Papal Contributions to the Development of the Church\u27s Missionary Spirit: From Ad Gentes to Evangelii Gaudium

Pope John Paul II, taking up the prophetic words of Pope Paul VI in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, had in a variety of ways reminded the faithful of the need for a new missionary season for the entire people of God. At the dawn of the third millennium not only are there still many peoples who have not come to know the Good News, but also a great many Christians who need to have the word of God once more persuasively proclaimed to them, so that they can concretely experience the power of the Gospel. Many of our brothers and sisters are baptized, but insufficiently evangelized. In a number of cases, nations once rich in faith and in vocations are losing their identity under the influence of a secularized culture