Mario PONZI
What message he wanted to give the pope by setting up a department to promote the new evangelization?
You need a premise. The foundation of the department is an ideal conclusion to a journey which began with Vatican II. In the mind of John XXIII was to be a council can speak of God in the contemporary world. In the inauguration speech not by chance that Pope John remembered that the contents of the Christian message never changes, to change, if anything, is how to transmit them, because the contemporary world can understand them without misunderstanding. It is a journey that starts from Dei Verbum and then continues with LG . The Church, guardian of the Word of God becomes the light of humanity, as pointed out by Benedict XVI at the Mass for the Epiphany. And do not forget to be ad gentes, ie mission continues. Even today it stands in dialogue with the contemporary world. And is aware of having to find new ways of this dialogue, in order to be more understandable to our contemporaries. Therefore, the new evangelization is a journey marked by the Second Vatican Council comes to an end - as the Pope wanted us to understand - but to share towards new horizons.
After the session of the Council, Paul VI in 1973 convened the Synod of Bishops on Evangelization and in 1974 issued the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi . It was already clear indications on the way ahead?
L ' Evangelii nuntiandi is a key document in the life of the Church. Retains to this day is as topical now. Moreover, Benedict XVI quoted several times in this document letter in which he set up our department. Therefore should be considered without doubt an important step in the journey towards the creation of new pontifical council.
Then came John Paul II, who, with his prophetic insight, he coined the phrase "new evangelization."
not alone. In the whole of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II has continued to focus on the new evangelization, which in some contexts has been widely launched. All this, in the continuity of papal teaching, leads as a direct result of our ministry. Benedict XVI has established the peculiar task of rethinking and implementing the new evangelization, involving the whole episcopate worldwide.
What does this mean?
is the principal task of the pontifical council. And it is particularly important because of the constant search for significance compared with the episcopal conferences. They too are called to be an office within their structures similar to ours. A job that will take all its importance in the preparation and implementation of the Synod of Bishops in 2012, dedicated to the theme of the new evangelization.
This involvement also includes other departments of the Roman Curia?
course. Evangelization crisscrossing all the service plays in the Curia, the Pope and the Church. It could not be otherwise, since it is the very heart of the Church's mission. The Pope is the first to proclaim the Gospel. Then there are the bishops, with his presbytery, with the men and women religious and lay people. So it is inevitable that, in the service that makes the Curia Pope, evangelization is the first place. It is clear that there are some departments with which we will be called to work more closely together in a spirit of complementarity. I think, for example, the Pontifical Council for Culture, which opened a space, the "Court of the Gentiles," to allow you to place the question of God who is far away. Our department, however, must move on another front. We are called to proclaim Christ again, to re-present the gospel to those who have faith. We are called to revive the missionary spirit, the spirit that leads to many Christians, unfortunately, become indifferent to the many baptized people who today have lost faith.
But how to move in a world like this, characterized by social and religious situations so different?
course, in a phase of globalization as the one we are experiencing is hard to believe that the great problems of the metropolis of the world are not equal. I'm talking about all the problems: therefore also that of faith or strengthen to rebuild. Would first try to talk to the Christians of the Churches of ancient origin. That is why the West is more easily identified as the main objective of our mission. We speak of Christians and churches who live in areas shaped by Christianity.
Herein lies the difference with the missionary ministry of Propaganda?
Obviously this is different tasks. Propaganda must take the first proclamation. As the first ad is for the ministry of culture through the very peculiar world expressed through the cognitive tools of their philosophy, art and so on. I would say that our task is much more to intra: a widespread commitment that goes from the parish communities to different organizations working in the Church with the desire to give witness to their faith.
There is a difference between the approach in a secular society and that a secular society?
Secularism is the appendix of the phenomenon of secularization, one might say its extremes. Of course, one must distinguish the two dimensions. Secularization as such is a very complex phenomenon, but secularism is extremism that led to forms of relativism, autonomy exasperated that the man believes that it has and that ultimately only the individual right to food, forgetting their social responsibility. We claim that there is no force in the alleged autonomy from everyone and everything, first by God himself.
how her department will respond to these challenges?
First we will have a complete picture of the various initiatives, and many already are - in place in the Church in the five continents. We know that there are groups and movements very well organized, born at the time of John Paul II with the intent to promote and support the new evangelization. Many of these, for example, are already working in universities, campus, especially in the United States. There are other situations similar births in Latin America and have spread to several other continents, even in some European countries. There is a wealth of lay movements that have as their purpose the new evangelization. There are diocesan pastoral plans designed for this purpose. But all this is rather fragmented. The first objective of the department, therefore, is to know the realities in the field to harmonize and support the efforts of all, overcoming the fragmentation and fostering a great unity. The intent is to promote the complementarity of each group. The world today needs the signs, and signs unit: a sign of unity is precisely the testimony of a Church which proceeds in the path of the new evangelization. So working together, while respecting and enhancing the charisma of each.
How will he accomplish this knowledge work capillary?
I'm going to get to know the reality in which these bodies operate. I have visited many countries, I had important meetings with several bishops. We started working even when we did not have a physical location. My schedule is already full for 2011 until the end of June. I will be traveling the world constantly, in order to meet the protagonists of the new evangelization and to deal with their discussions of work and public debates.
they have found interest and expectations for the first steps of this office?
I would say yes. I received many positive entries in back to this event. There is a lot of expectation, not only in the Church, and a lot of curiosity, not only in the world.
There is a symbolic image that represents the new body's activities?
I chose the Sagrada Familia of Antoni GaudÃ, represented in its comparison with the English metropolis. Stands in the heart of the secular city and wants to be a very concrete message. It is an invitation to use a new language to fill the huge space, without the Church, would remain as a void in the heart of the city. But it must be a language in keeping with everything that came before us, with what constitutes the rich heritage of our faith. La Sagrada Familia is actually a modern cathedral. All, however, recognize it as a church because it keeps to itself essential features almost two thousand years found expression in sacred art. I am convinced that a city without the sign of the presence of those who announce the Gospel, inviting people to look beneath the horizontal dimension of existence but to push it upward gaze, is a city he has within himself a deep void. Why not be open to hope. We do not want our contemporaries feel a void. For this reason we believe that it should not always be the man who announces the deep meaning of life, bearing witness to news of Jesus Christ.
is a void that is felt more and more distinctly in the old continent.
era of globalization is difficult to speak of old and new continents. Of course the reference is to Europe, and it is clear that it will be our special attention, if only because it is physically closer. In Europe we feel a growing dramatically Christianophobia occurring in countries of ancient Christian tradition. We are very concerned. So we feel the need to be more present and to recognize the mission of the Church for what it really is, not as is often presented in a distorted manner.
're also thinking of new ways to spread the gospel?
course. Here is another ground for collaboration and shared responsibility with the departments of the Curia, in this case with the Pontifical Council for Communication Social. We will move forward together. We are working on and ideas are not lacking.
taken by the Osservatore Romano of January 12, 2011
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