New Evangelization counters ecclesiastical careerism, says Argentine cardinal

February 29, 2012

In an interview with Vatican Insider, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires said that the New Evangelization preached by Pope Benedict XVI means that “all ordinary activities of the Church take place in view of the mission.”

Cardinal Bergoglio observed that the New Evangelization in Europe is similar to the “continental mission” declared by the Latin American bishops at a 2007 meeting in Aparecida, Brazil. Since that time, he reported, “the entire continent is a missionary state.”

A renewed sense of mission, the cardinal said, is necessary to “avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world.” He contrasted the emphasis on evangelization with a “spiritual worldliness” that leads prelates to think of their careers rather than their vocations.

According to multiple unconfirmed reports, the 75-year-old Cardinal Bergoglio, a Jesuit, was the 2nd-leading vote-getter in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

 

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Further information:

• “Careerism and vanity: Sins of the Church” (Vatican Insider)