Vatican City, Jul 15, 2018 / 04:57 am
By virtue of their Baptism, every Catholic is called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ – a mission which cannot be separated from the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said Sunday.
"It is truly [our] Baptism that makes us missionaries," the pope said in off-the-cuff comments July 15. "A baptized person who does not feel the need to proclaim the Gospel, to announce Jesus, is not a good Christian."
The first necessary element of all authentic missionary discipleship is the "changeless center, which is Jesus," he said. This is because proclaiming the Gospel cannot be separated from Christ or from the Church.
Announcing the Gospel "is not an initiative of individual believers, groups or even large groups, but it is the Church's mission inseparably united with her Lord," Pope Francis said. "No Christian proclaims the Gospel 'on his own,' but only sent by the Church who received the mandate from Christ himself."