Pope Francis on Tuesday (25) named the official members of the newly created Dicastery for Evangelization. This new Vatican body will be responsible for the fundamental questions of evangelization in the world and in the institution, as well as accompanying and supporting the new particular Churches.
Among the members appointed by the Holy Father is Moysés Azevedo, founder of the Shalom Catholic Community. The missionary, who has served as a member of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life since 2019, will also become a member of the new Dicastery for Evangelization. It is worth recalling that Moysés Azevedo collaborated as a consultant in the former Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, which had its responsibilities absorbed by the new Vatican dicastery.
About the appointment, Moysés commented the following:
“I receive it in the spirit of humility and service, humility because everything is grace and service because, as founder and general moderator of the Shalom Catholic Community, I understand that a Charism is given to build up the Church and it is by putting this Charism at the service of the Church and at the service of the evangelization of the world today that we can fulfill our mission with joy and responsibility.”
Moysés also recalled the Pope’s words in Evangelii Gaudium. The Holy Father invites Christians to announce the joy of the Gospel to everyone. For this, according to the missionary, it is necessary to be aware of the responsibility of this mission, especially in the face of the challenges that humanity faces today. “Humanity thirsts to know the living person of Jesus Christ, and presenting him is an essential part of the Church’s mission, because the Church exists to evangelize,” said Moysés.
Understand the mission of the new Dicastery for Evangelization
With the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, which began the implementation of the reform in the Roman Curia in March 2022, Pope Francis unified the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, thus forming the new Dicastery for Evangelization.
“The Dicastery is at the service of the work of evangelization, so that Christ, light of the peoples, may be known and witnessed to in word and deed and may build up his Mystical Body, which is the Church. The Dicastery is competent for the fundamental questions of evangelization in the world and for the institution, accompaniment and support of new particular Churches, without prejudice to the competence of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches,” explains the document of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium.
It is worth noting that this body is directly presided over by the Pope himself. Moreover, the new service is made up of two sections: one concerns the fundamental questions of evangelization in the world, and the other concerns first evangelization and the new particular Churches in the territories of its competence. Each of the two sections is governed in the name of the Holy Father and by his authority.
The first section dealing with evangelization in the world has as its mission:
“[…] to study, in collaboration with the particular Churches, the Episcopal Conferences and the Eastern Hierarchical Structures, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the fundamental questions of evangelization and the development of an effective proclamation of the Gospel, individuating its appropriate forms, instruments and language. The section gathers the most significant experiences in the field of evangelization and makes them available to the whole Church” (Praedicate Evangelium).
The second section dealing with first evangelization, on the other hand, must deal with:
“[…] proclamation of the Gospel and the deepening of the life of faith in the territories of first evangelization and deals with everything that concerns either the erection of ecclesiastical Circumscriptions or their modifications, or their provision, and performs the other tasks similarly to what the Dicastery for Bishops carries out in the sphere of its competence” (Praedicate Evangelium).
Moysés Azevedo to be part of the section on evangelization in the world
The section that Moysés Azevedo will be part of in the new Dicastery for Evangelization will deal with different questions from Baptism to the missionary life of every Christian. For this, some of the topics which will be the competence of the new organism have already been mentioned in the document which originated it. Here are some of the issues that will be the responsibility of the section of the dicastery to which Moysés Azevedo will belong.
1 – Announcing the Gospel in the present time
The fundamental questions of evangelization and the development of an effective proclamation of the Gospel, identifying its forms, instruments and adequate language. The Section gathers the most significant experiences in the field of evangelization and makes them available to the whole Church. It also encourages reflection on the history of evangelization and mission, especially in its relation to the political, social and cultural events which have marked and conditioned the preaching of the Gospel.
2 – Popular Piety
Through studies and exchange of experiences, the Section supports the particular Churches in the process of inculturating the Good News of Jesus Christ in the various cultures and ethnic groups and evangelizing them, paying particular attention to popular piety.
3 – Shrines
The erection of international shrines and the approval of their respective statutes, according to canonical dispositions, and due care, in collaboration with diocesan bishops/parishes. In addition, it is the task of the dicastery to deal with the bishops’ conferences and the Eastern hierarchical structures in promoting an organic pastoral care of shrines as centers of ongoing evangelization.
4 – Discernment of the signs of the times
The dicastery must promote evangelization through discernment of the signs of the times, as well as study and promote the renewing contribution of the Gospel in the encounter with cultures and all that concerns the promotion of human dignity and religious freedom.
5 – World Day of the Poor
Since evangelization implies a fundamental option for the poor, the dicastery takes care of the World Day of the Poor, assists and supports initiatives to proclaim the Gospel in this context.
6 – Catechesis
The Section is competent for catechesis, placing itself at the service of the particular Churches in their duty to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who, after receiving Baptism, lead a Christian life on a daily basis, to those who, although showing a certain faith, do not adequately know its fundamentals, to those who feel the need to deepen more and better the teaching received, and to all those who have abandoned the faith or do not profess it.
7 – Every baptized person is an evangelizer: missionary disciple
Since every member of the People of God, by virtue of the Baptism received, is a disciple-missionary of the Gospel, the Section supports the growth of such awareness and responsibility, so that each one collaborates effectively in the missionary work with daily life, through prayer, witness and works.
8 – Announcing Divine Mercy: Missionaries of Mercy
Evangelization is implemented through multiple modalities and expressions, particularly through the announcement of divine mercy. To this end, it contributes in a particular way to the specific action of Missionaries of Mercy, for which the Section promotes and supports formation and provides criteria for pastoral action.
Members appointed to the section Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World
- Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches
- José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education
- Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
- Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy
- Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb (Croatia)
- Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Mexico)
- Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil)
- Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States)
- Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna (Italy)
- Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Daman (India)
- Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches
- Leo William Cushley, Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh (Great Britain)
- Benoît Comlan Messan Alowonou, Bishop of Kpalimé (Togo)
- Eugene Robert Sylva, Episcopal Vicar for Special Projects and the Cathedral of the Diocese of Paterson (USA)
- Sister Maria Eliane Azevedo da Silva, M.S.C., Superior General (Brazil)
- Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication
- Moysés Louro de Azevedo Filho, Founder and General Moderator of the Shalom Catholic Community (Brazil)
- Marta Maria Carla Cartabia, President Emeritus of the Italian Constitutional Court and Professor at the Department of Legal Studies “A. Sraffa” Law Studies Department at the Bocconi University of Milan (Italy)
- María Ascensión Romero Antón, Member of the International Leading Team of the Neocatechumenal Way.