NAROD BOŽJI KAO NOSITELJ NAVJEŠTAJA CRKVE. EVANGELII GAUDIUM I MISIONARSKA PREOBRAZBA CRKVE
THE PEOPLE OF GOD AS THE AGENT OF EVANGELIZATION OF THE CHURCH. EVANGELII GAUDIUM AND THE CHURCH'S MISSIONARY TRANSFORMATION

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the question of the missionary transformation of the Church as proposed by Pope Francis, and the focus is placed on the people of God as the agent of proclaiming the Gospel. In doing so, the author analyzes the words of Pope Francis, primarily those set out in the exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. The analysis of Pope Francis on the need for the transformation of the Church is contextualized in three ways. First, we want to determine what specifically Croatian believers think of the Church and whether they feel that they are part of the Church, which is presented through sociological research conducted in Croatia. We see that there is a declining sense of belonging to the Church which is accompanied by a critical opinion about the (un)importance of individual evangelizing and pastoral activity of the Church. This gives importance to the words of Pope Francis on the necessity of pastoral transformation of the Church. Because he aims, in a particular way, to elaborate the question of the people of God as the agent of evangelization, in the second step the author moves to actualize the concept of the People of God as presented by the Second Vatican Council, which marked the change of awareness in understanding the Church. The aim is to show how Pope Francis in his teachings and actions relies precisely on this altered awareness brought by the Second Vatican Council as a particularly important starting point in understanding the Church.

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