An intense day that I experienced with more than ninety missionaries from many congregations at the headquarters of the International Union of Superiors General, exactly in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, a stone’s throw from the Vatican.
The organisers were SEDOS (Service of Documentation and Studies on the Global Mission) and the IACM (International Association of Catholic Missiologists): a fruitful collaboration. Almost one hundred attendees – some some told me – had not been seen for a long time and the quality of the interventions – they all agreed – was a great contribution to the lives of men and women who are questioning what it means to be missionaries today.
The morning was devoted to a very challenging topic: what does it means to live in communities that are not only international but also intergenerational. These are the great challenges that missionaries, who have dedicated their lives to God but also to men and women from different parts of the world to bring the Good News everywhere, have to face. The presentations by the South African consecrated woman Judith Carmel Lynch and the Indian Salesian Joseph Jeyraj Swaminathan were very profound and inspiring. Faced with the fact that all communities now have members young, old and older, the two speakers delved into psychological, spiritual and social dynamics. Each spoke for an hour and, despite an audience from different backgrounds (all continents were present with Europe in the minority and, without a shadow of a doubt, representing the older generation), they maintained a very high level of attention among all present. Their competence was clear and unequivocal: lived experience in their own communities, professional preparation, long practice in the various accompaniment activities. A true formative lesson not only for the world of consecrated persons and the Church, but very useful for society and social communities in general.
In the afternoon it was the turn of three speakers, including myself, who spoke on another aspect of mission: dialogue in the Church and in mission; synodality and interculturality and listening to women. This last topic, addressed by a Salesian nun, Linda Pocher, aroused great interest. Sister Linda, in fact, was called upon a few months ago to prepare four reflection sessions on the role and presence of women in the Church for the C9 of cardinals who meet every two months with Pope Francis to discuss and discern fundamental aspects of the Catholic Church. A masterful, well-prepared, clear intervention, not at all polemical and exclusivist, but true, sincere, profound and also academic and theological. My friend Paolo Trianni, on the other hand, delved into the role of cultures and mission in the future of the Church. Personally, I presented some reflections on the recent trip of Pope Francis to Asia and Oceania where mission and dialogue emerged combined with some typical elements of Pope Francis’ mission: his personal witness, compassion, body language and some significant acts.
Above all, it was a day of deep fraternity, lived in communion between different charisms with great openness to give and receive. I met friends and friends and got to know and esteem new ones. A true charismatic gift. One of those moments when you regret those who did not attend.
