraternity which
characterizes the consecrated life and makes it a stimulus to purifying
and integrating different values through the reconciliation of
divisions.” (Ecclesia in Europa, 38)
2.
AREAS OF PROMISE, RENEWAL AND GROWTH IN OUR
MISSIONARY OUTREACH
Religious life fosters communion and as a consequence it becomes
explicitly missionary, according to each institute’s charism.
To be missionaries to Europe is another important area of promise,
renewal and growth for us. In practice it will need careful
strategizing. At a time of numeric decline opening new missionary
endeavors entails closing down places and drawing people together. Such
moves will make it visible, show that we are not here for ourselves and
that we are not meant to look back for ever at our own glorious past. I
shall mention three possible focuses for such a mission in Europe:
towards the mainstream, the core of secularized Europe; towards the
poor in Europe and towards a greater responsibility of Europe for the
world.
a) MISSION TO EUROPE’S
MAINSTREAM CULTURES
If we lament too much about the present culture of Europe we might give
the impression that we are nostalgic for an era of Christendom, which
was not perfect either and which we cannot call back. How negative an
attitude of lamenting is, has been especially pointed out by German
church leaders in recent years. It is not a good thing because it
paralyzes us and may induce us to simply run away like Jonas from
Nineveh. Has not the world always been bad? I recall two remarks from
the May assembly which invite us to stand our ground even if things are
bad. One remark said: do not run away to other continents; the other,
coming from Eastern Europe: there is a temptation we must resist, the
temptation to think that evil prevails.
In my congregation in the USA we observe the phenomenon that our
vocations mostly come from immigrants, hardly from the mainstream
culture. We work, of course, intensely with immigrants - but are we
doing enough with those more deeply affected by secularity and
nihilism? I observe similar tendencies in Europe, though on a lesser
scale. We are called to be present to the core of today’s
European culture, to address it up-front.
Several approaches to the mainstream culture could be imagined:
• INTELLECTUAL RESEARCH AND
DEBATE. Bishop Pierre Raffin mentioned this to us in May.
• SUPPORTING THE LIFE OF THE
FAMILY. The family is deeply threatened by the present culture, and at
the same time families would be the places where Christian life should
flourish most.
• OUTREACH TO THOSE WHO NO
LONGER COME TO US. The observation was made in May, that as religious
we are getting too involved in parishes, which leads to a
clericalization of certain institutes which were not founded to replace
local clergy. Many of our institutes were in fact founded to go where
the Church is not present. While parishes will always remain, our call
is to reach out beyond the ordinary pastoral structures.
• OFFERING A PUBLIC VOICE. The
European society offers to those who have the gift of public speech
great opportunity to be heard. Bishops like Christoph
Schönborn, Reinhard Marx or Diarmuid Martin are examples. On
issues concerning the common good or JPIC, the voice of church members
has high credibility.
• MISSION WITH YOUTH AND WITH
LAY ASSOCIATES. I have observed in recent years that youth ministry is
picking up if the young are supported in their spiritual life
(sometimes inspired by a founder of a religious institute) and are
encouraged to take their own initiatives. The same applies to lay
associates.
• CREATING OPEN SPACES FOR
RITUAL AND REFLECTION. People who may not share our beliefs are
sensitive and open to make use of spaces of silence and ritual.
b) MISSION TO THOSE WHO ARE MOST IN NEED,
ACTIVE CARE FOR THE ENDANGERED ENVIRONMENT
Bishop Pierre Raffin and the lay people who spoke to us in May offered
quite a list of people in Europe who would need the care of the
religious. It is good to know that we are needed! A further area of
promise for us lies in making these needs our priority, according to
our different charisms which were often given to us as God’s
response to a crying need. If we take those needs of Europe as our
starting point it will not be on the basis of a cold analysis of facts
or out of mere philanthropy; it will be as a mission. It is God who
sends us and we just obey his will, not ours.
Here are some of the groups of persons and situations that were pointed
out to us:
• the difficult quarters of the
large urban centers
• the old in nursing homes or
living alone
• education
• hospitals
• immigrants, particularly those
of other religions
• the young - some of them
growing old without having found employment
• victims of human trafficking.
Religious life has also a longstanding tradition and credibility in
caring for the environment. Personally I find it surprising that even
in a secular age the expression “integrity of
creation” is still maintained. As believers we can make the
reference to the Creator explicit by working in solidarity, side by
side, with other people to protect nature against destruction through
human greed and thoughtlessness.
All of the things mentioned in this paragraph can be done together with
other people of good will, with NGOs or volunteers who, in most cases,
have more expertise than we do but often appreciate the presence of
people with a strong spiritual motivation. For a good number of young
religious in my own institute the participation in the World Social
Forums has been an eye-opener about our realistic possibilities given
our limitations and our strengths. This connects us to the following
and last point.
c) MISSION IN VIEW OF EUROPE’S
OPENING UP TO THE WORLD
Another area where religious life can play a life-giving role in Europe
is helping the Continent to open up to the world even more. For great
parts of Europe is true what a ‘Misereor’ officer
told me about the German church: we lack openness to the outside.
Religious congregations have an international network that could
greatly help to make Europe aware of a broader horizon.
It is true that the world is globalized and international connections
are no longer the privilege of a few. Also in this, we must be humble
enough to learn from others. But we do have a specific contribution to
make. For us, inter-cultural contacts are an expression of our faith in
Someone whom we call “our Father” and who makes all
people brothers and sisters, in Christ who challenges us with the
question “who is our neighbor” and invites us to
become neighbors to those far away, in the Spirit of Pentecost who
makes us understand each others’ languages.
Working in this promising area is already taking on a variety of
expressions, and we religious can help each other in this field.
• Volunteers live with
missionaries in other countries; many young people are open to this and
generously give a year of their time.
• Religious with experience
abroad come back to work with immigrants in Europe.
• European religious, working
with youth and laity in general, organize festivals with immigrants in
different parts of Europe, to increase appreciation of foreign cultures.
• Some religious make
efforts to influence European foreign policy through lobbying, or
organize themselves to disseminate international information available
to us through missionaries, for example a news agency like MISNA.
• The USG-UISG have
started the important inter-congregational South-Sudan project
These types of activities also help to overcome an outdated mission
model too much mingled with colonial thinking and thus opens the way
for a new brother and sisterhood among peoples and local churches.
Some of these ideas about missionary outreach were already envisioned
as tasks for the religious, by the 1999 European Synod, particularly
the commitment to the poor and to Europe’s opening up to the
rest of the world:
“The presence of new forms of poverty and marginalization
ought to call forth that creativity in the care of those most in need
which has marked so many founders of Religious Institutes. Finally, the
tendency to a certain self-absorption can find an antidote in the
readiness of consecrated persons to continue the work of evangelization
on other continents, despite the decrease of numbers in various
Institutes.” (Ecclesia
in Europa, 38)
V.
CONCLUSION
The reference to the synod above, and our own memory tells us that much
of this has been said before. What is the element of newness? Perhaps
we can find it with the help of Nicodemus who was mentioned several
times at the last assembly.
“Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when
he is old?’ … Jesus answered,
… Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be
born anew.' The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of
it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is
with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (Jn 3: 4a, 7 - 8)
The Spirit will be the one who will renew the face of the earth, and
that includes the face of religious life in Europe.
Rome, August 20, 2010
Wilhelm Steckling, OMI
