The good news is that God's plan of salvation is for the whole of humanity because all people possess a divine future. The closed attitude of the Pharisees refused salvation to those who did not accept the dictatorship of their religion. They did not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and prevented others from entering, thus missing-out on their vocation as elected people since such an election is geared toward the election of all. Israel's election is a witness to all the nations of the earth. Jewish diaspora has greatly helped the rapid extension of Christianity. The Church must not lose its missionary vocation so that all men may be reached. It is easy to close ranks during a time of crisis, binding up the wounds and focusing on 'self', whereas healing is found in going forward. Judaism was very missionary for many centuries, until it closed like an oyster because of persecutions. The Church is catholic, meaning 'universal', as well as ecumenical, in the original sense of the term, signifying 'the whole world'.

The Spirit of Assisi marks the beginning of a new form of mission that of meeting men of all religions and entering into dialog, not between religions but between religious men. Study is the first step so as to understand the cultures and aspirations of the people we meet, whether it be from new religions like Animism or developed religions like Hinduism. The other important precondition is to become one with the desire of God for Humanity, which is a great love tinged with respect and patience, by attentive listening, so as to recognize the sowing of the Word and the work of the Spirit. We must not be afraid of this openness because it can only affirm our faith, as well as questioning certain attitudes such as the obligatory passage through certain paths. Final salvation is God's secret. We have to be careful of the syncretism and idealism of other religions, as was often the case in inter-religious dialog before Assisi.

Saint Paul himself shows us the right attitude during his speech before the prestigious assembly: you are the most religious of men and you know that God exists, but you do not know Him. The apostle was Greek with the Greeks, speaking their language and meeting with them so as to witness salvation through Jesus Christ. To this end we must globalize our religious culture. The Dalai Lama speaks marvelously about Christ and doesn't hesitate to ask himself what the Resurrection could change to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. Are we capable of entering into dialog with him and talking about Buddha, of a person's destination, in his philosophy? Buddhism is the third religion after Christianity and Islam in France and a lot of those involved are former Catholics or Catholics who are not frightened by syncretism.

We have inherited certain protestant fundamentalist attitudes from the Charismatic Renewal and have labeled as 'evil' anything that is not Christian. We stay clear of anything that does not appear to us to be perfectly orthodox, thereby limiting God in His loving desire to touch all men. Today's spiritual vocabulary is totally colored by pantheistic concepts of the New Age. How can we talk with and evangelize those who speak this language if we push them away? Conversely, the Legionaries of Christ have been advised to speak this language, making themselves Greek with the Greeks. We have come to understand that we have inherited a large share of what other people look for elsewhere. I once met someone who talked with me about his many different incarnations. I told him that Christ came to take upon Himself our Karma and in accepting His salvation, reincarnation was not necessary. I also met an old lady who left the Church and became Buddhist because she wasn't edified by the people in her church. I told her that in her 'after-life' she would know a state of indifference where her personality would be dissolved. Since she had a strong personality, she immediately renounced her new-found religion.

Formation

All the points that I have just mentioned require the establishment of a serious formation, on a human level as much as on a psychological and spiritual level. I feel that formation must be a priority of the new government of the Community, especially the formation of Shepherds. Good formation will also help us reduce the reasons why people leave the Community. This is something that is always difficult to live, as much for the person leaving as for the Community. We need to establish the human maturity of those who make a life-commitment to the Community, and the formation could be an opportunity for discernment. The year at Mortain has already born fruit. The mix of the different houses renders the Community more flexible, as well as more homogenous in its diversity. We must also watch-over the liberty of all members, and formation allows each novice to keep from making commitments that would be made for reasons of human attachment or a particular circumstance. God considers our liberty to be priceless, indeed, He paid a high price for it. We must also take a step back from possessiveness and exclusivity in our relationships because liberty is the first condition of love.

I would also like to see the formation of priests as something more than a university course, even though this is necessary, especially because of the lack of vocations experienced by the Church. I believe the formation should become more up-to-date. Work is needed in the areas of philosophy, psychology and theology so as to be able to talk efficiently with our contemporaries, without speaking to them in a neo-Thomist language or presenting the truths of the faith in coded language that only the learned could understand. We know how to place ourselves on a theological level, but do we know how to communicate? The Community has attracted many vocations to the Priesthood through its call, as well as to consecrated life. But we must not forget that we are called to form an entity of laity and be closer to the people of God than we are at the moment. This will be required of us more and more in the future so we must prepare ourselves. I would also like to see a branch of the Priesthood which is nourished by the spirituality of the Community of the Beatitudes, which serves the parishes, without the monastic reference, and has no other vocation than to serve the people of God who are in need of pastors. We need to look past our own needs because the Community does not exist for herself but for the Church.

