Mission Sunday’s Bishop

GUEST EDITORIAL BY MICHAEL SHACKLETON

Mission Sunday should be taken seriously by African Catholics in general and Southern African Catholics in particular.

The reason is not only because of the debt we owe to courageous missionaries from other lands who planted and watered the faith on this continent, but also in a special way to the influence African bishops had on Vatican II’s Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church.

At the time of Vatican II in the 1960s, bishops from places beyond the mainstream Church in the developed Western world were sized up by Europeans as being simply “missionaries”. This implied that they were too immature to have much influence in the deliberations of an ecumenical council, as if the Church and its missionaries were not one and the same.

This attitude came to light when in 1964 the council’s secretariat decided against preparing any declaration on the vocation and duty of the Church to spread the gospel into territories known as missionary. Instead, it proposed a summary of the Church’s mission apostolate in a series of thirteen Propositions, to form a sort of catechism of missiology.

It was reasoned that such a plan would save a lot of time and duplication, since the essence of the Church’s mission work was already contained in other conciliar documents. Hence, no decree on the importance of the Church’s missionary outreach was required.

It appeared that the Holy Father, Paul VI, had tactfully shown his approval of this move and the secretariat believed the council fathers would favour it.

The bishops of Southern Africa were stunned, as were the others from Africa and places far from Rome where missionaries needed to feel that the Vatican Council backed their labours to the full. They could not fathom how the Council could treat them like junior partners who were expected to do what they were told.

It was Carmelite missionary Bishop Donal Lamont of Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe) who led the charge against the Propositions.

With the support of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and many others concerned, including influential cardinals, he addressed the assembly in a memorable way.

He emphasised that the bishops were expecting more than “dry bones”, using the imagery of the prophet Ezekiel.

They expected something that would encourage and boost the morale of missionaries in their apostolate.

Breaking from the accepted pedantic form of address in the council chamber, he asked the council fathers cheekily if the Propositions had inspired any of them to make any new sacrifices on behalf of the missions. If not, how could they expect them to have any impact on missionary orders and congregations of religious?

Bishop Lamont’s oratorical intervention fell on fertile ground and cries of “Bravo” followed. The Propositions were withdrawn and a fully comprehensive document on the missionary activity of the Church was promised for the Council’s next session.

The Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church went through a turbulent debate in the council’s final session in 1965. Many voices had to have their say, but Pope Paul VI eventually promulgated it by the skin of its teeth on the council’s last working day.

On this Mission Sunday, at a time in history when the Church’s mission has been virtually overshadowed by scandals, wars and threats of wars, we need to remember Bishop Lamont’s determination to bring the whole Church into complete appreciation of its generous members who sacrifice so much to carry the love of Christ to others in places far afield.

Non-stop prayers, sacrifices and donations to promote the missions are essential, for the Church must teach all nations.

When Bishop Lamont thanked the council fathers for passing the decree, he closed with these significant words: “No people is so primitive as to be unfit for the gospel, and none is so civilised as not to need it.”