Consecrated life is a gift to the Church

n During October 1994 I was in Rome covering the Bishops' Synod on the religious life, or as they now call it, "consecrated life." After each Synod the Pope usually publishes an Apostolic Exhortation based on the results. These "results" include all the talks given plus the "propositions" or resolutions voted on by the approximately 235 voting members. Because of the Pope's busy schedule, along with his various illnesses, it took him longer than usual to produce the document which is dated March 25, 1996.

The title of the new Apostolic Exhortation is Vita Consecrata [VC] (i.e., "Consecrated Life"). It is directed to the whole Church. It is a long document which covers all the basic points made at the Synod. Synodal Fathers often spoke of VC as a special "gift" of God at the heart of the Church. The Pope takes up this theme and repeats it several times. VC has three main parts which correspond to the main topics covered during the Synod: namely, "consecrated life in its three aspects of consecration, communion and mission" (#13).

It is not possible or necessary here to try to summarize the whole document, but I will mention some of the main points covered: the essential importance of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience; the initial and ongoing formation of consecrated men and women; community life and the role of authority; the relations between bishops and religious superiors; promotion of vocations; involvement through prayer and dialogue in the ecumenical movement; their role in education on all levels, including universities; service of the poor; the proper training of those who will form others; assigning competent consecrated persons to become proficient in using the media of communication.

The Pope reaches back to Vatican II and the 1985 Synod for the basic concepts he uses to present the material on VC. He sees the Church as a mystery of communion that has a mission to bring Christ to the world. Consecrated persons are an essential part of this, that is, they are an essential structure of the Church and therefore willed by God. The external forms may change but the basic dedication involved in the evangelical counsels as a way of life will always exist in the Church. All are called to a life of holiness and one of the best ways to attain it is to become a consecrated person.

For those familiar with the subject, most of what the Pope says is already well known. One surprising point made by several bishops during the Synod is the large number of new foundations that are appearing in many parts of the world. In fact, they asked for some guidance in discerning true charisms from false. In response to this request, the Pope says that a commission will be set up to deal with questions relating to new forms of consecrated life; one of its main purposes will be "to determine criteria of authenticity."

Some bishops may need help in this area, but given the dramatic growth of Vatican bureaucracy since the Council one naturally wonders if this is the way to solve the problem. If a new commission is set up after every Synod, eventually the bureaucracy will become unmanageable.

VC is a bland document which will not be read by very many Catholics. It gives the impression of having been written by several hands. It is a "patched quilt" in the sense that it attempts to cover everything the bishops said at the Synod. In my opinion, the letter is too long, too wordy and too repetitious. As I have said before, I wish the Pope would add a two or three page summary to each of his letters, telling the world briefly, in his own words, the main points he wants to make. If he did that his message would get through more easily to all.

-Kenneth Baker, S.J., Editor