The Holy See

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 2022

“You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)

Dear brothers and sisters!

These words were spoken by the Risen Jesus to his disciples just before his Ascension into

heaven, as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit

has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria

and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). They are also the theme of the 2022 World Mission Day which,

as always, reminds us that the Church is missionary by nature. This year World Mission Day offers

us the opportunity to commemorate several important events in the Church’s life and mission: the

fourth centenary of the founding of the Congregation

de Propaganda Fide

, now the Congregation

for the Evangelization of Peoples, and the second centenary of the Society of the Propagation of

the Faith. A hundred years ago, the latter, together with the Society of the Holy Childhood and the

Society of Saint Peter the Apostle, was granted the title “Pontifical”.

Let us reflect on the three key phrases that synthesize the three foundations of the life and mission

of every disciple: “You shall be my witnesses”, “to the ends of the earth” and “you shall receive the

power of the Holy Spirit”.

1.

“You shall be my witnesses” – The call of every Christian to bear witness to Christ

This is the central point, the heart of Jesus’ teaching to the disciples, in view of their being sent

forth into the world. The disciples are to be witnesses of Jesus, thanks to the grace of the Holy

Spirit that they will receive. Wherever they go and in whatever place they find themselves. Christ

was the first to be sent, as a “missionary” of the Father (cf.

20:21), and as such, he is the

Father’s “faithful witness” (cf.

Rev

1:5). In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a

missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no

other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To

evangelize is the very identity of the Church.

A deeper look at the words, “You shall be my witnesses”, can clarify a few ever timely aspects of

the mission Christ entrusted to the disciples. The plural form of the verb emphasizes the

communitarian and ecclesial nature of the disciples’ missionary vocation. Each baptized person is

called to mission, in the Church and by the mandate of the Church: consequently, mission is

carried out together, not individually, in communion with the ecclesial community, and not on one’s

own initiative. Even in cases where an individual in some very particular situation carries out the

evangelizing mission alone, he must always do so in communion with the Church which

commissioned him. AsSaint Paul VItaught in the Apostolic Exhortation

Evangelii Nuntiandi

, a

document dear to my heart: “Evangelization is for no one an individual and isolated act; it is one

that is deeply ecclesial. When the most obscure preacher, catechist or pastor in the most distant

land preaches the Gospel, gathers his little community together or administers a sacrament, even

alone, he is carrying out an ecclesial act, and his action is certainly attached to the evangelizing

activity of the whole Church by institutional relationships, but also by profound invisible links in the

order of grace. This presupposes that he acts not in virtue of a mission which he attributes to

himself or by a personal inspiration, but in union with the mission of the Church and in her name”

(No. 60). Indeed, it was no coincidence that the Lord Jesus sent his disciples out on mission in

pairs; the witness of Christians to Christ is primarily communitarian in nature. Hence, in carrying

out the mission, the presence of a community, regardless of its size, is of fundamental importance.

In addition, the disciples are urged to live their personal lives

in a missionary key

: they are sent by

Jesus to the world not only to

carry out

, but also and above all

to live

the mission entrusted to

them; not only to

bear

witness, but also and above all to

witnesses of Christ. In the moving

words of the Apostle Paul, “[we are] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life

of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (

2 Cor

4:10). The essence of the mission is to

bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and resurrection for the love of the Father

and of humanity. Not by chance did the apostles look for Judas’ replacement among those who,

like themselves, had been witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection (cf.

Acts

1:21). Christ, indeed

Christ risen from the dead, is the One to whom we must testify and whose life we must share.

Missionaries of Christ are not sent to communicate themselves, to exhibit their persuasive

qualities and abilities or their managerial skills. Instead, theirs is the supreme honour of presenting

Christ in words and deeds, proclaiming to everyone the Good News of his salvation, as the first

apostles did, with joy and boldness.

In the final analysis, then, the true witness is the “martyr”, the one who gives his or her life for

Christ, reciprocating the gift that he has made to us of himself. “The primary reason for

evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges

us to ever greater love of him” (

Evangelii Gaudium

, 264).

Finally, when it comes to Christian witness, the observation of Saint Paul VI remains ever valid:

“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers,

it is because they are witnesses” (

Evangelii Nuntiandi

, 41). For this reason, the testimony of an

authentic Christian life is fundamental for the transmission of the faith. On the other hand, the task

of proclaiming Christ’s person and the message is equally necessary. Indeed, Paul VI went on to

say: “Preaching, the verbal proclamation of a message, is indeed always indispensable… The

word remains ever relevant, especially when it is the bearer of the power of God. This is why Saint

Paul’s axiom, “Faith comes from what is heard” (

Rom

10:17), also retains its relevance: it is the

word that is heard which leads to belief” (ibid.

42).

In evangelization, then, the example of a Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are

inseparable. One is at the service of the other. They are the two lungs with which any community

must breathe, if it is to be missionary. This kind of complete, consistent and joyful witness to Christ

will surely be a force of attraction also for the growth of the Church in the third millennium. I exhort

everyone to take up once again the courage, frankness and

parrhesía

of the first Christians, in

order to bear witness to Christ in word and deed in every area of life.

2.

“To the ends of the earth” – The perennial relevance of a mission of universal evangelization

In telling the disciples to be his witnesses, the risen Lord also tells them where they are being

sent: “…in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (

Acts

1:8). Here

we clearly see the universal character of the disciples’ mission. We also see the “centrifugal”

geographical expansion, as if in concentric circles, of the mission, beginning with Jerusalem,

which Jewish tradition considered the centre of the world, to Judea and Samaria and to “the ends

of the earth”. The disciples are sent not to proselytize, but to proclaim; the Christian does not

proselytize. The Acts of the Apostles speak of this missionary expansion and provide a striking

image of the Church “going forth” in fidelity to her call to bear witness to Christ the Lord and

guided by divine providence in the concrete conditions of her life. Persecuted in Jerusalem and

then spread throughout Judea and Samaria, the first Christians bore witness to Jesus everywhere

(cf.

