Cara Week,
I kindly ask, if possible, an opinion of an expert in your letter about the underexposed and related problems in particular. The author of the letter is the unique visitor who visits on behalf of the superior general, the religious community responsible pastorally the parish. The letter (the signs were removed the names, places, diocese, congregation-order) is addressed to the pastor of the parish concerned, the leaders of the Neocatechumenal existing in the parish, and - for information - the diocesan ordinary and higher Provincial of the Congregation-order concerned.
"Dear brothers and sisters,
I cordially greet the peace of the risen Christ ... From ... to ... I made the extraordinary visitation, on behalf of more general ... During the visit, I spent time listening to people and viewing situations. I spoke to the religious community, with community leaders the Way, with representatives of church groups. If I met Msgr. bishop, the Episcopal Vicar for the pastoral care of the city, the provincial superior. I read the documentation that is in the religious community on the canonical visitations ..., among other things, I noticed how some of the information offered about the "Path" have been rejected. I meditated on the latest pronouncements of the Magisterium of the pope and the bishops.
At the end of the visit, so I wrote: "In the parish there are eight community Neocatechumenal. Especially at this time there is tension between the religious community and those communities." He adds: "The religious community continue with its proposal on the charism, the animation of the parish, according to our official records, the lines of ministry for the parish are given by the religious community and the pastoral council. "Finally, I spoke of a" letter of guidance " , that I would come after further study, community and religious leaders of the Neocatechumenal.
After prayer and discernment, I have come to these conclusions, pointing you towards a path of communion.
"Above all on love. "What we must safeguard these is love, what we must build is the community, you have to live is the communion.
In the current tight situation and the building up of the parish community, pointing you to the following steps to be implemented progressively. They offer concrete ways of communion.
1. To promote the harmonious growth of the parish community and our charism, I note that the presence of eight communities of the Way "is too large. I call on the leaders of the Neocatechumenal to find alternative solutions, such as fusion of some communities or their transfer to other locations, so that in the parish there are no more than three communities. Also, I invite the leaders not to start other religious instruction, if the need will arise for other catechesis, these are not performed in the parish.
2. To achieve the visible unity and to avoid overlapping of time, the Eucharistic celebrations on Saturday evening for the "community way" in the parish on Saturday evening in the parish rooms there will be no more than three Masses. In particular, then at the height of the liturgical year, starting in 2008 in the parish church or oratory environments [1] is not required the celebration of the Easter Vigil.
3. To deliver an indication of the letter of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of 1st December 2005, addressed to the leaders of the Way, which claims that "at least one Sunday a month the Neocatechumenal communities must participate in the Mass of the parish community, I ask that once a month on Saturday evening, all the rooms in the Oratory there is no celebration of the Eucharist.
4. To enhance pastoral community and the expression of our charism in the parish, which has been entrusted by the bishop to the congregation, they are converged within the guidelines of the pastoral council and develop a proposal explicitly our animation of the parish, according to our official documents.
I am aware that the way the proposal is difficult, the steps are not easy to achieve. "It's the love of Christ that pushes me." The construction calls for courageous decisions of the parish community. The Neocatechumenal is doing a great good in the church, however, creating some tensions, especially when entering parish ministry (Benedict XVI, meeting with pastors and clergy of the diocese of Rome, February 22, 2007). In these past years, it was not sufficiently reflected by our community and the parish community what it means that a parish is animated by the charism of consecrated life.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth and love, will suggest how to implement these guidelines. I leave it to the provincial superior, in dialogue with the bishop, to see the realization of time since the beginning of new pastoral year. The Virgin Mary ...
With sincere esteem and fraternal affection. "
ask politely (and I thank any of the answers): 1
. Can the superior general of a congregation-order to arrive at these conclusions, without prior and full agreement with the diocesan bishop? Without directly involving the lay faithful of the parish (with the components of the communities of the Way)?
2. The Way was called in the parish 30 years ago (and later in recent years) by the pastors (and priests of the religious community) the same congregation that have followed-order. They have it all wrong?
letter signed
The answer to the second question is simple: Way is a "itinerary of Catholic formation valid for society and for our times" (St 1). Therefore, did not lose three decades.
Instead, the answer to the first question is more difficult, since there is no knowledge of litigation and we are dealing with borderline cases for which we can only reiterate the laws, compliance with which is a measure of action and start the solution conflict.
The case is still complex because it requires more likely to harmonize:
1) the Bishop and his pastoral authority, which the men are subjected to what he refers to 'the cure of souls, the public exercise of divine worship and other works apostolic ' (Canon 678.1 and 681.1);
2) the Way, with a statute approved by the Holy See;
3) the ordinary religious (visitors) that, unlike the bishop, is "normal" only for the brethren (cf. 134.1), which in the apostolate "are also subject to their superiors and must remain faithful to the discipline of the institution" (c. 678.2);
4) the religious community who works at ' Parish ministry (c. 519) but, as a legal person, is parish priest (Can. 520.1);
5), the parish priest, who exercises his pastoral activity "under the authority of the diocesan bishop" (Can. 519 ) and is distinct the religious community, religious perspective, poorly digested by many who continue to dream of the parish entrusted to the community, "but it is not.
Considering the above, the question: "Could the visitor to write what he wrote?", The answer is "Yes, I could." For three reasons, as the visitor
a) respects the rule of the Way to the Eucharist as a community and not determinations about the Easter Vigil (St 13.3, 12.3 and Letter of 1.12.2005, No. 1 )
b) complies with its limitations to be "not normal" for the faithful of the Way, which, after having spoken with the bishop, is addressed not giving orders, but using the terms "call / ask" (we are not faced with a love letter and every word is usually taken in the technical sense);
c) acts as "ordinary" at the men and urged them to bring out the charisma own and, after talking with the bishop (which is the mutual agreement of the can. 678.3), limits their apostolate in the parish is not necessary in either in an absolute sense or as requested by the bishop.
These laws and dynamics, but it is clear that in themselves are empty and the resolution is an assessment of the Way of the Christian and parochial.
However, in my fallible opinion, there is also some shadow. While it appears that the religious community, it is too absent function of the pastor: instead, it is he who is entrusted with the parish and he must take or make decisions - not least the Way "begins in the parish at the invitation of the pastor "(St 9) - it is true that states that the letter is also addressed to the pastor, but the text is not very present.
would also have been desirable for the determination of the visitor - valid for the religious community - were aimed directly at it (for example, do not accept more than three communities) with an invitation to walk together to take this into account and confirmed by the bishop, the real "ordinary" the Way, with a strong "order" or "can."
Finally, the visitor said he had spoken with the leaders of the Way, while the question asked in a week complaining of the same non-involvement, perhaps both statements are true in the sense that maybe the contacts took place before the definition of the measures in question . It would be desirable to face encounter with the text (draft) of the measures put in place and before the letter: it is a method that usually works and that already proposed Sparafucile in Rigoletto for the delivery of the sum with a view to kill Duke: "A half s'anticipa, then gives you the rest." Both
allowed to conclude with a malice of the trade. We disturbed two "ordinary", a state, a parish priest and a religious community. If another "stable group" - as is the way - he asked to celebrate Mass and other sacraments as 1962, the pastor could have decided all by himself and without complications. We are facing a higher wisdom, or you have children and stepchildren? (Riccardo Barile)
[1] In reality the building is kind and is used as a parish center (ed.).
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