INCULTURATION

Missiology
Outline

Part I: Introduction
A. Culture : History of the Use of the Term
B. Definition of Culture
C. Enculturation
D. Acculturation
E. Transculturation
F. Cultural Imperialism
G. Colonialism
Outline

Part II: Church Teaching on

Inculturation
A. History
B. Definition
C. Encounter Between Culture and the Gospel
D. Example of Inculturation: Matteo Ricci, SJ
Introduction
A. CULTURE
Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere,
meaning "to cultivate”) has different meanings.

In 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled

a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical
Review of Concepts and Definitions.
Introduction

The word "culture" is commonly used in the following 3 basic

senses:
1) Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as
high culture;
2) An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior
that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social
learning;
3) The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that
characterize an institution, organization or group.
Introduction
It first emerged in 18th-19th century
Europe as a process of
cultivation/improvement (ex. in
agriculture or horticulture).

19th century: it referred first to the

betterment or refinement of the
individual through education, and then
to the fulfillment of
national aspirations or ideals.
Introduction
Mid-19th century: some scientists
used the term “culture” to refer to
a universal human capacity. Ex. the
German non-positivist sociologist,
Georg Simmel referred to “the
cultivation of individuals through
the agency of external forms which
have been objectified in the course
of history”.
Introduction

20th century: "culture" emerged as a concept central to anthropology, encompassing all human phenomena that are not purely results of human genetics.
Introduction

Specifically, in American anthropology it had two meanings:

(1) the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols, and to act imaginatively and creatively; and

(2) the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences, and acted creatively.
Introduction

After World War II: the term became important in other disciplines - cultural studies, organizational psychology and management studies.
Introduction

B. Culture, , is a “socially shared design for living”, it is a “plan according to which society adapts
itself to its physical, social and ideational environment” (by Louis Luzbetak SVD).
As basic Element for the definition of culture, the following must be considered:
CULTURE
- is a plan
-consisting of a set of norms, standards and associated notions and beliefs
-for coping with the various demands of life
-shared by a social group
-learned by the individual from the society
-and organized into
-a dynamic system of control
Introduction
CULTURE

A plan for coping with a physical environment would include such

matters as food production and all technological.

The social adaptation would include: political systems, kinship, family

organization and law as a plan according to which one is to interact
with his fellows.

The ideational environment would refer to knowledge, art, music,

science, philosophy and religion.
Introduction

C. Enculturation is process by which a person learns the requirements of the culture that
surrounds him/her, and acquires values and behaviors that are appropriate or necessary in
that culture.
The influences which limit, direct, or shape the individual (whether deliberately or not)
include parents, other adults, and peers.
If successful, enculturation results in competence in the language, values and rituals of the
culture.
The process of enculturation is related to socialization.
Introduction
Conrad Kottak (American anthropologist who did extensive
research in Brazil and Madagascar), wrote:
“Enculturation is the process where the culture that is currently
established teaches an individual the accepted norms and values of
the culture or society in which the individual lives. The individual
can become an accepted member and fulfill the needed functions
and roles of the group. Most importantly the individual knows and
establishes a context of boundaries and accepted behavior that
dictates what is acceptable and not acceptable within the
framework of that society. It teaches the individual their role within
society as well as what is accepted behavior within that society and
lifestyle"
Introduction
 Enculturation can be conscious or unconscious. There are three ways a
person learns a culture.
1. Direct teaching (first conscious way) Ex. when a person is told to do
something because it is right and to not do something because it is bad; when
children ask for something, they are constantly asked "What do you say?" and
the child is expected to remember to say "please."
2. (second conscious way) By watching others and emulating their behavior. Ex.
using different slang with different cliques in school.
3. Unconsciously, through events and behaviors that prevail in their culture.
 N.B. All three kinds of culturation happen simultaneously and all the time.
Introduction
Enculturation helps mold a person into an acceptable member of
society.
It is a lifelong process that helps unify people.

