In an interview published by the Archdiocese of Oviedo, Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes recalled that the mission is not an accessory, but the very heart of Christian life: “If we lose the missionary zeal, we lose our identity as Christians.” With these words, he emphasized that the Church cannot withdraw into itself or resign itself to comfort, but must go out to meet the world with the Gospel.
The prelate shared reflections after his recent trip to Mexico, where he accompanied the Lumen Dei community in mountainous and hard-to-reach areas. There, he noted that a handful of priests have the task of serving more than 45 parishes, which requires a titanic effort of organization and dedication. “The mission does not consist only in administering sacraments, but in being present in people’s lives: listening, accompanying, sharing faith and hope,” he said.
A Church on the Move
Sanz Montes insisted that the Christian cannot be content with tending to his own corner of faith. “The mission is not an adornment; it is what we are. When the Church stops evangelizing, it stops being Church.” And he added that, in the midst of an increasingly secularized world, “we cannot lose the impulse to bring Christ to places where He is not known or where He has been forgotten.”
The archbishop even raised the possibility that the Diocese of Oviedo organize new missionary expeditions in Spanish, joining the long Asturian tradition that has taken priests to Burundi, Guatemala, Ecuador, or Benin.
The Hard Face of the Mission: Encounter with Armed Men
His trip to Mexico was marked by an unexpected episode that reveals the harshness of missionary reality. On a rural road, he was intercepted by a group of armed men. The archbishop was questioned and detained for a few minutes before being able to continue. Although the situation was tense, Sanz Montes confessed that he experienced it with serenity and entrusting himself to God.
That incident, he affirmed, was a reminder that the mission is not a romantic exercise, but a real commitment that involves risks: “Proclaiming the Gospel means venturing into places where insecurity and violence are part of daily life.”
Urgency for the Asturian Church
The Archbishop of Oviedo pointed out that the diocese must not lose the memory of its missionary tradition or let it fall into oblivion. “We cannot look the other way: we are a missionary Church or we cease to be Church,” he warned. In that sense, he proposed keeping alive the cooperation with communities like Lumen Dei and opening new initiatives that keep the evangelizing flame burning.
The experience in Mexico confirms for him that the mission is a demanding and sometimes dangerous challenge, but also deeply fruitful. “When faith is shared in conditions of difficulty, the power of the Gospel and the joy of being Christians are rediscovered,” he concluded.