On November 24, 2013, Pope Francis signed Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy of the Gospel], his apostolic exhortation on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world.
The document’s publication followed the October 2012 Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, the last synod over which Pope Benedict XVI presided. Although Evangelii Gaudium was not styled a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis wrote that he was “reaping the rich fruits of the Synod’s labors” (n. 16).
In its concern for proclaiming the Gospel, Evangelii Gaudium stands in continuity with other major Church documents of the preceding century, including Pope Benedict XV’s apostolic letter Maximum Illud (1919), encyclicals by Pope Pius XI (Rerum Ecclesiae, 1926) and Venerable Pius XII (Evangelii Praecones, 1951), the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes, 1965), Pope St. Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), and Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio (1990).
“The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus,” Pope Francis began. “Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness.”
“With Christ, joy is constantly born anew,” the pope continued. “In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come” (n. 1).
Following an eighteen-paragraph introduction, Evangelii Gaudium has five chapters:
- The Church’s Missionary Transformation
- Amid the Crisis of Communal Commitment
- The Proclamation of the Gospel
- The Social Dimension of Evangelization
- Spirit-filled Evangelizers
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Evangelii Gaudium, CWR asked a dozen bishops, priests, and laity with a particular concern for evangelization to discuss the significance of the apostolic exhortation, highlight its most important passages, and comment on where they see a “new chapter of evangelization” being written amid so many challenges.
CWR also asked them how they distinguish the proselytism against which Pope Francis warns from the evangelization and proclamation he commends. Citing a 2007 homily by Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis wrote that “it is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but by attraction” (n. 14)—a sentiment that he has repeated often in his pontificate.
“The flagship document of Pope Francis’s papacy”
Bishop David Toups of Beaumont (TX), a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, sees Evangelii Gaudium as “the flagship document of Pope Francis’s papacy, and a great gift to the Church.”
“Every one of the faithful is called to live the joy of the Gospel in our daily lives,” he said. “This living and joyful example is the most important tool of the new evangelization. We will draw others to Christ and His Church much more readily by attraction than anything else.”
As a flagship document, Evangelii Gaudium built upon past papal teaching and presaged themes that would gain greater prominence in the subsequent decade.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston (MN), the committee’s immediate past chairman, recalled that “when we had our ad limina visit with [Pope Francis] in 2020, he himself said to me that he considered Evangelii Gaudium his most important exhortation, which set the stage for his whole pontificate.”
“I think Evangelii Gaudium has been extremely significant in the life of the Church,” Bishop Cozzens added. “It was another step forward in the impulse of the new evangelization started by St. Paul VI and continued by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.”
“At the time of its publication,” said Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis, “Evangelii Gaudium was considered by many to be Pope Francis’s ‘Magna Carta’ for the Church. It drew heavily from the Concluding Document of the May 2007 general conference of CELAM [the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council] at Aparecida” in Brazil.
“I consider it to be a significant document for continued consideration, dialogue, and reflection for life and ministry in the Church,” Archbishop Thompson, the current chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, told CWR. “Drawing from previous popes—St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI—Pope Francis has insisted that those who seek to evangelize must first be open to being evangelized.”
“When Evangelii Gaudium was released, the world was just beginning to learn Pope Francis’s style, with his provocative phrasing—‘the smell of the sheep,’ for example—and his laser focus on missionary discipleship,” recalled Bishop William Wack, CSC, of Pensacola–Tallahassee (FL). “However, we are also seeing that much of his emphasis and teaching is rooted in that of Vatican II, as well as in the writings of his predecessors, especially Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.”
Bishop Wack, who has written a pastoral letter on evangelization (Sharing the Gift), explained:
It was Pope Benedict XVI who articulated well that the heart of our faith is not a concept or a set of rules or even a book; it is a person: Jesus Christ. Our goal is to encounter him and to help others to do so as well. Although it was Pope St. Paul VI who said, “The Church exists to evangelize,” I believe we are finally starting to embrace that truth because Pope Francis has made it the distinctive mark of his ministry as Supreme Pontiff.
