The Apostleship of the Sea, an Unusual Missionary « Worksite »
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Church in the Maritime World Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Vatican City No. 77, 2002/II The Apostleship of the Sea, an unusual missionary « worksite » The World of the Sea, Sea and Migration, Sea and Tourism, was the theme of the 15th Ple- nary Meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peo- ple, held in the offices of the Dicastery from Monday 29th April to May 1st, 2002. The Members and Consultors present, a total of 30 persons, were Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, priests, a deacon and lay-people from various nations around the world. Inside .... Address of John Paul II to the Members of the 15th Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Council page 2 Sea-related Professions and Globalization 6 Managing cultural diversity 9 A few words on the place held by Apostolatus Maris within the Pontifical Council 11 Apostolatus Maris no. 77, 2002/II Address of John Paul II to the Members of the 15th Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Council Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. I am pleased to give you a cordial welcome on the occasion of the Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, whose theme is "the world of the sea". I am happy to greet your Council's President, Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, and thank him for his courteous words on your be- half. I express deep gratitude to each of you for your attentive care and the generous ef- forts with which in your daily activity you convey the Church's solicitude to all who are involved in this complex area of human mobility. St Augustine writes: "I contemplate the vast expanse of sea around me, I am filled with wonder and admiration; I seek its maker ..." (Homily on Psalm 41,7). These words effec- tively sum up the Christian's attitude toward creation, God's great gift to humanity, and especially, toward the majesty and beauty of the ocean. I am certain that these same sen- timents motivate all who are dedicated in their apostolate to the vast world of migration and tourism and deal with it as it takes place on the oceans of the world. This is a very diversified social sector, where the challenges may be many and the op- portunities for evangelization abound. 2. The increase in human mobility and the process of globalization have had a notable effect on the flow of migrants and tourists and on the activity of the people who work at sea. Opportunities for meeting are multiplied. However, along with the remarkable ad- vantages that derive from this phenomenon, one must also observe the negative, which include painful separations and complex, difficult situations. I am thinking, for example, of the seafarers who are obliged to live long periods far from their families; of the stress- ful pace of work to which all sea people are subjected, interrupted only by brief calls at ports; of the many migrants who cross the seas and oceans in search of better living con- ditions and who often encounter harsh realities, different by far from those advertised by the media. Nor can we forget those special offers to tourists of "artificial paradises" where, for mere commercial purposes, peoples and local cultures are exploited for the benefit of a tou- rism which in some cases does not even respect the most basic human rights of the local people. 3. It is important not to leave those who belong to the great family of the sea without spiritual support. They should be given an opportunity to meet God and to discover the true sense of life in him. It is the mission of believers to witness that men and women everywhere are called to live a "new humanity", reconciled with God (cf. Eph 2,15). If they have the support of trained pastoral workers, tourists will better appreciate their holiday or cruises, because they will not just be pleasure trips. They will indeed enjoy their free time and well-deserved period of rest, but at the same time they will be helped to dialogue with the people and civilizations they come into contact with, and spend time in reflection and prayer. It is also important not to deprive migrants of a brotherly wel- come and adequate religious assistance, to make them feel that their problems are under- stood and that they are being welcomed by societies that respect their cultural identity. 2 ApostolatusApostolatus Maris Maris no. no. 72, 77,2001/I 2002/II Clandestine immigrants who risk much on board ships of fortune, must not be left to themselves. In every situation, it will be necessary to guarantee more just conditions of work that respect individual and family needs, and at the same time, efforts should be made to of- fer them adequate opportunities to cultivate their faith and religious lilfe. This means promoting the pastoral care that is attentive to the variety of conditions and forms of apostolic presence that correspond to the variety of personal needs. 4. Your plenary meeting intends to focus better on these aspects, taking into account the need for a global approach to this complex human and social reality. Pastoral wor- kers should act in collaboration and fraternal communion in order to face the great challenges posed by this unusual missionary "worksite". To this end, it is useful to recall the norms already in force that were issued in the Apostolic Letter Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), and in the Instruction De pastorali mi- gratorum cura (On the pastoral care of migrants), of which an updated edition is being prepared, as well as the indications of the document Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Tourism (ORE 10 April 2002, insert). We should be conscious of the urgent need to provide a good formation for the lay faithful who are called to work in this apostolic sector and, by means of a constant updating, to inspire a renewed awareness of the problems of human mobility in Christian communities. As I express the wish that your plenary meeting will contribute to greater understand- ing of these different social and pastoral situations, I encourage you to move forward with every valid initiative for the evangelization of this complex sector. I entrust the work of your meeting to the motherly protection of Mary, Star of the Sea, whom I ask to guide you to the port of a world of greater solidarity, which is more fraternal and more united. With these sentiments, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you all. Monday, 29 April 2002 During the Meeting, Deacon Ricardo Rodrigues Martos, the Director of the Barcelona “Stella Maris”, presented the situation in which sea professionals live and work – a complex reality which, all things considered, is not well known by the public at large – in a well documented presentation that had also to do with the seafarers’ families and the response of the Church. 3 ApostolatusApostolatusApostolatus Maris Maris Maris no. no. 77,no. 71, 2002/II68 2000/IV th 15 Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Council Conclusions During the 15th Plenary must accept these new wise calls every one of her Assembly of the Pontifical challenges by being the members to promote com- Council for the Pastoral good Samaritan on the munion, solidarity, and Care of Migrants and roads and sea lanes of cooperation, especially in Itinerant People, which humanity, promoting soli- this field, among particular took place from 29th April darity in migration, like- and local Churches as well to 1st May in the Vatican, wise through the exercise as in the ecumenical and the Members and Consul- of charity. interreligious arena. tors reflected on the pas- a) Taking into considera- toral opportunities and tion the theme of our Ple- 3. Evermore evangelization challenges arising from the nary, The world of the Sea, in the Third Millennium world of human mobility Sea and Migration, Sea demands renewed thrust that is intimately bound up and Tourism, the sea and pastoral planning stands out as the means of according to the letter and transportation in a new era the spirit of Novo Millen- Human mobility is an increased feature of migration uniting people nio Ineunte. In the growing of globalisation. Because of this there of all continents in frater- world of tourism, that are new barriers and challenges to be nity, dialogue, and com- means assuring the Pilgrim faced, in which God also offers us new merce but, at the same Church is present, to make time, provoking xenopho- tourism more worthy of pastoral possibilities. bic and even racist reac- human beings, breathing a tions, when it carries asy- new spirit into it, offering with the vastness of the sea lum-seekers and migrants, occasions for new encoun- and on the means to and hiding the daily human ters with God and brothers address them. Grateful to drama of seafarers and and sisters of other cultures the Holy Father for his fisher folk. and religions. In this way encouragement to recogni- b) Tourism - on the shores tourism will contribute to ze the many opportunities and at sea - is also cons- the dialogue among civi- to bring the presence of tantly increasing as a fea- lizations. This could be Christ the Good Shepherd ture of globalization, again considered a kind of new and his Good News into with positive and negative evangelization, in which the roads and sea lanes of aspects for the people and the lay faithful will have humanity as well as to pro- places that host tourists and special responsibilities, mote respect for the dignity for these visitors them- also with the contribution of the individuals, families, selves.