CDF issues letter on relation between hierarchical, charismatic gifts

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has issued Iuvenescit Ecclesia [“The Church Rejuvenates”], a letter to bishops on the relationship between hierarchical and charismatic gifts in the life and the mission of the Church. Iuvenescit Ecclesia offers two guidelines for bishops in dealing withe new movements. On the one hand it states "respect the particularity of individual charismatic groups, avoiding juridical straitjackets that deaden novelty." But at the same time it affirms the need for "respect for the fundamental ecclesial regimen," and emphasizes that the movements should not "be considered in some way as running parallel to the ecclesial life or not ordered in relation to the hierarchical gifts." Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, acknowledged that the emergence of new movements has sometimes caused conflict within the Church, but he also acknowledged that ”the fruits are far superior to the difficulties.” he said. The new document has five sections: • The Charisms according to the New Testament • The Relationship between the Hierarchical And the Charismatic Gifts in the Recent Magisterium • Theological Foundation of the Relationship between the Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts • The Relationship between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts in the Life and Mission of the Church • The Ecclesial Practice of the Relationship between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts Among the charismatic gifts, states the Congregation, are “recent realities that can be described as groups of the faithful, ecclesial movements, and new communities.” Among the Magisterium’s criteria for discernment are “the primacy of the vocation of every Christian to holiness,” “commitment to spreading the Gospel,” “profession of the Catholic Faith,” “witness to a real communion with the whole Church,” and “recognition of and esteem for the reciprocal complementarity of other charismatic elements in the Church.”