“Perhaps the most significant aspect of Evangelii Gaudium is that, with the hindsight of ten years, one can see in nuce [in a nutshell] many of the themes that have and continue to emerge during Francis’s pontificate,” said Dr. Anthony Coleman, director of the Theological Institute at Saint John’s Seminary in Boston, which offers a Master of Theological Studies for the New Evangelization. Dr. Coleman cited themes such as an “outgoing” Church that takes on “the smell of the sheep” (nn. 20-24), “realities are more important than ideas” (nn. 231-33), and synodality (n. 246).
At the same time, Dr. Coleman believes that Evangelii Gaudium, at 224 pages, “lacks the precision and incisiveness that the preceding documents possess.”
“As a professor who teaches this material from time to time, the clarity and focus of the previous documents lend themselves much more naturally to classroom examination and discussion,” he said. “Too many notes, Mr. Mozart.”
The universal call to evangelize and the ‘missionary option’
The fathers of the Second Vatican Council, in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium, 1964), affirmed that all are called to holiness.
Dr. Jeffrey Morrow, professor of undergraduate theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (Seton Hall University), which offers a Certificate Program in Catholic Evangelization, believes that “Pope Francis is extending the Second Vatican Council’s important teaching on the universal call to holiness to the universal call to evangelize.”
“Vatican II famously taught that, by virtue of our baptism, ‘all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity’” (Lumen Gentium, n. 40), Dr. Morrow observed. “In a similar way, in Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis exhorts all of Christ’s faithful that ‘all the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization’” (n. 120).
“The Holy Father writes so eloquently on this point in sections 119-121, that I encourage everyone to read these sections carefully and take them to their prayer,” said Dr. Morrow. He added:
This evangelization to which the Holy Father is calling each and every one of us must be more than just through formal institutions and events; it is to be an all-encompassing activity of Christians. To be Christian is to evangelize. We don’t so much do evangelization as Christians; rather, as Christians we are evangelizers. We have to bring the joy, truth, and love of God everywhere we go.
Likewise, Pope Francis “declared that he wished to see a ‘missionary option,’ similar to the preferential option for the poor in Catholic social thought,” observed Dr. Matthew Muller, assistant professor of theology and associate director for programs for the Gregorian Institute at Benedictine College, which offers an Evangelization and Catechesis Program. “Francis said this ‘missionary option’ means ‘a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything’” (n. 25).
“Along these lines, Pope Francis insisted that all institutions of the Church should embody this ‘missionary option,’” Dr. Muller continued. “Particularly important for the Church in America is his insistence that Catholic colleges and universities should contribute to this ‘missionary option.’”
Dr. Muller, who served for three years as a missionary with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), noted that Pope Francis described Catholic universities as “outstanding environments for articulating and developing this evangelizing commitment in an interdisciplinary and integrated way” (n. 134).
“This is a challenging call to Catholic universities to see their mission as part of the Church’s mission to fulfill the Great Commission, not just to achieve higher status in the U.S. News and World Report rankings,” said Muller.
“I would also note that, where John Paul II called for committing ‘all of the Church’s energies’ to evangelization (Redemptoris Missio, n. 3), Pope Francis called for an openness to changing ‘customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures,’ (#27) so that the Church can be more evangelical,” he continued. “I think this willingness to change things, even long-standing practices, is a precursor to much of Pope Francis’s pontificate.”
Dr. Muller observed:
The various synods of his pontificate can be seen as discussions of how to make the Church more mission-oriented, by adapting herself to contemporary conditions in the modern world. How to do that prudentially and in a way faithful to the Magisterium is a complex question that has caused not a little tension in the Church during Francis’s pontificate.
Significant passages
When asked to highlight particularly significant passages of Evangelii Gaudium, Bishop Wack said that “for me, even the title serves as a reminder of who we are and what it is that we believe.”
“The Gospel indeed is Good News, and it should bring us joy in the depths of our being,” he continued. “We are motivated by that joy to share the Gospel with everyone we meet.”
“The section on a homily (nn. 135-144) is also important, both for those of us who are tasked with preaching and for the People of God as a whole,” he added. “Once again, the Holy Father underscores the need to help people to encounter the living God in the homily and in the liturgy. If we are not doing that, we are just ‘a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal’” (1 Corinthians 13:1).