Acts

8:1, 4).

Something similar still happens in our own day. Due to religious persecution and situations of war

and violence, many Christians are forced to flee from their homelands to other countries. We are

grateful to these brothers and sisters who do not remain locked in their own suffering but bear

witness to Christ and to the love of God in the countries that accept them. Hence,Saint Paul

VIencouraged them to recognize the “responsibility incumbent on immigrants in the country that

receives them” (

Evangelii Nuntiandi

, 21). More and more, we are seeing how the presence of

faithful of various nationalities enriches the face of parishes and makes them more universal, more

Catholic. Consequently, the pastoral care of migrants should be valued as an important missionary

activity that can also help the local faithful to rediscover the joy of the Christian faith they have

received.

The words “to the ends of the earth” should challenge the disciples of Jesus in every age and

impel them to press beyond familiar places in bearing witness to him. For all the benefits of

modern travel, there are still geographical areas in which missionary witnesses of Christ have not

arrived to bring the Good News of his love. Then too no human reality is foreign to the concern of

the disciples of Jesus in their mission. Christ’s Church will continue to “go forth” towards new

geographical, social and existential horizons, towards “borderline” places and human situations, in

order to bear witness to Christ and his love to men and women of every people, culture and social

status. In this sense, the mission will always be a

missio ad gentes

, as theSecond Vatican

Counciltaught. The Church must constantly keep pressing forward, beyond her own confines, in

order to testify to all the love of Christ. Here I would like to remember and express my gratitude for

all those many missionaries who gave their lives in order to “press on” in incarnating Christ’s love

towards all the brothers and sisters whom they met.

3.

“You will receive power” from the Holy Spirit – Let us always be strengthened and guided by the

Spirit.

When the risen Christ commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses, he also promised them the

grace needed for this great responsibility: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come

upon you; and you shall be my witnesses” (

Acts

1:8). According to the account in Acts, it was

precisely following the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples that the first act of witnessing to

the crucified and risen Christ took place. That kerygmatic proclamation – Saint Peter’s

“missionary” address to the inhabitants of Jerusalem – inaugurated an era in which the disciples of

Jesus evangelized the world. Whereas they had previously been weak, fearful and closed in on

themselves, the Holy Spirit gave them the strength, courage and wisdom to bear witness to Christ

before all.

Just as “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit” (

1 Cor

12:3), so no Christian is

able to bear full and genuine witness to Christ the Lord without the Spirit’s inspiration and

assistance. All Christ’s missionary disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the

Spirit’s work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and guidance.

Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we should remember to

have recourse to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a

fundamental role in the missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the

Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with

others. “Receiving the joy of the Spirit is a grace. Moreover, it is the only force that enables us to

preach the Gospel and to confess our faith in the Lord” (

Message to the Pontifical Mission

Societies

, 21 May 2020). The Spirit, then, is the true protagonist of mission. It is he who gives us

the right word, at the right time, and in the right way.

In light of this action of the Holy Spirit, we also want to consider the missionary anniversaries to be

celebrated in 2022. The establishment of the Sacred Congregation

De Propaganda Fide

in 1622

was motivated by the desire to promote the missionary mandate in new territories. A providential

insight! The Congregation proved to be crucial for setting the Church’s evangelizing mission truly

free from interference by worldly powers, in order to establish those local Churches which today

display such great vigour. It is our hope that, as in its past four centuries, the Congregation, with

the light and strength of the Spirit, will continue and intensify its work of coordinating, organizing

and promoting the Church’s missionary activities.

The same Spirit who guides the universal Church also inspires ordinary men and women for

extraordinary missions. Thus it was that a young French woman, Pauline Jaricot, founded the

Society for the Propagation of the Faith exactly two hundred years ago. Her beatification will be

celebrated in this jubilee year. Albeit in poor health, she accepted God’s inspiration to establish a

network of prayer and collection for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in

the mission “to the ends of the earth”. This brilliant idea gave rise to the annual celebration of

World Mission Day, in which the funds collected in local communities are applied to the universal

fund with which the Pope supports missionary activity.

In this regard, I think too of the French Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson, who established the

Association of the Holy Childhood to promote the mission among children, with the motto “Children

evangelize children, children pray for children, children help children the world over”. I also think of

Jeanne Bigard, who inaugurated the Society of Saint Peter the Apostle for the support of

seminarians and priests in mission lands. Those three Mission Societies were recognized as

“Pontifical” exactly a hundred years ago. It was also under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy

Spirit that Blessed Paolo Manna, born 150 years ago, founded the present-day Pontifical

Missionary Union, to raise awareness and encourage missionary spirit among priests, men and

women religious and the whole people of God.Saint Paul VIhimself was part of this latter Society,

and confirmed its papal recognition. I mention these four Pontifical Mission Societies for their great

historical merits, but also to encourage you to rejoice with them, in this special year, for the

activities they carry out in support of the mission of evangelization in the Church, both universal

and local. It is my hope that the local Churches will find in these Societies a sure means for

fostering the missionary spirit among the People of God.

Dear brothers and sisters, I continue to dream of a completely missionary Church, and a new era

of missionary activity among Christian communities. I repeat Moses’ great desire for the people of

God on their journey: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” (

Num

11:29). Indeed,

would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of baptism: prophets,

witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth! Mary,

Queen of the Missions, pray for us!

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 6 January 2022, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord



FRANCIS