Author:
Publication: Zenit.org
Date: June 12, 2001
Vatican Instruction Aims to Regulate
Movement
Priests born in mission territories
often end up working in the West, draining their homelands of sorely needed
pastoral care, the Vatican warns in a new document.
Priests from Asia, Africa and Latin
America are now being sent to European or North American countries, posing
problems that were unthinkable just a few years ago.
Given the situation, the Vatican
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples today published an "Instruction
on the Sending Abroad and Sojourn of Diocesan Priests from Mission Territories."
The instruction has John Paul II's approval.
The instruction has a basic principle:
The mobility of priests from mission lands "must not harm but help the
growth of the Churches in mission territories," said Cardinal Jozef Tomko,
who wrote the introduction to the document. Cardinal Tomko until recently
was prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
He explained that many priests of
mission territories travel to Europe or North America to study. However,
at times they are faced with a double temptation.
On one hand, he said, they are tempted
to stay in those countries for reasons that are not specifically missionary
-- better living conditions, for instance.
On the other, the Churches of the
West, which are suffering from a shortage of vocations, take recourse to
African, Asian or Latin American priests to cover empty posts in parishes,
without thinking of the possible harm this could do to new, fragile communities.
In some areas, the situation is
alarming. In India, for example, where it is hard for missionaries to get
visas, the lack of priests compromises the evangelization of the country
and care of its 16 million Catholics. Yet, numerous Indian priests work
in Europe. A few years ago, one European diocese alone had 39 priests from
India, Cardinal Tomko revealed.
"There are dioceses of Africa and
Asia that have one third or even half the diocesan clergy abroad for economic
reasons," Cardinal Tomko said. Yet, he added, "in Italy, it is estimated
that there are 1,800 foreign priests, of whom 800 were fully integrated
in direct pastoral" care.
"Many new dioceses could be created
in mission territories with such a number of diocesan priests!" Cardinal
Tomko lamented.
"The phenomenon has reached such
proportions," that the bishops have requested a ruling in this respect,
which is now made public, he said.
The document is addressed to young
and old Churches to "regulate these situations especially through agreements
between bishops and diocesan priests of mission territories who are sent
abroad and the bishops who receive them."
The instruction may be read on the
Web page of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples accessible
through http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/index.htm. Click on Congregations
and then Evangelization of Peoples.