How many times has a parent said "If all your friends jumped off a
bridge, would you?" when their child wanted to fit in with the
crowd? Both are playing roles in the enculturation.
The child wants to be included in the subculture of their peers,
and the parent wants to instill individualism in the child, through
direct teaching. Not only does one become encultured, but also
makes someone else encultured.
Introduction

. Acculturation = exchange of cultural features that results when groups of individuals

having different cultures come into continuous first hand contact; the original cultural
patterns of either or both groups may be altered, but the groups remain distinct. (Kottak
2007)
The anthropologist Franz Boas (1888, pp. 631-632) argued that all people acculturate,
not only "savages" and minorities:
"… there is no people whose customs have developed uninfluenced by foreign culture,
that has not borrowed arts and ideas which it has developed in its own way“.
Ex. "the steel harpoon used by American and Scotch whalers is a slightly modified
imitation of the Eskimo harpoon".
Introduction

. Anthropologists Redfield, Linton and Herskovits (1936, p. 149) developed this often
quoted definition:
"Acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals
having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent
changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups".
Despite definitions and evidence that acculturation entails two-way processes of change,
research and theory have continued with a focus on the adjustments and changes
experienced by minorities in response to their contact with the dominant majority.
Thus, acculturation can be conceived to be the processes of cultural learning imposed
upon minorities by the fact of being minorities.
Introduction

 If enculturation is first-culture learning, then acculturation is

second-culture learning.
The traditional definition sometimes differentiates between
acculturation by an individual (transculturation) and that by a group
- usually very large (acculturation)
Introduction
Group foreign-origin acculturation

Massive intake of another culture's traits is the most classical and narrow
definition of "acculturation". Such acculturation may be adequately adapted into
another's, modernizing and advancing it through the inflow of technology or the
enrichment of literature.
Ex. Hanzi, the written language of Chinese language, has been adapted and
modified by other Asian cultures, including: Japan (as Kanji), Korea (as Hanja),
and Vietnam (as Chữ-nôm). Traditional Chinese characters and meanings can be
seen in many examples of the vernacular dialects of these countries, and most of
them still use (Hanzi) for formal and official correspondence.
Introduction
Sometimes, the acculturation has irreversible impact of damaging
the recipient culture, as in the cases of:
Many indigenous peoples, such as First Nations of Canada,
Native Americans of the USA, Taiwanese aborigines, and
Australian Aborigines -- have mostly lost their traditional culture
(most evidently language) and replaced by that of the dominant
new culture.
The term has most often described as Westernization, Natives
having adopted Western cultures.
Introduction

Pidgin is a mixed language that has developed to help

communication between members of different cultures in contact.
This usually occurs in situations of trade or colonialism. Pidgin
English is a simplified form of English mixed with some of the other
language of the other culture. It blends English grammar with that
of a native language.
This was first used in Chinese ports and similar have developed in
Papua New Guinea and West Africa
Introduction

The founders of Liberia were the descendants, just a few

generations removed, of African ancestors who had a completely
African culture; yet they have fully taken up the white-dominated
cultural values of the early 19th Century United States (specifically,
of the then dominant Whig Party), to the extent that their
settlement in Africa and rule over the native population there were
clearly in the manner of foreign colonizers rather than of "Africans
returning home".
Introduction

E. Transculturation

Transculturation, or individual foreign-origin acculturation, is on a

smaller scale with less visible impact.
This most often occurs to first-generation immigrants, for whom
transculturation is most difficult, due to the lack of precedents in
the family.

Introduction

E. Transculturation

The speed of transculturation varies, depending on the recipient's

interest and the presence of a motivation.
Another common, but less lasting, acculturation effects occur
after a traveler spent a while in a foreign place. S/he may pick up
some regional vocabulary, especially if the languages are in the
same family.
Introduction

Native-origin Acculturation

A child may learn one or more traditions(multicultural

family of immigrants) from birth, usually from the family
(blood or adopted), in particularly the parents.
Introduction

History of Acculturation

Early written codes of law, for example, the Old Testament law of
Moses, acted to stabilize cultural practices and reduce acculturative
changes. Probably the first academic account of acculturation
appears in Plato's, Laws [5] written in the 4th century BC, in which
he argued that humans have a tendency to imitate strangers and a
tendency to like to travel, both of which introduce new cultural
practices. Plato argued that this should be minimized to the degree
possible.
Introduction
.

J.W. Powell is credited with coining the word "acculturation," first

using it in an 1880 report by the US Bureau of American
Ethnography. In 1883, Powell defined "acculturation" to be the
psychological changes induced by cross-cultural imitation.
The first psychological study of acculturation was probably
Thomas and Znaniecki's 1918 study of The Polish Peasant in Europe
and America.
Since then, scholars in different disciplines have developed more
than 100 different theories of acculturation. Paul Campisi, in 1947,
was the first to make a "A Scale for the Measurement of
Acculturation".
Introduction

Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements

of one culture by a different cultural group. It can include the
introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and
art, religion, language, or behavior. These elements are typically
imported into the existing culture, and may have wildly different
meanings or lack the subtleties of their original cultural context.
Because of this, cultural appropriation is sometimes viewed
negatively, and has been called "cultural theft."
Introduction


