Amid rising tensions around migration, a conference in Rome reflected on the challenges modern missionaries face after moving to new countries. The conference “The Church of the Sheaves: An International Gathering in Rome on Mission as an Exchange of Gifts” began at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on Oct. 22 and will continue through Oct. 24. It was organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization. Gathering clergy, scholars, and synodal teams, the conference is also part of a new project from the dicastery to foster a sense of belonging among missionaries in countries where Christianity once flourished. More: aciafrica.org/news/24905/con…

The growing presence of missionaries from Africa and other parts of the Global South in Western countries should be understood as the fruits of earlier missionary evangelization returning to the universal Church, rather than simply as a response to declining Priestly vocations, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu has said. In an interview published by Agenzia Fides on Tuesday, October 20, the Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization spoke about the movement of missionaries ahead of the first international conference of “The Church of the Sheaves,” the new global missionary initiative of the Vatican Dicastery aimed at strengthening missionary formation, fostering collaboration between Churches of the Global South and Global North, and helping Catholic communities respond to migration, demographic change, and emerging pastoral realities. “The big blessing is that that which they sowed has now grown and has borne fruit, and we are now at the moment of the ingathering of the fruits, the sheaves,” the Vatican-based Nigerian Catholic Archbishop said. The October 22–24 conference at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome is to gather Church leaders, scholars and pastoral workers to explore mission as a reciprocal relationship. Archbishop Nwachukwu cautioned against viewing missionaries arriving in Western countries solely as a response to a shortage of Priests. “I want to tell you, globally we really don't have a shortage of Priests. We have a redistribution of Priests,” he said. He described shortages in receiving Churches as an opportunity for them to welcome missionaries from elsewhere. “If these churches were still flourishing in vocations, they wouldn't have space for the sheaves to be brought home,” he said. The Vatican official explained that the planned conference “is a framework to talk about bringing home these products, fruits of the missionary endeavors in various countries.” He identified two dimensions of the initiative: preparing receiving communities to welcome missionaries and preparing missionaries for service in their new pastoral environments. More: aciafrica.org/news/24841/mis…

Every local Church has gifts to give and gifts to receive, the Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization has said, calling for a genuine exchange between Churches that are sending missionaries abroad, and those receiving them. In his welcome address at the ongoing conference of “The Church of the Sheaves,” the new global missionary initiative of the Vatican Dicastery, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu said the Church of the Sheaves is not merely about the movement of personnel, but about a genuine exchange of gifts through which the whole Church is renewed. More: aciafrica.org/news/24879/nig…

Every local Church has gifts to give and gifts to receive, the Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization has said, calling for a genuine exchange between Churches that are sending missionaries abroad, and those receiving them. In his welcome address at the ongoing conference of “The Church of the Sheaves,” the new global missionary initiative of the Vatican Dicastery, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu said the Church of the Sheaves is not merely about the movement of personnel, but about a genuine exchange of gifts through which the whole Church is renewed. He said such “reciprocity” must become concrete, adding, “To receive a missionary is not simply to find a place for a priest, religious, or pastoral worker to serve. It is to welcome a brother or sister, accompany them, and help them understand the language, history, culture, and pastoral realities of the community.” More: aciafrica.org/news/24879/nig…