The Need for Renewal

The Community is getting old and we are in need of great renewal, a Pentecost where the Holy Spirit wakes us up, renews us, makes us more youthful, and fills us with enthusiasm. So we are now going to invoke the Holy Spirit together. Many people have desired a deep renewal of the Community and they are right, because we need to adapt as we evolve. Fernand undertook the government of the Community at a critical time when unity was being threatened. He therefore had to do a job of centralizing and restructuring so that the houses did not get dispersed. Thanks to his perseverance and gift as a mediator, he was able to maintain peace and cohesion. We should all be grateful to him for having paid with himself by giving himself without counting the cost. His deepest convictions would have directed him towards the Benedictine model, except he was obliged to resolve different tendencies within the Community which make up our richness but also our complexity. It is important, however, to return to the first intuition that each house must be responsible and adult so as to stand on its own two feet; otherwise we will be like the dinosaur which became extinct because it had an enormous body but a tiny head. I believe in decentralization, not only to facilitate the functioning of a house, but also to encourage initiative and creativity. Certain Shepherds see the Council as a method of censure rather than one of discernment. We must be able to accept original initiatives without the one who initiated them wondering if he has to cut corners in order to see them through to the end. My model from the start has been Households of Charity where each father incarnates Martha (Robin's) intuition, according to its own charisms. Unity and diversity get on well together; if we work towards uniformity, we become hard-nosed and cutting.

The roles of responsibility must be conceived more and more as service rather than power, exercised with great trust in the Holy Spirit and Mary, His Spouse, who holds us in her Immaculate Heart. I see the General Moderation as being a spiritual animator, accompanying houses which are in foundation, being attentive to the formation and vocation of each Community member, so that all is unified. The framework of the Community also needs to be more youthful. The older members of the Community should be advisors and resource people so as to leave behind old problems.

It is hard to choose a new Moderator since it is difficult to find a person who has the different qualities required for this ministry, this service. The Moderator must be a person of peace, unity and prayer, having an exceptional work capacity and solid theological formation. I have prayed long and hard for someone who corresponds to the 'ideal person'. I don't want the Community to enter into an election campaign like that of the world, nor to accept a sanction vote where someone wins and another loses. I have discussed this several times with Fernand who will make a suggestion to you with the good of the Community utmost in mind, as well as a program integrating the main points of the vision, after having consulted the Shepherds.

In May, I went on pilgrimage to Lourdes and I told Mary that I wasn't coming for my health but for The Beatitudes. I was expecting a lot from the pools because I felt like plunging the whole of the body of the Community. I asked for a sign to accompany this gesture. I went into the pool just after a severely handicapped person, who made a lot of noise but his face was shining with a beautiful light, whilst the Rosary was being recited - in Croatian, something very rare in Lourdes. In this I saw a sign and a symbol of our future, which will be Marian and amongst the poor. I would like for all those who can, to go to Onuva because the grace of this community is what I wish for with all my heart - Marian and poor !

Let us not be afraid - fear stops us from meeting those whom God seeks the most. Perfect love drives out fear, and if we stay in the Anawa of the Virgin Mary, we have nothing to fear. In the Baslica yesterday morning, I couldn't help but be reminded of a similar situation that happened 25 years age, where I saw a vision on a column, of the Good Shepherd, whom I recognized as the Pope, and his lambs running on a prairie. I was also struck by Karol Wojtyla's quotation where he compared St. Peter's Basilica to a prairie where the lambs came to feed. But I was expecting another vision, a word I had once received, which came back to me in Hebrew: bemeod meod, bemeod meod.

I searched the Bible to see where this expression was used and I found it in Exodus chapter 1: "The children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied, they grew in number and became more and more powerful. And the land became filled." I was struck because yesterday morning, I felt like I was in the presence of only half the Community. Bemeod meod can be translated as so much, so much, and I believe that the Community can grow by so much, so much, in so many households of charity and love. Before coming here, I was listening to an interview with Msgr. Billet, President of the French Episcopacy. He was asked if the World Youth Days had brought more youth into the Church and if vocations to the Priesthood had increased as a result. He was obliged to reply 'no' to both questions. There are a great number of people whom we need to meet in order to lead them to the green pastures and we will never be numerous enough to do this. Like all prophecies, what I received yesterday morning is accompanied by an 'if'. If we let ourselves be renewed and made more youthful by the Spirit, the Community will only just be beginning