F. Cultural imperialism

Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting the

culture or language of one nation in another. It is usually
the case that the former is a large, economically or
militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less
affluent one.
Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active,
formal policy or a general attitude.
Introduction

 G. Colonialism

Colonialism is the building and maintaining of colonies in one

territory by people based elsewhere. It can also take the form of
subjugation of a minority culture by a majority culture, both of
whom exist in the same location.
Colonialism is a process whereby sovereignty over the colony is
claimed by the metropole, who impose a new government and
perhaps a new social structure and economy.
Introduction

 G. Colonialism

Colonialism comprises unequal relationships between metropole

and colony and between colonists and the indigenous population
Colonialism normally refers to a period of history from the 15th to
the 20th century when people from Europe established colonies on
other continents.
Introduction

 The reasons for the practice of colonialism at this time

include:
*The profits to be made;
*To expand the power of the metropole;
*To inculcate the indigenous population to the
colonists' world view and way of life.

Introduction

 Some colonists also felt they were helping the

indigenous population by bringing them civilization.
However, the reality was often subjugation, displacement
or death.
Colonialism and imperialism were ideologically linked
with state-led mercantilism and neomercantilism.
Introduction

 SPANISH COLONIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

American period in the Philippines

Consequences

 Muslims

In the south, Muslim Filipinos resisted until 1913; the so-called
Moro rebellion. They were never part of Aguinaldo's movement but
independently fought the Americans.
Introduction

Arms

During this conflict, the Americans realized a need to be

able to stop a charging tribesman with a single shot. To fill
this need, the Colt M1911 Handgun was issued for its
larger .45 caliber ammunition (45 ACP), resulting in
additional stopping power.
Introduction

English education and the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church was disestablished, and a considerable amount of church land was purchased
and redistributed. However, the bulk of the land was quickly bought up by American companies with little
going to Filipino peasants.
During the U.S. occupation, English was declared the official language, although the languages of the
Philippine people were Spanish, Visayan, Tagalog, Ilokano, Pangasinan and other native languages. The
English requirement barred many from political office and ensured a dependency on American
administrators.
Also, five hundred and forty American teachers were imported aboard the USS Thomas.
The first task of the Thomasites was to reform the education system to one that maintained an anti-
Spanish curriculum but glossed over existing American atrocities.
It also ensured that Filipino nationalism would rise no more as an important force
Introduction

Neocolonialism

The term neocolonialism has been used to refer to a variety of things since the
decolonisation efforts after World War II. Generally it does not refer to a type of
colonialism but rather colonialism by other means - residual effects or aftershocks of old
colonialism or a contemporary extension thereof in more subtle and seemingly
unobtrusive ways.
Specifically, the accusation that the relationship between stronger and weaker countries
is similar to exploitation colonialism, without the stronger country having to build or
maintain colonies. Such accusations typically focus on economic relationships and
interference in the politics of weaker countries by stronger countries.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

 A. History
How and when the term inculturation was coined is uncertain. The Jesuit J. Masson is
credited by some as having used it as early as 1962. Its public use can be traced to the
1970’s, especially for example during the 1974-1975 General Congregation of the Jesuits,
where Fr. Pedro Arrupe, then Jesuit Superior General, was to insist: “The need for
inculturation is universal. In 1975, Pope Paul Paul VI issued Evangelii Nuntiandi, rightly
considered the Charter of Inculturation for the Church, where he gave his typically incisive
definition of what evangelization implies: “What matters is to evangelize human culture
and cultures.”
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

The first actual use of the term ‘inculturation’ in a official Church document came in the
message of the Fifth Synod of Bishops 1977.
Pope Paul II has used the term in his 1985 encyclical Slavorum Apostoli (in honor of the
evangelizing works of Saints Cyril and Methodius). The work of evnagelization which Cyril
and Methodius carried out contains both the model of what today is called inculturation,
i.e., the incarnation of the gospel in native cultures, and also the introduction of these
cultures into the life of the Church” (SA 21)
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

As a term designating the process by which the Gospel

takes root in local values, discovering and using their
richness, as well as purifying their deficiencies.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

Implications:

1. Insertion of the Gospel within the very heart of

culture
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

Implications:

2. Interaction between (at least) two cultures. It is not a

simple encounter between the Gospel and a culture,
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

Implications:
3. Process of Exchange. Not only is there giving to a culture, but
there should be receiving in return
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

Implications:

4. Converting Encounter with the person of Christ. The deeper the
union with Christ the greater the urge to bring him alive within
one’s culture
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

