3.2. Concrete Application

3.2.1. Places

In our ancient mission territories, we continue to cooperate in the development of the churches we founded (cf. 1967 CICM Constitutions, art. 2), but there is a tendency to move toward the periphery, to enclaved territories, to autochthonous peoples at the expense of the dioceses or regions having more priests:

in the Philippines: towards the tribal populations,
in Indonesia: towards the peoples of Irian Jaya,
in Congo: towards Kisangani, a diocese heavily afflicted by the rebellion,
in Kinshasa, from parishes in the center towards the suburbs.

At the level of the Congregation new foundations are being started based on a new vision and in accordance with conventions and contracts. The idea that mission is a temporary service is gaining ground. The missionary urgencies are a choice criterion of these new foundations:

regions mainly Moslem: Nigeria, Senegal,
regions afflicted by wars: Mozambique.

The 1981 CICM Chapter declared Europe to be a missionary region in the same way as the other regions. This implies the possibility of sending missionary teams over there. It also involves that the geographical ad extra is seen in another perspective. However, for a Congregation as ours, we must admit that mission in Europe (Reverse mission) implies several specific difficulties: we have no mission tradition in Europe, we lack every form of experience, we must invent everything, mission is especially a matter of non-Europeans who have not been prepared to live in a secularized world. Besides, with the loss of vocations in the European churches, we just risk to become stopgaps for the diocesan pastoral.

3.2.2. Methods

In practice, the missionary efforts concentrate on four basic ideas:

The growing conviction of the need to inculturate the message, until the local church is strong enough to take its responsibility in this matter. The importance of the missionary's integration in the local context. The option for BCCs, the formation of lay leaders, the creation of new ministries, the setting up of centers for integral formation. The promotion of community development as an essential element of evangelization, together with the need of relying more and more on local resources.

We are also witnessing the first steps in interreligious dialogue.