Esperança nas novas congregações
Ao questionar se Rodé vê sinais de esperança, ele quase invariavelmente fala sobre as novas congregações fundadas nas últimas décadas, em vez das ordens estabelecidas como os dominicanos, jesuítas e franciscanos. “Aqui no meu escritório, encontro pessoas todas as semanas que são fundadores, homens e mulheres, que vem aqui com novos projetos, novas ideias”, diz Rodé. “Na semana passada, um brasileiro com um rosto angelical esteve aqui. Ele está fundando uma comunidade que é uma nova edição do espírito franciscano. Eles andam por aí com a tonsura, como Santo Antônio, de sandálias, vestidos como os pobres. Eles estão nas favelas, trabalhando com os jovens em risco, os sem teto, e são pregadores itinerantes”. “As novas congregações são uma reação contra a tendência [na vida religiosa] para a secularização”, disse. “Elas vestem hábitos, sempre. Elas insistem na oração e na adoração eucarística. Elas insistem na vida em comum. E também têm um grande, grande foco na pobreza” (Trecho de reportagem de John L. Allen Jr., publicada no site National Catholic Reporter, em 28/10/2009, traduzida e reproduzida por Notícias – IHU On-Line em 30/10/2009. Título: Cardeal Franc Rodé: o homem no centro das tempestades)
Seria o Roberto?
The man at the center of the storms
Hope in new congregations
Ask Rodé where he sees signs of hope, and he almost invariably talks about new congregations founded in the last several decades, rather than established orders such as the Dominicans, Jesuits and Franciscans.
“Here in my office, I meet people every week who are founders, men and women, who come here with new projects, new ideas,” Rodé said. “Last week, a Brazilian with an angelic face was here. He’s founding a community that’s a new edition of the Franciscan spirit. They go around with the tonsure like St. Anthony, in sandals, dressed like the poor. They’re in the favelas, working with at-risk youth, the homeless, and they’re itinerant preachers.”
“The new congregations are a reaction against the tendency [in religious life] toward secularization,” he said. “They wear the habit, always; they insist upon prayer and eucharistic adoration; they insist upon the common life; and they also have a great, great focus upon poverty.”
As for the more established orders, Rodé says, “At least at the level of the governments of these congregations, the major superiors, there’s an awareness that we have to change.” He said he’s cheered by data, such as that contained in a recent report by the National Religious Vocations Conference in the United States, indicating that orders with a more traditional spirituality often have better luck attracting new members.
Rodé insists he still has great faith in the perennial vitality of religious life.
“Religious have always been, as the French say, le marchant … those who take the lead in a battle,” Rodé said. “Innovation, new ideas, fresh responses to the problems of the society and the times almost always come from the religious, and then later they’re taken over by the hierarchical church.”
“I think that the most dynamic element, the most innovative element in the church, where the new energy of the Spirit makes itself seen, is the religious,” he said.
Rodé clearly believes some kinds of innovation are better than others.
He cited the United States, which has two groups for women’s superiors: the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which tends to represent the older and more liberal communities, and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, with the newer and more conservative groups. While member communities of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious represent 80 percent of American women religious, Rodé asserted, the communities of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious have 80 percent of new vocations.
“In my opinion,” Rodé said — with a twinkle in his eye, but obviously not entirely in jest — “the spirit of Anglo-Saxon pragmatism for which you’re known ought to lead to the obvious conclusion.”
