Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Pact of the Catacombs The Second Vatican Council put into practice by the Council Fathers
1. The historical context of the celebration of the Pact of the Catacombs
On November 16th 1965, a few days before the closing of the Second Vatican Council, 42 Council Fathers, representing 15 countries of different continents, celebrated a Mass in the Catacombs of Domitila, asking to “be faithful to the Spirit of Jesus”. After the celebration, they signed a document called “The Pact of the Catacombs", which invited their “Brothers in the Episcopate” to assume a “life of poverty” and to work for “a Church that is poor and Servant”, according to the wishes of Pope John XXIII. On September 12th 1965, about two months before the celebration and signing of the Pact, Pope Paul VI had visited the Catacombs and expressed himself thus: “Here the Church was stripped of human power, here it was poor, humble, pious, oppressed and heroic”. The “Pact of the Catacombs" was the public expression of the journey and commitment of the group called “the Church of the Poor” which was formed during the first part of the Second Vatican Council, inspired by the worker-priest Paul Gauthier and the Carmelite Religious Mother Therese Lescase (who was also a worker in Nazareth). One of the Council Fathers and a member of the group, Bishop Helder Camara, was the author of the text. The first group of signatory bishops were from Asia (China, Indonesia, South Korea, India, Israel); Africa (Zambia, Algeria, Togo, Congo, Chad, Congo- Brazzaville, Egypt, Djibouti, Seychelles); Latin America (Argentina, Brasil); Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic); North America (Canada) and Europe (France, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia). Later, the “Pact of the Catacombs” was signed by 500 more conciliar bishops. Almost 50 years later, Pope Francis took as his pontificate program: “for a Church that is poor and of the poor", according to his first press interview on 16th of March 2013.
2. Various Groups remembered the Pact, in Rome, during 2015
During 2015, various groups organized special celebrations in the Catacombs of Domitilla, to commemorate the Pact. The Divine Word Missionaries and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, in Rome, on the occasion of the Feast of their Founder, St. Arnold Janssen on January 15th, by a Eucharist presided over by Cardinal Walter Kasper; the RBR Group (Brazilian Religious in Rome); the JPIC Group of UISG/USG made a station of the cross through the streets of Rome to the Catacombs of Domitilla, on March 29th. SEDOS (Centre for Documentation and Studies of Mission) commemorated, during the annual seminar in Nemi in May. On September 20th, the homeless of the Roman Caritas remembered, accompanied by their Director Enrico D. Feroci.
3. Seminar in the Urbaniana University of Rome on 14th of November 2015
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of The Pact of the Catacombs, in the Aula Magna of the Urbaniana University, on November 14th 2015, from 09.00 to 17.00 hours, a seminar organized by the JPIC sector, USG and UISG (Union of Men and Women Superiors General), by the Divine Word
Missionaries and SEDOS (Service of Documentation and Studies on Global Mission) will take place. The Seminar will include the presence of Professor Alberto Melloni, who will speak on “The Historical Context of the Pact of the Catacombs” and of the theologian Jon Sobrino, on “The Impact of the Pact of the Catacombs in the Church Today”. One of the signatories of the Pact, the Emeritus Bishop of Ivrea and Council Father Bishop Luigi Bettazzi will also be present. Emeritus Bishop Dom José Maria Pires, one of the Brazilian signatories, will send a message via video. The Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life confirmed his presence at the Seminar. Continuing the celebrations, on November 15th at 12.00 noon, there will be a gathering in St. Peter’s Square of different Catholic Associations to pray the Angelus with Pope Francis and to express support for his pastoral program of “a poor Church for the Poor”. On November 16, remembering the date the Pact was signed, there will be a Mass to be celebrated at the Catacombs of Domitilla at 10.30 in the morning. The celebration will be organized by the Institute of Theology and Politics (ITP) of Münster that has been promoting the memory of the Pact for several years.
3.1. Contacts and information on the seminar
Organizing Committee
JPIC (USG/UISG –Union of Superiors General) Fr. Felix Mushobozi, CPPS Via Aurelia 476, CP 9099 Aurelio, 00165 Roma, Tel: +39 066622929 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.jpicroma.org/
Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) Fr. Daisuke Narui, SVD Via dei Verbiti, 1, 00154 Roma, Tel: +39 065754021 e-mail: [email protected] http://witword.org
Urbaniana University Fr. Luca Pandolfi Via Urbano VIII, 16, 00165 Roma, Tel: +39 0669889662 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.urbaniana.edu/mastercsim
SEDOS - Servizio di Documentazione e Studi sulla Missione Sr. Nzenzili Lucie Mboma, FMM Via dei Verbiti, 1, 00154 Roma, Tel: +39 065741350 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.sedosmission.org
4. Publications and videos are part of the dissemination of the Pact
As part of the commemorations, a book entitled "The Pact of the Catacombs and the Mission of the Poor in the Church", coordinated by Xabier Pikaza and José Antunes da Silva, SVD, will be published by Editorial Verbo Divino of Spain. There will be shorter versions of the book in Portuguese, English and Italian. In order to make the Pact and the dream of its signatories more widely known, various producers are preparing videos on the theme, such as: Steyler Media in German; Kairos of Ireland in English and Verbo Filmes of Brazil in Portuguese. Verbo Filmes Deutch is a pioneer and already has an ample amount of material produced.