1.5 On the level of consecrated life in the missions

There have been some profound changes in relation to consecrated life which is committed to the mission worldwide, with the exception of Institutes of contemplative life. There are at least ten areas in which problems are encountered.

With the cessation of the mandate, the religious Institutes have changed from a position of overall responsibility to one of departmental responsibility. They are no longer in charge of the territory as a whole and the apostolate within it. Their commitment must be defined by contracts between the Bishop and the Institute. The changeover is sometimes difficult. In some places the missionaries have felt they have been marginalized. In the era of the mandate, a distinction was made between religious life and apostolate. In this outlook religious life was understood as community customs especially religious exercises. These were the only activities which depended on the religious Superior. The outside apostolate depended exclusively on the Vicar Apostolic. With the Council the religious life began to be considered as a whole. The change was from the separation of religious life and apostolate to their integration. This is in keeping with the understanding of charisma as an integral entity with a variety of dimensions. The growth in the number of diocesan clergy and the arrival of different Institutes in the one local Church have fostered other tendencies. The Institutes have felt the need to undertake activities more in keeping with their particular charisma. There is awareness of the need to change from a religious life which is undifferentiated in its activities to a religious life which is more ready to make the contribution which is specific to its particular charisma and complementary to that of others. That, however, is a difficult step to take, mainly because of the age and the habits of the religious members. The challenge for the exclusively missionary Institutes lies in finding the right moment to move to another place. In the local Churches, the presence of religious Institutes is being diversified. It is easier for those more recently arrived to choose their form of apostolate while those already on the spot have to, as it were, fill the vacancies. The Institutes whose commitments were in different geographical areas and separated from one another now find it easier to meet. The presence of others fosters cooperation. Therefore there is a change from the autonomy of each Institute to intercongregational cooperation. Conferences of Major Superiors are held and institutes for initial and ongoing formation are being progressively established. This is helpful for the smaller Congregations and for the local foundations. There is an increase in dialogue and cooperation between men's and women's Congregations and also between them and the laity. There is a progressive change in the composition of communities of consecrated life. Some Institutes whose source of vocations was restricted to one country or to the Western countries, have been more profoundly affected by the vocations crisis. For the international Congregations their epicenter has been decidedly moved towards the Southern hemisphere where the majority of missions ad gentes are situated and where the needs are greater. With the decrease in vocations in Europe and the increase in the local churches, there is a change from communities made up mainly of foreigners to communities composed of local members. The refounding or inculturation of Provinces of consecrated life has become a necessity. That requires a reorganization of community life, of the sharing of goods, of initial and ongoing formation, of the apostolate on a new basis which will take account of the new local members. The change of leadership to local members also requires adjustments. As for women's Congregations, there is a notable increase in the number of local diocesan communities, lacking in means and in formation structures. The international Congregations wish to have due participation in pastoral planning and in the life of the Church. In many countries there is a feeling of unease among religious women because they are often seen as a labor force and members of a subordinate state. They are not consulted in pastoral planning and their charisma is not respected. The consecrated missionary has had an identity crisis which has been fostered by the socio-economic changes, by new roles which are not sufficiently clearly defined, by new challenges and ideas, by the structures and methods of the newly formed dioceses. Certain events have disturbed the missionaries. They have taken to questioning the validity of the pastoral methods in use. The return to various forms of superstition and even more so the genocides of central Africa have been disturbing for many missionaries. They doubt if the evangelization of these societies was really genuine. The Bishops are anxious to ensure the pastoral service of the Christian communities. Sometimes there is a lack of planning based on an objective and courageous outlook on the situation. Contracts between dioceses and religious Institutes are difficult because of pastoral needs and even more so because of economic means and because there is a lack of clarity.