“In times of greatest crisis, like the pandemic and the wars that we are currently experiencing, closed-minded and aggressive nationalism and radical individualism fracture or divide our unity, both in the world and within the Church,” Pope Francis wrote.
“The highest price is paid by those who end up getting labeled as ‘them’ versus ‘us’: foreigners, migrants, and the marginalized who inhabit the existential peripheries. In this context, these guidelines propose an ever wider ‘we,’ which refers both to the entire human family and to the Church.”
The guidebook invites Catholics to work together to help people experiencing tragedy and uprootedness, the pope said.
It is a chance for the Church to promote communion, and to “live out a new Pentecost in our neighborhoods and parishes, as we come to realize the richness of their spirituality and vibrant liturgical traditions.”
The pastoral guide is broken into seven sections, with practical suggestions on topics such as overcoming fear, showing compassion, understanding migrants as a blessing, fulfilling the evangelizing mission, and living Catholicity.
The book’s introduction says that the Catholic Church is confronted with two main challenges, which can also be seen as an opportunity and a mission: to be both “ad intra and ad extra.”
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