B. Definition

Implications:

5. Process of Critical interaction. There will be rejection of some

cultural values, as well as acceptance of others- but it has to
measured against Christ and his values.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation
B. Definition

Implications:

6. Dialogue between a community of faith and of cultures.

Inculturation then cannot be designed by theological experts and
imposed ‘from above’(though it can be inhibited by them). The task
of experts is to help refine what Christ and his Church would wish
us to believe. It is only when individuals and a community believe in
the Lord and act accordingly within this or that culture that
inculturation occurs.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

C. Encounter between Cultures and Gospel and its effect in the Church

Vatican II

“There are many links between the message of salvation and culture... The Church has
existed throughout the centuries in varying circumstances and has utilized the resources of
different cultures in its preaching to spread and explain the message of Christ...
Faithfulness to its own tradition and at the same time conscious of its universal mission,
(it) can enter into communion with different forms of culture, thereby enriching both
itself and the cultures themselves”.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

C. Encounter between Cultures and Gospel and its effect in the Church

Vatican

Inculturation, therefore, enriches the Church; for she uses “in her preaching the
discoveries of different cultures to spread and explain the message of Christ to all nations,
to probe it and more deeply understand it, and to give it better expression in liturgical
celebrations and in the life of the diversified community of the faithful.”
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

In turn, the gospel message acts as an enriching the purifying force on human cultures:

“The good news of Christ constantly renews the life and culture of fallen humanity. It
combats and removes the errors and evils resulting from sinful allurements which are a
perpetual threat. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of people. By riches
coming from above, it makes fruitful, as were from within, the spiritual qualities and gifts
of every people and of every age. It strengthens, perfects, and restores them in Christ ...”

Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

In February, 1981, in an important message to the peoples of Asia broadcast from the
Philippines, he said:
 “Wherever she is, the Church must sink her roots deeply into the spiritual and cultural soil of
the country, assimilate all genuine values, enriching them also with the insights that she has
received from Jesus Christ” Given the mission entrusted to it by our Lord, the Church’s priority is
always the evangelization of all peoples and therefore of all cultures.
Inculturation is a means of evangelization, being at the same time its consequence. Clearly,
therefore, the key reference for inculturation is not “culture”, but the Gospel itself.
This is why the Council teaches that the acceptance of the Gospel implies an elevation of
traditional values or local customs, and where necessary their purification.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

“The good news of Christ continually renews the life and culture of fallen humanity; it
combats and removes the error and evil which flow from the ever-present attraction of
sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of people”.
In the whole process of inculturation, therefore, with the Gospel as the standard, one
has to discern the local human and cultural values that are in harmony with Gospel values,
as well as those that contain positive elements but stand in need of purification.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

Moreover, one has to be on guard not only against native traditions that may be
irreconcilable to the proper living of the message of Christ, but also to foreign elements
that stand in clear opposition both to positive native values as well as to Christian living.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

The work of inculturation is necessary and beautiful. But it is also challenging and
anything but easy. Nor is it free from dangers and the possibility of mistakes. We
mentioned earlier the need to protect true native values from foreign elements that are
clearly opposed to them, as well as to Christian living.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

 But Saint JPII is also clear about the need to critically evaluate, and where necessary
regenerate, native values.
“All attempts in our day to express this ineffable Word in the cultural realities of a people
or race must likewise ensure that nothing is lost from or added to the revelation of God in
Jesus Christ. Only those who truly know Christ, and truly know their own cultural
inheritance, can discern how the divine Word may be fittingly presented through the
medium of that culture. It follows that there can be no authentic inculturation which does
not proceed from contemplating the Word of God and from growing in likeness to him
through holiness of life”.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

 On his 1982 African journey, he explicitated this further to the Bishops of Nigeria: “The
Church truly respects the culture of each people. In offering the gospel message, the
Church does not intend to destroy or to abolish what is good and beautiful. In fact she
recognizes many cultural values and through the power of the gospel purifies and takes
into Christian worship certain elements of a people’s custom.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

The Church comes to bring Christ; she does not come to bring the culture of another
race. Evangelization aims at penetrating and elevating cultures by the power of the
gospel. On the other hand, we know that God’s revelation exceeds the insights of any
culture, and of the cultures of the world put together ... Therefore it is clear, as I have
stated before, that the power of the gospel everywhere transforms and regenerates.
When that power enters into a culture, it is no surprise that it rectifies many of its
elements”.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

Saint JPII

Saint JPII constantly brings together two aspects to the subject:

a) the value of so many native and local traditions, which therefore must not be lost
(and, as he frequently points out, they are being attacked by alien influences);
b) the purifying and enriching effect of the gospel
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