“One of the clarion calls of Pope Francis’s papacy, and a golden thread to the entire apostolic exhortation, is the start of paragraph 3: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day,’” said Dr. David Spesia, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ executive director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis.
“The Holy Father’s subsequent call to advance ‘along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are’ (n. 25), his reminder that ‘in virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples’ (n. 120), and his focus on the first proclamation of the Gospel and the centrality of the kerygma (nn. 164-65) are all rooted in this invitation to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ,” Spesia added.
“Indeed, I think this renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ is the best context for reading chapter four’s focus on the inclusion of the poor in society” (n. 198), he continued. “There should be no false contrast between sharing the Good News of the Gospel and accompanying those on the margins of society—it is one and the same missionary mindset.”
Similarly, Msgr. Kieran Harrington, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States (TPMS), said that Evangelii Gaudium’s “emphasis on a ‘culture of encounter’ has resonated profoundly within my ministry, urging a deeper engagement with our mission territories.”
“The exhortation’s sections on the inclusivity and the role of the poor [nn. 186-216] are not just significant, but have driven much of our outreach at TPMS, emphasizing a Church that is poor and for the poor, with Christ, the Gospel, and the person at the center,” he said.
Julianne Stanz, mission team leader for the Evangelization & Discipleship Mission team of the Diocese of Green Bay, highlighted the importance of the term “missionary discipleship” (n. 24), which, she said, places “a greater emphasis on accompanying those on the path of discipleship, no matter their starting point.”
The author of Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church, Stanz sees the apostolic exhortation as providing a blueprint “to guide parishes to become more missionary.” She said that an evangelizing community
- “knows that the Lord has taken the first step in the evangelization process,” “is a supportive, action-oriented community that patiently responds to people’s real needs,” “bears fruit,” and “is marked by deep joy” (cf. n. 24)
- “is marked by flexibility and frequent contact with its members” (cf. n. 28)
- “fosters a Spirit-filled environment where members are trained to be evangelizers” and is “bold and creative in assessing how it operates and conducts itself” (cf. n. 33)
Bishop Edward Risi, OMI, has led the Diocese of Keimoes-Upington (South Africa) since 2000; he is also chairman of the Department for Christian Formation, Liturgy, and Culture of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), the episcopal conference for the bishops of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa. He reflected on the significance of Evangelii Gaudium and its influence on the SACBC’s 2020 pastoral plan.
“We already identified evangelization as central to our vision and mission statements introducing the pastoral plan,” said Bishop Risi. “The teaching of Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel provided us with very solid references to back up our vision and mission.”
While the bishops’ pastoral plan has eight focal points, the first is evangelization. “The focus of the parish is the evangelical life,” said Bishop Risi. “The faithful are referred to Evangelii Gaudium n. 28: ‘The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.’”
He added, “In the focal area of evangelization, the faithful are directed to Evangelii Gaudium n. 128 and in particular the following: ‘The first step is personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs.’”
The pastoral plan, he added, also draws on n. 169 in its section on the clergy and n. 105 in its section on youth: “the rise and growth of associations and movements mostly made up of young people can be seen as the work of the Holy Spirit, who blazes new trails to meet their expectations and their search for a deep spirituality and a more real sense of belonging,” Pope Francis wrote.
“I was named bishop several weeks after Pope Francis issued Evangelii Gaudium, and so in the Providence of God, have always experienced it as foundational for my episcopal ministry,” recalled Archbishop Mark O’Toole of Cardiff and Menevia (Wales), chair of the Department for Evangelization and Discipleship of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
“I particularly love the part in paragraph 164, where the Holy Father says, ‘Jesus Christ loves you. He gave His life to save you and He is living at your side every day, to enlighten, to strengthen and to free you,’” said Archbishop O’Toole, who explained:
I seek to make this a daily truth in my own life. To remember, and deepen, that Jesus is ‘an event’ which has happened in my life. This truth is primary, not just in terms of Revelation as the Kerygma, but also primary because we all need to come back to this truth again and again. So often when I preach, especially on a first visit to a parish, I will quote this sentence.
