Why does the Church teach, and why will it continue to do so? The answer to this question reveals the profound nature of Christianity, as well as the meaning of the many and varied ways in which it expresses its mission. Among these, the Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice Foundation plays a role of its own in harmony with its convictions and commitments. In the concert of human institutions, we cannot lose sight of the fact that Christianity offers a fundamental originality. It is passed on by word of mouth, and the long history of its thousand-year-old Tradition shows that it conceals an evolving history, culture, and religious and social thought that need to be received by the intelligence and carried forward by the responsible and active commitment of Christians in the service of others, those they call their brothers and sisters. In this way, doctrine (truth) and the ethics of behavior and witness enlighten and reinforce each other. The search for meaning and action combine and harmonies. In this way, it becomes clear that the Church’s primary mission is to teach and educate in the faith, in order to nourish and enlighten the meaning of the commitment of Christians in the service of building a fairer and more humane world, open to the rich diversity of cultures and beliefs, fully in tune with God and in tune with the expectations of the men and women of their time.
The Church teaches and forms, using all the means at its disposal. It invests all the channels of communication, first and foremost those that are inherent in the human person. Faith begins with the mouth and resounds in the ears (evangelization, preaching, faith education), it also originates with the pen, the eyes (the Scriptures, Tradition, religious formation) and culminates in the image symbolized by community gatherings, places of education (schools and universities), and finally those of beauty and the heart that art and the liturgy are called upon to embody. Faith therefore enters through our ears and eyes (Rom 10:17) and is ultimately grasped by our intelligence. The Church teaches by all the means at her disposal; she is dialogical, interactive by nature, she speaks, listens, reveals, unveils to all our senses, in the depths of the intelligent richness of the human condition, the invisible mystery of a Triune God, loving and savior.
In this respect, the world of Catholic, Christian-inspired associations represents a privileged place for those who wish to train themselves to better express and share their religious and social convictions publicly, and to translate them into a commitment or service of their choice, in harmony with their Christian aspirations, their human formation or their professional activities. In this sense, the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, faithful to the message and priorities promoted by the pontifical document of the same name (John Paul II, May 1991), has now been occupying a preferential niche for more than 30 years, promoting the Church’s thinking and social teaching throughout its international networks. Since then, it has continued to speak out, proposing, among the various activities it carries out in all its networks, a dialogue, a journey to deepen the meaning of the Catholic faith through specific training linked to the contents of the Social Teaching of the Church. Thanks to the expertise of recognized specialists in their field, it offers a systematic approach to certain issues facing our societies. The program for the year 2025 that you will find in this Monthly Letter bears eloquent witness to this. The Centesimus Annus Foundation is committed to embodying the Catholic faith for the men and women of today’s world. In doing so, it wishes to contribute to enriching the quality of the influence of its members in the places where they belong, thus aiming to make their presence meaningful, even prophetic, even in business and political circles.
The mission of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation is to promote open and intelligent access to the essentials of the Catholic faith for contemporary societies, its history, its impact, its commitments and its influence. In short, how can we, together, through encounters and dialogue, serve and give concrete expression to the dynamism of the Christian heritage for which we are responsible to our societies and our world? This is the mission that the CAPPF has set itself once again for 2025: to offer its members and friends an itinerary, a search for meaning and reflection, and to open the way to Christian action appropriate to the increasingly demanding needs of today’s world. The social thought of the Church provides a better understanding of the Christian heritage and sheds light on the horizon of our commitments.
Pr Mgr Guy-Réal Thivierge,
Rome, 7 October 2024