TITLE II:
THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 781 - 792)
Can.
781 Because the whole Church is of its nature missionary and the work of
evangelisation is to be considered a fundamental duty of the people of God, all
Christ's faithful must be conscious of the responsibility to play their part in
missionary activity.
Can.
782 §1 The Roman Pontiff and the College of Bishops have the responsibility for
the overall direction and coordination of the initiatives and activities which
concern missionary work and cooperation.
§2 As the
sponsors of the universal Church and of all the Churches, all Bishops are to
have a special solicitude for missionary activity, especially by arousing,
fostering and sustaining missionary initiatives in their own particular
Churches.
Can.
783 Members of institutes of consecrated life, because of the dedication to the
service of the Church deriving from their very consecration, have an obligation
to play a zealous and special part in missionary activity, in a manner
appropriate to their institute.
Can.
784 Missionaries, that is, those who have been sent by the competent
ecclesiastical authority to engage in missionary activity, may be chosen from
the indigenous population or from others, be they secular clergy, or members of
institutes of consecrated life or of a society of apostolic life, or other lay
members of Christ's faithful.
Can.
785 §1 Catechists are to be given a role in missionary work. These are lay
members of Christ's faithful who have received proper formation and are
outstanding in their living of the christian life. Under the direction of
missionaries, they are to present the Gospel teaching and engage in liturgical
worship and in works of charity.
§2
Catechists are to receive their formation in schools founded for this purpose.
If there are no such schools, they are to be formed under the direction of the
missionaries.
Can.
786 Missionary activity properly so called, whereby the Church is founded
amongst peoples or groups where it has not taken root before, is performed
principally by the Church sending heralds of the Gospel, until such time as the
new Churches are fully constituted, that is, have their own resources and
sufficient means, so that they themselves can carry on the work of
evangelisation.
Can.
787 §1 By the testimony of their words and of their lives, missionaries are to
establish a sincere dialogue with those who do not believe in Christ, so that,
taking their native character and culture into account, ways may be opened up
by which they can be led to know the good news of the Gospel.
§2
Missionaries are to ensure that they teach the truths of the faith to those
whom they judge to be ready to receive the good news of the Gospel, so that, if
they freely request it, they may be admitted to the reception of baptism.
Can.
788 §1 Those who have expressed the wish to embrace faith in Christ, and who
have completed the period of their preliminary catechumenate, are to be
admitted to the catechumenate proper in a liturgical ceremony; and their names
are to be inscribed in the book which is kept for this purpose.
§2 By
formation and their first steps in christian living, catechumens are to be
initiated into the mysteries of salvation, and introduced into the life of
faith, liturgy and charity of the people of God, as well as into the
apostolate.
§3 It is
the responsibility of the Episcopal Conference to establish norms concerning
the arrangement of the catechumenate, determining what should be done by
catechumens and what should be their prerogatives.
Can.
789 By means of appropriate formation, neophytes are to be led to a deeper
knowledge of the Gospel truths, and to the fulfilment of the duties undertaken
in baptism. They are also to be imbued with a sincere love of Christ and his
Church.
Can.
790 §1 In mission territories, it is the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop:
1° to
promote, regulate and coordinate both new initiatives and established works
concerning missionary activity;
2° to
ensure that there are proper agreements with the Moderators of those institutes
which dedicate themselves to missionary activities, and that relationships with
them are for the good of the mission.
§2 The
provisions made by the diocesan Bishop in accordance with §1, n. 1 are binding
on all missionaries, including religious and their helpers residing in his
territory.
Can.
791 In order to foster missionary cooperation, in each diocese:
1°
vocations to the mission are to be promoted;
2° a priest
is to be appointed to promote missionary initiatives, especially the
'Pontifical Missionary Works';
3° a day
for the missions is to be celebrated annually;
4° each
year an appropriate financial contribution for the missions is to be sent to the
Holy See.
Can.
792 The Episcopal Conference is to establish and promote means by which those
who come to their territory from the missions, for the purpose of work or
study, are to be given a fraternal welcome and helped with suitable pastoral
care.
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