“I find Evangelii Gaudium to be an incredibly rich and significant document that has been broadly implemented across the United States in the last decade, so it is hard to understate its importance,” said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress. “There are many passages to highlight, but I think for me the focus on the importance of initial proclamation [n. 165], the reminder not to depart in our ministry too quickly from the fundamental Gospel message, is something that has profoundly marked my own ministry and leadership efforts, as an evangelist, and even as a dad.”
“I have been particularly edified by a line toward the end of Evangelii Gaudium (n. 265): ‘Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love,’” Dr. Spesia added. “There is so much pain, so much emptiness, so much loneliness; infinite love alone is the credible response.”
He continued:
Pope Francis understands the depths of the challenges as well as the overwhelming gift of the Lord’s response. Therefore, the very next paragraph reminds us that ‘this conviction has to be sustained by our own constantly renewed experience of savoring Christ’s friendship and his message … This is why we evangelize” (n. 266).
When asked where they see a “new chapter of evangelization” (nn. 1, 261) being written despite so many challenges, those contacted by CWR referred to a wide range of initiatives and apostolates, including the National Eucharistic Revival, the National Eucharistic Congress, the English bishops’ Proclaim and Adoremus, FOCUS, Saint Paul’s Outreach, apps like Hallow, podcasts like Father Mike Schmitz’s The Bible in a Year, and initiatives taking place at the diocesan level.
“I see this new chapter of evangelization being written with particular fervor among the laity who are emboldened to share their faith with others, and especially the young,” said Morrow.
“One need only to be a part of a large adoration service or a gathering of young adults or students in campus Ministry to see God’s people boldly proclaiming their Catholic faith,” added Bishop Wack. “A new chapter of evangelization means that people of faith are not content with ‘fitting in’ with the rest of society. No, we must stand out and stand for the joy of the Gospel.”
In addition, Archbishop O’Toole spoke of the via pulchritudinis (the way of beauty), Msgr. Harrington discussed missionary work in Africa and Asia, and Stanz spoke of the adaptability encouraged by the document in fostering evangelization in Wisconsin. Father James Wehner, the author of The Evangelization Equation: The Who, What, and How, emphasized the importance of Eucharistic devotion.
The way of beauty
Drawing on n. 167 of Evangelii Gaudium, Archbishop O’Toole spoke of the importance of beauty—the beauty of holiness as well as the beauty of the sacred liturgy—in drawing others to Christ.
“It is not so much by argument or moral witness that faith stimulates conversion in another, but so often in and through them experiencing something of the beauty of Catholic faith,” he said. “In this way they encounter Him who is beauty, Jesus Christ.”
“When we see the faith lived in another disciple, we are stimulated to grow in holiness, too,” he added. “The beauty of the Liturgy, too, is important, especially the Eucharist, for it brings us into an encounter with the living Lord present there. Sacred art and music can also assist in this. This experience of beauty can help a person begin a pathway into discipleship of Jesus Christ, discovered in His Church.”
“The only thing she wanted was a church”
“The fervent call for a new chapter of evangelization in Evangelii Gaudium echoes profoundly within the global outreach of TPMS USA.” said Msgr. Harrington. “We witness this fervor notably in Africa and Asia, where communities, despite facing adversities, are embracing the Gospel with joyous resolve. The challenges lie in the realms of resource constraints and sociopolitical hostilities.”
He recalled:
In India I had the opportunity to meet a woman named Ramaye, a Christian convert, member of the Dalit: the so-called untouchables in India’s caste system. She had been married off at thirteen to her maternal uncle, who was forty at the time.
Upon encountering Christ through a missionary, she refused to let her three daughters be married off when they reached puberty. I asked her in what way could we help her, and the only thing she wanted was a church, because “where God is, grace follows.”
“More recently, in Ethiopia I had firsthand witness to the poverty of the people and clergy,” Msgr. Harrington said. “Even the basics of clean water were in short supply. Nevertheless, the generosity of sharing with those in need seemed to be a source of a deep and profound joy—this even following a war that ravaged families.”
Faithfulness and fruitfulness
“I have a great deal of passion for Evangelii Gaudium because I have seen first hand how it has transformed my life, my parish, and indeed, the entire Diocese of Green Bay,” said Stanz.
