{"id":5119,"date":"2014-01-04T20:02:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-04T20:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-encourages-reform-of-relations-between-religious-bishops\/"},"modified":"2014-01-04T20:02:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-04T20:02:00","slug":"pope-encourages-reform-of-relations-between-religious-bishops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/01\/pope-encourages-reform-of-relations-between-religious-bishops\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope encourages reform of relations between religious, bishops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Jan 4, 2014 \/ 01:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- At a meeting with religious superiors held last November, Pope Francis urged a reform of the document regulating the relationship between bishops and religious congregations, according to Fr. Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilt\u00e0 Cattolica.<\/p>\n

\tThe Bishop of Rome met with a group of some 120 religious superiors in Rome on Nov. 29, 2013, during the general assembly of the Union of Superiors General. He held a three-hour question and answer session with them, touching on the prophetic vocation of religious life, the formation of religious, and the interactions between bishops and those in consecrated life, among other things.<\/p>\n

\tCNA reported briefly<\/a> on the meeting Dec. 2, but an extensive account of Pope Francis' words there was not made available until Fr. Spadaro published a 14-page account <\/a>of the encounter in the Jan. 3 issue of the Italian Jesuit periodical La Civilt\u00e0 Cattolica.<\/p>\n

\tAccording to Fr. Spadaro, Pope Francis said during the meeting that \u201cMutuae relationes,\u201d a 1978 document including directives for the mutual relations between bishops and religious in the Church, \u201cwas useful at the time but is now outdated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe charisms of the various Institutes need to be respected and fostered because they are needed in dioceses. I know by experience the problems that can arise between a bishop and religious communities,\u201d the Pope explained.<\/p>\n

\tHe reflected as both a bishop and religious superior, noting that when religious leave a diocese, the bishop \u201coften finds himself suddenly left with a hot potato in his hand,\u201d but that on the other hand bishops should \u201cnot view religious simply as useful instruments,\u201d but come to know and appreciate their unique charisms.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFor this reason the Pope confided to the Congregation for Religious the task of resuming reflection on the document Mutuae relationes<\/em> and to work on a revision,\u201d Fr. Spadaro wrote.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, Pope Francis discussed the vocation of religious who are not priests, and \u201c complained that an adequate awareness of this specific vocation has not yet been developed,\u201d said Fr. Spadaro, who added that \u201che referred to a document related to this which has never appeared, and which might be looked at again,\u201d and that he signalled to the leaders of the Congregation for Religious to consider that \u201cit might be finished and so as to facilitate a more satisfactory reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPope Francis reflected extensively on the vocation of religious, saying they show that \u201cit is possible to live differently in the world,\u201d and that their life has an \u201ceschatological outlook\u201d and that they follow Christ \u201cin a prophetic way,\u201d calling prophecy of the Kingdom \u201ca non-negotiable\u201d in their life.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt is this witness that I expect of you,\u201d the Pope told the assembled superiors. \u201cReligious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cYou should be real witnesses of a world of doing and acting differently. But in life if it is difficult for everything to be clear, precise, outlined neatly. Life is complicated; it consists of grace and sin \u2026 a religious who recognizes himself as weak and a sinner does not negate the witness that he is called to give, rather he reinforces it, and this is good for everyone. What I expect of you therefore is to give witness. I want this special witness from religious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPope Francis also touched on inculturation of charisms, according to Fr. Spadaro, saying, \u201cthe charism is one but, as Saint Ignatius used to say, it needs to be lived according to the places, times and persons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe explained that inculturation of charisms is \u201cfundamental,\u201d but that \u201cthis never means relativizing it,\u201d though charism should not be \u201crigid or uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAlso during the three-hour encounter, the Roman Pontiff discussed the formation of religious, emphasizing that it is always ordered towards the people of God, adding that \u201cthe ghost to fight against is the image of religious life understood as an escape or hiding place in face of an 'external,' difficult and complex world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe called formation \u201ca work of art, not a police action. We must form their hearts. Otherwise we are creating little monsters. And then these little monsters mold the People of God. This really gives me goose bumps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAccording to Fr. Spadaro<\/a>, Pope Francis concluded the meeting by announcing that 2015 will be dedicated to consecrated life, and saying: \u201cThank you for what you do, for your spirit of faith and your pursuit of service.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vatican City, Jan 4, 2014 \/ 01:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- At a meeting with religious superiors held last November, Pope Francis urged a reform of the document regulating the relationship between bishops and religious congregations, according to Fr. Anton…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope encourages reform of relations between religious, bishops<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Jan 4, 2014 \/ 01:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- At a meeting with religious superiors held last November, Pope Francis urged a reform of the document regulating the relationship between bishops and religious congregations, according to Fr. 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