Rome, Italy, May 4, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples yesterday addressed the national Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) gathered in Rome for their ordinary General Assembly. He stressed that “Our missionary activity is the effort we put in our work to make people know that God is love.”

“It is our main mission as National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies,” he said, “to bend down, like good Samaritans, over our brothers’ necessities, especially over the poor and the needy.”

Referring to new statutes passed by the PMS, he said that “Today we have a clear and adequate text to face the many problems and challenges rising from the present missionary situation in the world. The Pontifical nature of the PMS is therefore “the expression of their specific ecclesial nature: as soon as this aspect started to become clear in their path, the Societies began to enrich their structure.”

Speaking on the mutual exchange of gifts within churches, which characterizes the Catholic communion, the prefect stressed that “we must make sure that the gifts that the Churches share abolish the superiority of the ones who give and the inferiority of the ones who receive. They must consider account of the real needs of the Churches and their lives.”

“In this spirit”, he continued, “all must embark upon a brotherly dialogue, which needs to be seen as a high form of co-responsibility.”
 
“I invite you”, Cardinal Sepe told the group, “to make a special effort to prepare yourselves gradually for the next 80th World Day of Mission, which will take place on October 22 and
 I am happy to inform you that the Holy Father has transmitted, a few days ago, his message for this World Day of Missions, which theme will be “Charity, the soul of mission.”

The cardinal concluded his address quoting  Pope Benedict XVI’s message: “Mission, in deed, if not guided by charity, if it doesn’t arise as a profound act of divine love, takes the risk of becoming a mere philantropic or social activity. The love that God nurtures for each person, is in fact the heart of the announcing the Gospel. “

“Our missionary activity is the effort we put in our work to make known that God is Love. To be a missionary”, wrote the Pope, “means to love God with ones whole being, and to give ones life for Him, if necessary. How many priests, religious and lay, have given, in our time as well, the supreme testimony of Love as martyrs!”