“Evangelii Gaudium reminded us as a Church to exercise greater faithfulness, innovation, and creativity with respect to sharing the joy of the Gospel with all people,” she added. “We are seeing fruit in many areas of the Church: increased enrollment in Catholic schools, a deepening of faithfulness in our young adults, and greater creativity on the part of parishes to reach out and journey with those from all walks of life.”
This creativity, she said, was in evidence in her diocese during the pandemic:
There were many parishes that saw buds of new life emerge as they accompanied their parishioners and all those within their mission field throughout the pandemic. Many parishes balanced prudence with a sense of “holy boldness” and a desire to respond to and alleviate the suffering of those in their midst. They abandoned pre-determined programs in favor of people and marshaled resources to respond to those in their community. They modeled creativity, adaptability and resiliency and no longer waited for long-drawn out processes where everything was decided by a committee.
Stanz, a consultant to the bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said that “through my work with the USCCB and my travels throughout the country, there are signs of new life emerging in lots of places—often humble, quiet places were faithfulness and fruitfulness have been linked. Evangelii Gaudium is now ten years old, and for those people and places that have leaned into the Holy Spirit, the inspiration provided has been transformative.”
Evangelization rooted in Eucharistic devotion
“I have two perspectives or lenses by which I view” Evangelii Gaudium, said Father Wehner, pastor of the largest parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and former rector-president of Notre Dame Seminary (Louisiana), the nation’s second-largest theologate.
Father Wehner recalled, “As rector, the faculty and I used a day of recollection for ourselves as formators to discuss Evangelii Gaudium and how it can inspire aspects of priestly formation. The seminarians in the United States of today can teach us about fidelity, commitment to prayer, liturgical renewal steeped in our Tradition, and creative ways to minister in our modern age.”
“Yet, there is a distrust towards ecclesial authority, a sense of being betrayed by the clergy sexual misconduct, and a perception that ‘to be pastoral’ as a priest means one may not always be faithful to certain teachings,” he continued. “Pope Francis challenges us in Evangelii Gaudium to not let the worldly cynical attitude towards faith impact us as pastoral leaders.”
“As a pastor, the document is as fresh today as it was ten years ago,” he added. “Division around the world, in our own country, and polemics within the life of the Church can thwart the missionary zeal our Holy Father calls us to embrace.”
Father Wehner believes that evangelization must be rooted in the soil of Eucharistic devotion.
“The new chapter of evangelization I saw in seminarians and now see in the parish is rooted in the Eucharist,” he said. “Most seminarians coming into the seminary have a direct conversion and vocational experience grounded in the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and Confession.”
“In my last assignment at the seminary, we had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament twice a day, every day, with all-night adoration every week,” he continued. “I have three churches in my new parish where we now have all-day adoration three days a week with expanded Confession times.”
“A ‘new chapter of evangelization full of fervor, joy, generosity, courage, boundless love and attraction’ (n. 261) flows from the sacramental life of the Church,” added Father Wehner. “This is the new chapter I have seen in priestly vocations and the renewal of parish life. Frankly, without this emphasis on the Holy Eucharist, I cannot imagine there will ever be a new chapter.”
Evangelization and proselytism
In a 2007 homily cited by Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI preached that “the Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by attraction.”
Later that year, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that in the past, “the term proselytism was often used as a synonym for missionary activity. More recently, however, the term has taken on a negative connotation, to mean the promotion of a religion by using means, and for motives, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel; that is, which do not safeguard the freedom and dignity of the human person” (footnote 49).
Asked to discuss Pope Francis’s distinction between evangelization and proselytism, Dr. Morrow drew attention to a papal general audience from January 2023. Dr. Morrow explained:
The evangelization Pope Francis speaks of, which is not that different from the way the Church historically has used the term “proselytism,” has to do with seeing the individuals, not as enemies, but as friends, as family, as loved ones who move the heart of Jesus, and thus who should move our hearts as well.
It’s not the helping others see the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith that’s the problem; both the proselytism he criticizes and the evangelization he encourages might do that. Rather, it’s about how we approach them: Am I better? Am I superior? Do I not need God and his grace? It’s also about how we view them: Are they my enemies? Or are they my friends in need of the grace of God that I too need?
