| WHAT DO THE POPES AND THE BISHOPS THINK OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CHARISMATIC RENEWAL? |
The pope and bishops who gathered at Vatican Council II (1961-65) laid a
foundation upon which this most recent charismatic renewal is built. It is there
that we find Pope John XXIII's prayer for a new Pentecost: Renew your
wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost, and grant that the holy
Church, preserving unanimous and continuous prayer, together with Mary the
Mother of Jesus, and also under the guidance of Saint Peter, may increase
the reign of the Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love
and peace. Amen.
Vatican II's Constitution on the Church points to the presence of charisms in
movements like the charismatic renewal when it says,
[The Holy Spirit] distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By
these gifts He makes them able and ready to undertake the various tasks or
offices advantageous for the renewal and upbuilding of the Church... These
charismatic gifts, whether they be the most outstanding or the more simple
and widely defused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation, for
they are exceedingly suitable and useful for the needs of the Church (No. 13).
In the United States the American Catholic Bishops have issued several
statements. The Bishops Committee on Doctrine wrote in 1969 that
theologically the movement has legitimate reasons of existence. It has a
strong biblical basis. It would be difficult to inhibit the working of the Spirit
which manifested itself so abundantly in the early Church. In 1975 the
American bishops published another statement that quoted scriptural
directives: To the members of the movement, then, to pastors and to all the
faithful in Christ, we commend the words of Scripture which we take as our
own guiding light: Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test
everything; retain what is good. Avoid any semblance of evil (1 Thessalonians
5:19-22). We encourage those who already belong and we support the
positive and desirable directions of the charismatic renewal.
The Bishops Ad Hoc Liaison Committee with the renewal issued still another
Pastoral Statement on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 1984. We
especially rejoice in the efforts to foster the pursuit of holiness, to encourage
Catholics to a fuller participation in the Mass and the sacraments, to develop
ministries to serve the parish and local Church, to foster ecumenical bonds of
unity with other Christians, to participate in evangelization.
When ten thousand Catholic charismatics from countries all over the world
gathered for the ninth international conference on the renewal in 1975, Pope
Paul VI greeted them with these words: The Church and the world need more
than ever that the miracle of Pentecost should continue in history.... Nothing is
more necessary to this increasingly secularized world than the witness of this
spiritual renewal that we see the Holy Spirit evoking.... How could this spiritual
renewal not be good fortune for the Church and the world
Pope Paul VI had also appointed Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens of Belgium
as a guide to the worldwide charismatic renewal. Years later, when Cardinal
Suenens retired, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Paul Cordes of the
Pontifical Council for the Laity to this position.
Pope John Paul II has continuously recognized the importance of the
charismatic renewal. In 1979, he spoke to the council of the International
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service meeting in Rome: I am convinced that
this movement is a sign of the Spirit's action.., a very important component in
the total renewal of the Church.
Bishop Paul Cordes addressed the silver anniversary conference on the
Catholic charismatic renewal, on behalf of the Vatican, at Pittsburgh in 1992.
His talk, The Call to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal from the Church
Universal, issued two challenges to participants. The first challenge was to
foster the renewal of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist): The Charismatic Renewal has a great contribution to make in the
years ahead to the proper understanding and renewal of the sacraments of
Christian Initiation so that all God's people may one day experience a greater
fullness of life in Christ by being as you call it, Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The second challenge was to embrace the Church's mission of evangelization
to both de-Christianized and unevangelized areas of the world: This
re-evangelization and new missionary endeavor cannot take place without a
renewed fervor of love for Christ, worship of the Father in Spirit and truth, and
empowerment by the Holy Spirit such as the Charismatic Renewal has helped
so many millions to live.
