by Marinella Perroni
Some hints already made during his brief speech immediately after the election, but above all his own pastoral experience, attest that Leo XIV will place the missionary perspective at the center of his pontificate. It will be said that it could not be otherwise, since mission is the first consequence of faith in the resurrection and therefore represents the constitutive act of the Church: either the Church is missionary, or it is not. This is confirmed by Paul’s personal experience, by the accounts of the post-resurrection appearances found in all four Gospels, and by the Acts of the Apostles. Above all, it is powerfully affirmed by the final words of the Risen One with which Matthew seals his Gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (28:19).
What seems entirely normal to us today- such as a conclave with 133 cardinals from 71 different Countries, or a St Peter’s Square filled with pilgrims from all over the world during the Jubilee Year – actually rests on a missionary fabric woven over decades, sometimes centuries, in which men and women, belonging to religious orders or lay associations, have participated, dedicating their lives to getting the gospel to the ends of the earth. In different ways, of course, depending on the places and especially the historical moments; not without fault when they were complicit in the violence of colonization; but also capable of heroic witness, sometimes even to the point of martyrdom. The history of Christian mission delivers to us entire continents where diverse cultures give the Gospel new vitality and new momentum, while at the same time confronting us with crucial questions and unprecedented challenges.
It is true, however, that the missionary momentum which characterized the centuries of exploration and great migrations is now in crisis. The weakening of historic Churches has led to a drastic decline in the number of missionaries, and the driving force of Vatican II has lost much of its intensity. Looking at the current state of mission across the continents, one is reminded of Jesus’ words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few!” (Luke 10:2).
If Pope Leo leads the Church toward a renewed missionary impulse, then missionary orders and volunteer associations will be called to deeply rethink how they draw near to the billions of human beings who still hunger. Not only for bread and for God, but also for justice and freedom.