Stanz observed that “Evangelii Gaudium emphasized a style of evangelization that was much more relational than programmatic, and hopeful rather than judgmental.”
“Evangelization is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ and his Body the Church in a way that respects the inherent dignity and sanctity of each person,” she said. “Proselytizing, on the other hand, emphasizes ‘winning’ arguments” and “can be perceived as assertive and even aggressive. While evangelization should always be invitational, open and dialogical, proselytizing often imposes moral judgments that are condemnatory and condescending.”
“An angry seminarian, a judgmental priest, an arrogant, haughty Catholic, a detached pastor, lay ministry tailored as managers of programs, contrarian priests towards their bishop – none of this gives a witness of a non-Catholic wanting to be a part of our community,” said Father Wehner. “‘I’m right and you’re wrong’” does not inspire.”
He added:
Witness and proclamation are the two hinges of evangelization, as noted by St. Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi. In so many ways, our young people do not trust people in authority because they keep getting let down. When the Christian—again, we are sinners—attempts to be genuine and sincere, the natural curiosity of another will inspire them to the truth. Witness and proclamation will attract people to the Gospel.
“That witness is meant to lead others to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Thompson. “The witness must avoid becoming an obstacle or distraction to this encounter, which might be a form of proselytism.”
“Proselytism, to me, is about the heart,” Glemkowski added. “Have we put numbers above the person in front of us? If we are driven by charity, we will of course seek both to live and communicate the Gospel. If we evangelize, instead, in order to grow our own organization, apostolate, or movement, then we have fallen into proselytization.”
“Evangelization by attraction remains our objective and goal,” said Bishop Wack. “Unfortunately, because of infighting and division even among Catholics, many people continue to be put off. If the joy of the Gospel were really evident in believers, more people would see that and say, “I want what they have.’”
“Before we evangelize others, Catholics need to embrace their faith with joy and even a sense of pride,” he added. “I see this in many people today, and it gives me great hope.”
Bishop Cozzens said:
It is the joy of the Gospel that is most attractive to those in our world. Evangelization is being ready to offer a reason for your hope. Also, being ready to invite people to experience the Lord‘s mercy, and to offer that mercy to them. This includes proclaiming the truth, which sets free.
What we see today in the United States is many people struggling with discouragement and despair. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to offer them the joy that only Christ can give. I suppose proselytism would be somehow to browbeat these people for being away from God. We are what we are called to do is spread seeds, like Jesus, proclaiming His goodness.
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Dr. Muller: “The various synods of his pontificate can be seen as discussions of how to make the Church more mission-oriented, by adapting herself to contemporary conditions in the modern world. How to do that prudentially and in a way faithful to the Magisterium is a complex question that has caused not a little tension in the Church during Francis’s pontificate.”
Yes, “no little tension.”
As a back-bleacher commenter, and now finding myself much rebuked by the happily positive focus of these interviews, I simply recall earlier questions whether, perhaps, the wording choices of Pope Francis have actually enabled others to misinterpret his invitation to true evangelization—by “adapting to contemporary conditions” but still in a way “faithful to the Magisterium”. As an institutional nonentity, I often have posed the question whether the evangelization intended by Pope Francs just might be too subordinate to exploitation by parties less than “prudent.”
Is the danger so much that of proselytism, or rather its opposite?
That is, what about Evangelii Gaudium’s possibly enabling wording of its four overriding “principles:” First, when is “realities are more important than ideas [concepts?]” at risk of Nominalism, e.g., an LGBTQ lifestyle exemption from moral absolutes of the universal natural law)? Second, when is “time is greater than space” at risk of Historicism, e.g., an amnesiac “paradigm shift” massaging us toward female ordinations? Third, when is “unity prevails over conflict” actually at risk of a synodal plebiscite tending to eclipse the apostolic mission and structure? Fourth, when is “the whole is greater than the part” at risk of Globalism, e.g., the Fundamental Option and Proportionalism/ Consequentialism vs Veritatis Splendor; alongside problematic aspects of the U.N. “Agenda 2030”?
I am reassured to be wrong about all this, and as it turns out the German vanguard for such false “creativity” now has been evangelized/instructed to stand down, by Cardinal Parolin (not Fernandez?) and Pope Francis himself. And the 1,200 amendments to the synodal final Synthesis Report give at least some added reassurance.