Quoting Pope John Paul II, he continued: The Charismatic Renewal can play a
significant role in promoting the much needed defence of Christian life in
societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people's
ability to respond to the Spirit and to discern God's loving call. Your
contribution to the re-evangelization of society will be made in the First place
by personal witness to the indwelling Spirit and by showing forth His presence
through works of holiness and solidarity.
foundation upon which this most recent charismatic renewal is built. It is there
that we find Pope John XXIII's prayer for a new Pentecost: Renew your
wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost, and grant that the holy
Church, preserving unanimous and continuous prayer, together with Mary the
Mother of Jesus, and also under the guidance of Saint Peter, may increase
the reign of the Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love
and peace. Amen.
Vatican II's Constitution on the Church points to the presence of charisms in
movements like the charismatic renewal when it says,
[The Holy Spirit] distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By
these gifts He makes them able and ready to undertake the various tasks or
offices advantageous for the renewal and upbuilding of the Church... These
charismatic gifts, whether they be the most outstanding or the more simple
and widely defused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation, for
they are exceedingly suitable and useful for the needs of the Church (No. 13).
In the United States the American Catholic Bishops have issued several
statements. The Bishops Committee on Doctrine wrote in 1969 that
theologically the movement has legitimate reasons of existence. It has a
strong biblical basis. It would be difficult to inhibit the working of the Spirit
which manifested itself so abundantly in the early Church. In 1975 the
American bishops published another statement that quoted scriptural
directives: To the members of the movement, then, to pastors and to all the
faithful in Christ, we commend the words of Scripture which we take as our
own guiding light: Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test
everything; retain what is good. Avoid any semblance of evil (1 Thessalonians
5:19-22). We encourage those who already belong and we support the
positive and desirable directions of the charismatic renewal.
The Bishops Ad Hoc Liaison Committee with the renewal issued still another
Pastoral Statement on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 1984. We
especially rejoice in the efforts to foster the pursuit of holiness, to encourage
Catholics to a fuller participation in the Mass and the sacraments, to develop
ministries to serve the parish and local Church, to foster ecumenical bonds of
unity with other Christians, to participate in evangelization.
When ten thousand Catholic charismatics from countries all over the world
gathered for the ninth international conference on the renewal in 1975, Pope
Paul VI greeted them with these words: The Church and the world need more
than ever that the miracle of Pentecost should continue in history.... Nothing is
more necessary to this increasingly secularized world than the witness of this
spiritual renewal that we see the Holy Spirit evoking.... How could this spiritual
renewal not be good fortune for the Church and the world
Pope Paul VI had also appointed Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens of Belgium
as a guide to the worldwide charismatic renewal. Years later, when Cardinal
Suenens retired, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Paul Cordes of the
Pontifical Council for the Laity to this position.
Pope John Paul II has continuously recognized the importance of the
charismatic renewal. In 1979, he spoke to the council of the International
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service meeting in Rome: I am convinced that
this movement is a sign of the Spirit's action.., a very important component in
the total renewal of the Church.
Bishop Paul Cordes addressed the silver anniversary conference on the
Catholic charismatic renewal, on behalf of the Vatican, at Pittsburgh in 1992.
His talk, The Call to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal from the Church
Universal, issued two challenges to participants. The first challenge was to
foster the renewal of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist): The Charismatic Renewal has a great contribution to make in the
years ahead to the proper understanding and renewal of the sacraments of
Christian Initiation so that all God's people may one day experience a greater
fullness of life in Christ by being as you call it, Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The second challenge was to embrace the Church's mission of evangelization
to both de-Christianized and unevangelized areas of the world: This
re-evangelization and new missionary endeavor cannot take place without a
renewed fervor of love for Christ, worship of the Father in Spirit and truth, and
empowerment by the Holy Spirit such as the Charismatic Renewal has helped
so many millions to live.
Quoting Pope John Paul II, he continued: The Charismatic Renewal can play a
significant role in promoting the much needed defence of Christian life in
societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people's
ability to respond to the Spirit and to discern God's loving call. Your
contribution to the re-evangelization of society will be made in the First place
by personal witness to the indwelling Spirit and by showing forth His presence
through works of holiness and solidarity.
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| © COPYRIGHT CATHOLIC CHURCH CHARISMATIC RENEWAL ORLANDO DIOCESE 2005 |
