13^th General Assembly
Communion and Mission "ad extra" in the III Millennium

Communiqué # 12 - June 1, 2007

“ I greet the members of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, gathered together in these days for the 13^th General Chapter, and I hope that this important assembly is stimulus and encouragement for all to be eloquent signs of God’s love and missionaries of His peace”.

(Pope Benedict 16^th,at the General Audience of May 30, 2007

CLOSING OF THE 13^TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

CORESPONSIBILITY and EVANGELIZATION.  Yestersday, May 31, 2007, the 13^th General Assembly of PIME was officially closed. The last four days of work dealt with the implementation and timeline, 2007-20013, for the decisions taken during the Assembly. On May 30, the members of the Assembly took part in the General Audience of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict 16^th, in St. Peter’s Square.

Under the guidance of the facilitator, Fr. Gian Franco Poli, decisions and suggestions taken by the Assembly were arranged into three timelines, one each for the next two years. This is to assist the work of the General Directorate, in the various circumscriptions and for individual members.

Each of the three two-year plans were divided into six points, the same ones that emerged from the Instrumentum Laboris: Evangelization, Life in the Circumscriptions, Initial Formation, Ongoing Formation and Well-being of the Members, Collaboration with the laity, and Mean of Social Communication.

1. Evangelization. The Assembly brought to mind the quality of our missionary work in terms of priorities, of presence and of specialization. It calls for the involvement of everyone, for less isolation and a need to change places of ministry and authority after no more than 10 years. The General Directorate and Regional Councils will evaluate this during the Plenary Council of 2009.

2. Life in the Circumscriptions. There is the need for better communication between the General Directorate and the Regional Councils. One of the most important tasks in the next years will be to give more emphasis to the Delegation of Lay Missionaries (Brothers) and the realization of the unified Region in Italy by the end of 2008.  A renewed sense of the need to work together in evangelization is vital for PIME.

3. Initial Formation. A strong emphasis came from the Assembly concerning the need for more members of PIME to be open to work in the area of formation of new missionaries in the context of a growing internationalization. The need for a personalized program for our candidates is also important. Initial formation calls for shared criteria for acceptance to admission of candidates from different countries.

4. Ongoing Formation and Well Being of the Members.  The General Directorate will prepare a program of ongoing formation and a team of members for this reason. Guided visits to the Holy Land and other such trips will also be part of the program. The Assembly was very strong in its dealing with the health of the members of the Institute: it is necessary to be in good physical, psychological and spiritual health. Regional Superiors will keep tracking of the medical situation of the members.

5. Collaboration with the Laity. Different lay organizations associated with PIME will be strengthened (ALP, New Humanity). The Region of Italy will be responsible for the formation of accompaniment of the candidates of ALP. The General Directorate together with the mission where they will be assigned will coordinate their assignment. The General Directorate will also study the situation of New Humanity. An association of lay volunteers who help out PIME (particularly in Italy) will be formed.  Laypersons who work for PIME will be given more opportunity to work in positions of even greater responsibility.

6. Means of Social Communication. There is an urgent need for missionaries who are trained in this field for evangelization and animation, in addition to laypersons who work for PIME. Collaboration with the PIME School of theology and other formation communities is also called for. A Spanish version of Missao Jovem is also in the works. The Assembly invites all members to be open and attentive to this area of evangelization.

The final vote of the document Implementation 2007-2013 take place after 4:30 on Thursday, May 31. At 5:40 PM, the message from the members of the Assembly to the members of the Institute was approved, and the Superior General declared the 13^th General Assembly officially closed.

In the final solemn Mass, Fr. Gianbattista Zanchi spoke about the Virgin Mary on the feast of the Visitation, saying, “In her giving joy she was the model of the perfect missionary.” “We and our communities need optimism and hope; her journey of faith and of service is also our journey.”