But, over the past ten years, at what erosive cost to evangelical and unambiguous evangelization?
Joy isn’t really something I would associate with pope Francis. And that’s a very sad thing. The church , at least in Europe is smaller , more divided and more confused. But not joyful.
Spot on. Those are proper questions that deserve a full and proper reply. Thanks for your comment.
I read and listen to a lot. I find this article much too long. I think picking three, maybe four respondents would be much more effective (and much more likely to be read by the average reader).
Some reference: the original material for this piece was over 10,000 words.
If the piece was this long with just 3 or 4 folks interviewed, I would agree that it’s too long. But here is a lot of content here. (And it’s free!)
They are trying to organize what to do with “the People of God” baptized or not. I think it’s not going well and I’m not surprised. Inconsistent with the Church is inconsistent with VATICAN II and vice versa. Impulsive well-meaning optimism is not correcting the deviations – because, it can’t. Self-referencing religious language lends sense of lot of excitement like a sugar rush. Cardinal Zen had said (elsewhere) that it can’t be constitutive because to start with it was not there in the beginning.
https://oldyosef.hkdavc.com/?p=1972
https://www.scribbr.com/rhetoric/tautology/
So if in 1996 in Latin America you uncover a nest of abortionistas in the parish, the Holy Spirit would organize synodalism 20 years later in order to tell the Germans NOT TO GO TOO FAR WITH HOMOSEXUALISM while inspiring you ahead of it to rebuke loyalty to Tradition as neo-Pelagian mani-gnostic incurvatus formalist spiritual worldliness? As constitutive of the Church?
“Synodlaity” -sounds like sodality therefore the Holy Spirit must be saying something?
Why do you need to have a synod to witness to anything already in the faith?
You are saying to the baptized and confirmed that the basis of all further conversion is synodalism and if they do not give consent, that LACK of consent is Pelagianism and apostasy and they are heretics? Or are you saying it only to the baptized as a condition of confirmation?
You are telling the unbaptized that if they wish to allow Catholic Churches in their nations they must sign fraternity covenants with you? That will command us all as loyal brothers?
Why are the abortionistas still leading in the parish in Latin America in late 2023?
Fair questions?
Fair answers?
Enlightened by Pope Francis, Dr Muller at first seems enthused over His Holiness’ interdisciplinary and integrated way. So we add some of this then that and continue to assess how loving and friendly we can be in proclaiming Christ. Why of course Ecclesia adapting herself to current conditions has caused not a little tension, rightly perceived by Peter Beaulieu as understated.
Evangelization v Proselytism stood out. What difference has Francis, or any author by some caprice of chance captured that which differentiates the two. If we’re talking about preaching the Gospel for the former we’re doing similarly with the latter, which is to convert. So then, it’s really conversion that causes His Holiness agita. His efforts have all along been to promote a reader friendly Gospel. Not the one where he talks about causing strife and division, even between mother in law and daughter in law.
Finally, Bishop Cozzens comes right down to it, “Many people are struggling with discouragement and despair. We can offer them joy. We are what we are called to do is spread seeds, like Jesus, proclaiming His goodness”. Wait a minute! I had been hearing that for years as a layman, priests’ homiletic bottom line, God’s in charge, he’s good, he loves you.
Carl above – I started to skim this article but when I realized how long it was, I gave it up.
It could have been grouped (pro/con?) or divided into two (at least) segments to make it more palatable.
The fact that it’s free doesn’t override what I consider real drawbacks.
Gilberta, I had a similar experience. Not only is the article long; but, I would imagine like many of Francis’ tomes, essentially void of any meaningful reference to Jesus Christ Himself. I have yet to suffer his long works where he cites his own writings at the expense of mentioning Jesus. I read the articles on his writings enough to turn me completely off to them. He reminds me of Obama who had 150 self-portraits in the West Wing of the white house. It’s nauseating and dizzying. The real meat of the matter is how/if this man of prominence in the church is able to set himself aside so Christ can reign through him. I am still waiting for such a moment with Francis. I fear it may never come.