RICCI’S APPROACH TO CHINESE CULTURE

Ricci could speak Chinese as well as read and write classical Chinese, the literary language of
scholars and officials. He was known for his appreciation of Chinese culture in general but did
condemn the prostitution which was widespread in Beijing at the time. During his research,
he discovered that, in contrast to the cultures of South Asia, Chinese culture was strongly
intertwined with Confucian values and therefore decided to use existing Chinese concepts to
explain Christianity. He did not explain the Catholic faith as something foreign or new, instead
he said that Chinese culture and people always believed in God, and that Christianity is simply
the perfect manifestation of their faith. Thus, the Lord of Heaven is identical with Jesus Christ.
He supported Chinese traditions by agreeing with the veneration of the dead.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

RICCI’S APPROACH TO CHINESE CULTURE

 Later, discovering that Confucian thought was dominant in the Ming Dysnasty, Ricci
became the first to translate the Confucian classics into a Western language, Latin,
with assistance from the Scholar Xu Guanqi
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

June 2, 2010 Benedict XVI is underlining the example of Father Matteo Ricci, who
brought the gospel message to the Chinese by learning their culture and finding ways to
dialogue with the people in their own language.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

The Holy Father pointed out that Father Ricci is “a singular case of a happy synthesis
between the proclamation of the gospel and dialogue with the culture of the people to
whom it is taken, an example of the balance between doctrinal clarity and prudent
pastoral action.”
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

The Jesuit did this not only through “the profound learning of the language but also the
assumption of the lifestyle and custom of t educated Chinese classes, fruit of study and of
patient and farsighted exercise, done in such a way that Father Ricci was accepted by the
Chinese with respect and esteem, no longer a foreigner, but as the the “Teacher of the
Great West”.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

Benedict XVI noted that the Jesuit was able to inculturate the evangelical proclamation
in the Chinese context not only, thanks to his “profound love” of China, to his intelligence
and to his fidelity to Christ but also because he took recourse to Christian humanism.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

This humanism he explained, “that considers the person inserted in his context,
cultivating the moral and spiritual values, making use of all that is positive in the Chinese
tradition and offering to enrich it with the contribution of the Chinese culture but, above
all with the wisdom and truth of Christ.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

This humanism he explained, “that considers the person inserted in his context, cultivating
the moral and spiritual values, making use of all that is positive in the Chinese tradition
and offering to enrich it with the contribution of the Chinese culture but, above all with
the wisdom and truth of Christ.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

Missiologist Gianni Criveller

“If one word summarize Ricci’s approach to China, that word would be friendship, a humanistic value that
Ricci greatly appreciate and cherished. According to the modern Jesuit sinologist Edward Edward
Malatesta, Ricci was even a martyr of friendhip. His death on May 11 1610 at the age of 57 was due to
overwork in receiving guests and reciprocating their visits. On Friendship was the first book that Ricci wrote
in Chinese. Ricci saw in friendhip a precious common meeting point between two world that shared a
humanistic approach to life. Common elements of this unique encounter were: a pre-eminence of culture,
a love for philosophy and science, preference for moral and practical discussions over dogma, participation
in social relationships based on common intellectual interests and friendship, and a prominent roles
exercised by cultural institutions such as schools, academies and associations.” Two among the most
celebrated civilizations of all time, the Chinese Ming Dynasty and the European Renaissance, met through
the bond of friendship.”
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

“Father Ricci did not go to China to take the science and culture of the West, but to take
the Gospel, to make God known.. The choices he made did not depend on an abstract
strategy of inculturation of the faith, but on the whole of the events, of the encounters
and of the experiences that he was having.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

He noted that this encounter was “lived in many ways, but deepened through the
relationship with some friends and disciples,” especially four converts who became pillars
of the nascent Chinese church.” These four figures include Xi Guangqi, a scholar and
scientist who helped Ricci translate into Chinese Euclid’s “Elements,” and Li Zhizao, who
together with the Jesuit produced the most modern edition of the World Map.
Part II: Church Teaching on Inculturation

D. Example of Inculturation

POPE BENEDICT STRESSES EVANGELIZATION WITH INCULTURATION

The Holy father expressed the hope that the memory of Ricci and of the men who
collaborated with him would be a stimulation and encouragement to live the Christian
faith intensely, in dialogue with the different cultures, but in the certainty that true
humanism is realized in Christ, open to God, rich in moral and spiritual value and capable
of responding to the most profound desires of the human spirit.