Spiritual community
A (new) spiritual community (NGG) or spiritual movement , also a church movement , is a group of Christians who strive for an intensive life of faith and the renewal of faith in the church in an original form . It exists especially in the Roman Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council , but also in other denominations. The Italian term Movimenti ('movements') is used as a collective term, especially in the Roman Catholic context . Many spiritual communities consist predominantly of lay people and are counted among the lay movements .
There are great differences in the degree of organization and commitment, from a predominantly ideal community without formal structures or membership to secular institutes that lead a life according to the evangelical councils . A precise demarcation between communities and movements is not possible, but the latter are usually less organized. Where no canonical communities ( religious congregations , secular institutes and societies of apostolic life to exist), most communities and movements come under relatively open legal concept of association of the faithful of the can. 215 CIC .
Many communities are based on the charism of a founder or a particular foundation, have a particular culture of prayer and spirituality, and understand themselves in a particular mission within the church. Associations recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity are included in the list of international lay associations recognized by the pope .
history
Most religious communities emerged as Christian renewal movements in several denominations in the 20th century. These include the Christian branch of the youth movement (e.g. the YMCA ), the liturgical movement , the biblical and the ecumenical movement. They complement the ecclesiastical structures of parishes , dioceses and regional churches with a charismatic, community component, similar to religious orders .
Many communities emerged within the Roman Catholic Church as a result of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). This emphasized the position of the laity and their participation in the mission of the Church to preach the Gospel. The Schoenstatt Movement (1914) and the Legio Mariae (1921) are regarded as precursors . Other early communities are the Focolare Movement (1943), Comunione e Liberazione (1954), the Neocatechumenal Way (1964) and the Community of Sant'Egidio (1968).
"Movements and new communities, providential expressions of the new spring called forth by the Second Vatican Council by the Spirit, proclaim the power of God's love, which across divisions and barriers of every kind creates the face of the earth a civilization of love."
Pope Benedict XVI addressed the new spiritual communities personally at his World Youth Day sermon in 2005:
“Of course, books alone are not enough. Form communities by faith. In the last few decades movements and communities have emerged in which the power of the gospel comes alive in words. Seek fellowship in faith, companions who will go on together on the great pilgrimage route that the wise men from the Orient first showed us. The spontaneity of the new communities is important; But it is also important to maintain communion with the Pope and the bishops, who guarantee us that we are not looking for private paths, but really live in the great family of God that the Lord founded with the twelve apostles. "
Definition of terms
There are the terms community and movement, which use different accents to describe the same phenomenon. Such a difference in meaning does exist, but a classification cannot always be clearly made. Therefore there is a lot of overlap and both terms are often used synonymously. However, they differ significantly from the church associations and religious orders.
Community
Christians come together in spiritual communities in order to answer God's call in their own way and to lead a Christian life. The form of membership can be very different: there are informal affiliations, but also those with a high degree of commitment, for example in the secular institutes, whose members take vows or promises.
Move
Movements have less of an institutional structure and more of a spiritual orientation. Therefore these are to be understood more as a spiritual community on the way to experience the Christian faith in community. They usually have neither a pronounced degree of organization nor formal memberships and are open to everyone. Usually, however, there is a core organization that supports the movement.
Movimenti
The term Movimenti did not emerge until the 1990s , but it also includes the “renewal movements” that emerged before and after the Second Vatican Council.
organization
Many communities are supraregional, often also internationally, and sometimes also ecumenical. In contrast to the religious orders , however, there is usually no life required according to the evangelical counsels. Sometimes a communal life is possible.
“Furthermore, it is deeply a theological fact that justifies and demands the union of the laity: it is an ecclesiological principle that was expressly recognized by the Second Vatican Council when it was a 'sign of communion and unity of the Church in Christ '. "
Cooperation of Spiritual Communities
A sign of the stronger connection between the spiritual communities was the first World Congress of Spiritual Communities initiated by Pope John Paul II on Pentecost in 1998 in Rome . On May 8, 2004, an international ecumenical meeting of over 150 spiritual communities took place in Stuttgart , which represents a significant step on the rapprochement of the groups and the concerns of the ecumenical movement. The Focolare Movement makes a special contribution to the networking of the groups . This was also the host of the second world congress of over 100 Roman Catholic spiritual communities in Rocca di Papa on Pentecost 2006, which was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity and led by Pope Benedict XVI. was supported. After this congress, the Pope celebrated a vigil with the spiritual communities on June 3, 2006 in St. Peter's Square , attended by around 300,000 believers.
From May 10th to May 12th 2007 a second international meeting of more than 200 spiritual communities and movements of all denominations took place in Stuttgart. The supporters of this initiative, which above all wants to represent the contribution of Christians to a Europe of the future, but also has global goals, were the Focolare Movement and the Community of Sant'Egidio on the Catholic side and the YMCA on the Protestant side. Around 12,000 members of the various movements took part.
literature
- Pontifical Council for the Laity (Ed.): The Spiritual Communities of the Catholic Church, Compendium. St. Benno, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-7462-1995-7
- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger : Church Movements and New Communities - Distinctions and Criteria. Verlag Neue Stadt, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-87996-710-0
- Pontifical Council for the Laity (ed.): Movements in the Church. Proceedings of the World Congress of the Ecclesial Movements, Rome, 27-29 May 1998 . Rome 1999.
- Christoph Benke : New Spiritual Communities and Movements, Catholic . In: Michael Klöcker, Udo Tworuschka (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Religionen. Churches and other religious communities in Germany and in German-speaking countries . Loose-leaf publication, Westarp Science - Fachverlage, Hohenwarsleben, 60th supplement, 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e New and evangelizing? Past and present of the new spiritual movements. In: kathisch.de. Retrieved July 6, 2016 .
- ^ Spiritual communities and movements in the diocese of Mainz. In: Diocese of Mainz. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018 ; Retrieved April 5, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d Spiritual communities and church movements. In: Diocese of Regensburg. Retrieved April 5, 2016 .
- ^ Sermon by Pope Benedict XVI. at the closing fair of World Youth Day 2005
- ↑ a b The term "Spiritual Communities - Movements". In: Spiritual communities and movements of the Catholic Church in Germany. Retrieved July 6, 2016 .
- ^ German Bishops' Conference: Announcements of the Apostolic See . Issue 87, No. 29