There’s a balance that’s missing in the new evangelism as espoused by Pope Francis. We may contrast an exaggerated meekness overly concerned with upsetting the listener to a more assertive, honest approach. Harshness is a double edged sword.
Admonition with the community was encouraged by the Apostles regarding adherence to the faith. The Apostle Paul doesn’t hesitate to use strong language in response to evil. We find similar in both the early Fathers and the post Nicene Fathers who spoke with kindness interspersed with fire. Christ as alluded in my previous comment was also a divider, meaning that the truth causes division between believer and non believer.
Faith loses its savor like diluted salt. The realities of faith are dramatic. Eternal joy or eternal suffering remain hidden realities when our evangelical language is reduced to nicety. Surely kindness, meekness can convert, although not nearly as effectively with the presentation of all the truth, the evil consequences of sin. It’s why, amazingly for myself at least, I keep hearing persons saying they haven’t heard the word sin, repentance for sin in 30 years or so. The world has abandoned faith, and continues toward universal apostasy because of that. A doctrine of laxity contributes to the malaise.
You might try this.
For lengthy responses writers could give a brief summary of their response and then support it with the details. It helps the reader understand what is to follow.
You do a good job of inventing a subject title for each issue.
Well I did read it all. Sometimes it’s hard to sit and take the time…we’re all so rushed and wanting/used to “sound bites”. It seems to me Francis’ negativity towards the term proselytism is quickly taken up by the media to push for the acceptance of moral and doctrinal relativism
Mary above – I don’t expect my reading/listening to come in sound bites.
The Catholic Thing, Catholic Culture, The Pillar, Anglican Unscripted, Catholic Unscripted, Catholic Herald. No soundbites to be found.
Something is amiss and very wrong where the “synodal model process” and “ambulatory clergy-laity dialoguing” that my Archdiocese has been working in through the past 13 years, that is INDISTINGUISHABLE from what has been happening in Germany, has not gotten censored by the Vatican and Pope Francis as has happened for the Germans. My Archbishop was at the “Synod”. What are they sharing? What’s the difference?
Among the Haya people of Tanzania, Africa, there is a saying: “akutwaala ekiro, omusiima bwakeile – it is in the morning that you thank one who assists to take you back home at night.”
We are living in the challenging moments not only of social wars and conflicts, but also of rational and moral controversies. We seem to be burning outside and inside. These are night moments. We have failed in understsnding the other; we are driven by our absolutes; it is my opinion or it is not an opinion!
It is in such moments of the dark that I read the Evangelii Gaudium. It is a document that challenges us to get free from our prejudices and embrace openness and inclusion, the core message of the Good News of Jesus, and not the human doctrinal perspectives. The morning is coming, we shall thank Pope Francis for having written this prophetic piece.
Very heady, Kamanzi. Openness and inclusion can’t encapsulate the Gospel message. The Lord said controversy will necessarily develop.
How about, A stone once seen will not damage the hoe. Matching a proverb to your argument will not necessarily prove its vigour.
‘ The COP — “conference of the parties” — has now had 28 annual meetings. It is the mother of all processes, growing more gargantuan by year. Few of those gathered in Dubai would know what “synodality” is, but many of them are masters at the art of meetings about meetings, punctuated by receptions about receptivity, networking about networks and dinners about dinnerality. A U.N. megaconference is synodality on steroids, the triumph of bureaucratic processes to no great effect. ‘
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/the-dangers-pope-francis-avoided-by-not-going-to-dubai
Joy is not a quality I can attribute to Pope Francis, especially in light of his recent deposing of Bishop Strickland and his exile of Cardinals Ganswein and Burke, among others. For me, the defining attribute of his papal style is one of an exceedingly sour and unpleasant scold.
Ten years ago the Mass of the Ages was doing so much to show that joy was and is possible, and with a new Pope whose land mark year of mercy was perhaps the ONLY positive thing from this pontificate. Now after ten years people and clergy are afraid to express views in case Francis becomes annoyed! Sadly, this pontificate is ending now not in joy but more like the brief but similar reign of Paul IV in the 1550s: where paranoia and conspiracical judge mentalism reigned supreme! Personally these have been the saddest years that as a Catholic that I’ve ever had! JPII and Benedict at least then there was joy and you knew with it with confidence and hope!