by Fr Elias Sindjalim MCCJ
Introduction
Formation for religious, priestly and missionary life today is confronted with anthropological, cultural and technological transformations that invite us to rethink the conditions for true human and vocational maturation. In a context marked by the acceleration of digital world, the transformation of modes of relationship and a growing awareness of human vulnerability, formation cannot be limited to transmitting knowledge or developing pastoral skills. It must contribute to the human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral and vocational maturation of the person, fostering the development of a sufficiently integrated personality and the emergence of true interior freedom.1 It is thus a question of helping the person to accept God’s call with discernment, to assume his or her choices responsibly, to establish authentic relationships with others and to commit to the mission from a progressively unified human and vocational identity.2 It is in this perspective that Magnifica Humanitas offers particularly significant points of reference, especially around the humanization of the person, the relationship to new technologies and the integration of fragility.
1. The human and the process of humanization in formation with a Christian anthropology
Every authentic formation is based on a certain conception of the human person (an anthropology). Christian anthropology does not reduce the human being to his or her capacities, behaviours or psychological determinisms3. It considers him or her as a person created in the image of God, called to relationship and open to transcendence. Magnifica Humanitas thus recalls that “man and woman are created in the image and likeness of the Triune God” and that each person is “destined by nature to relationship” with God, with others and with creation (n. 50). This relational conception of the person finds an important echo in contemporary works that seek to articulate Christian anthropology, philosophy and psychological sciences.4
In this perspective, religious, priestly and missionary formation is fundamentally a process of humanization. It is not only aimed at the acquisition of pastoral skills or adaptation to the needs of an institution, but at the gradual maturation of the whole person. Personal history, family and relational experiences, wounds, psychological resources, aspirations and limitations must be able to be gradually integrated into a path of growth. Vocation does not suppress this history; it is inscribed in a concrete person and calls for interior transformation.5
Christ is the fundamental anthropological reference here. In him, Magnifica Humanitas affirms, “the mystery of man finds its true light” (n. 49). His humanity is presented as “fully free, open to others, capable of building relationships of solidarity and beauty, dedicated to the total gift of self” (n. 49). Formation must therefore foster an interior freedom capable of discernment, a sufficiently integrated identity and a relational capacity that allows the gift of self without excessive dependence, the search for recognition or defensive rigidity.
This vision also makes it possible to go beyond a functional conception of vocation. The value of a religious, priest or missionary does not depend solely on his apostolic effectiveness, his intellectual capacities or his availability for service. Magnifica Humanitas recalls that the dignity of the person “does not depend on the capacities he possesses, his riches or the role he occupies” (n. 50). Formation must therefore aim first and foremost at the growth of a person capable of living in truth, responsibility, communion and self-giving: in other words, a person who is integrated and with a profoundly assumed humanity.6
2. Train in the use of artificial intelligence and new communication techniques
The rise of artificial intelligence and digital technologies introduces a new dimension into the formative process. The question today is no longer whether to use them, how to use them effectively, but also to understand how they transform the ways of thinking, learning, communicating, deciding to enter into relationships and carrying out missions. Magnifica Humanitas emphasizes that artificial intelligence constitutes a transformation that “challenges the categories of social doctrine from within” (n. 17).
For formation, this implies a true education in digital discernment. Technologies can promote access to knowledge, research, communication, pastoral collaboration and the proclamation of the Gospel. But they can also promote superficiality, dependence on immediate information, the reduction of silence and interiority or the illusion that virtual communication is enough to build a human relationship. Contemporary research in theological anthropology underlines precisely that technological transformations force us to rethink what it means to be human, especially with regard to freedom, autonomy and relationship.7
The Encyclical invites the exercise of “moral and spiritual discernment” and recalls that “human intelligence, with its conscience and freedom” must guide technological innovations and determine “with responsibility the use and limits” of these innovations (n. 98). Formation must therefore help candidates to develop a responsible, critical and creative use of technologies (n. 145), cultivating their ability to verify information, to recognize biases, to respect confidentiality and to measure the human and relational consequences of their uses.
This education is directly linked to inner freedom. When the constant flow of information replaces personal research, reflection and discernment, “interior freedom risks being compromised” (n. 146). Hence the importance of maintaining spaces for silence, reading, in-depth study, dialogue and real presence in formation. The Encyclical thus affirms: “we all need to be formed to live digital technology in a human way” (n. 238). For future missionaries, the digital world is even “a new continent to be evangelized”, which needs “generous missionaries who are mature in the faith” (n. 238). Digital competence must therefore be accompanied by sufficient human and spiritual maturity.
3. Integration of fragility in training
Every person in formation carries within him or her resources, but also vulnerabilities, wounds and limitations. A realistic formation cannot therefore ignore human frailty or propose an idealized image of vocation. Magnifica Humanitas invites us to change our view of the limit: it is often considered “a defect to be corrected, rather than a space where the human matures and opens up to relationship.” The Pope affirms in a particularly significant way that “the human does not flourish despite the limit, but often through the limit” (n. 118).
This perspective has an important psychological and formative significance. Recognizing one’s frailties allows us to better understand one’s reactions, needs, defensive mechanisms and relational modes. Conversely, the refusal to recognize one’s limits can lead to an idealization of oneself, an excessive search for recognition or a difficulty in asking for help. On the contrary, the integration of fragility promotes greater self-knowledge, a more real inner freedom and an increased capacity for empathy. Contemporary approaches to the person also emphasize the importance of an integrated understanding of the psychological, relational, moral and spiritual dimensions of the human being. ⁶
The Encyclical emphasizes that “it is precisely in our limited nature that compassion, sincere concern for the needs of others, generosity, spiritual experience and adoration of God find their place” (n. 119). Formation must therefore offer spaces that are sufficiently secure to allow vulnerabilities to be recognized and worked on8 : spiritual accompaniment, formative colloquium, community dialogue and, where necessary, recourse to the psychological sciences. Inner sufferings must not simply be “repressed” or “repressed”, but gradually integrated (n. 120).
The aim is not to form perfect personalities, but people who are mature and integrated enough to live their vocation in truth, freedom and responsibility. This maturation is ultimately in line with what Magnifica Humanitas affirms about human dignity: it is also recognized “in the capacity to think critically, to choose and love freely, to enter into authentic relationships” (n. 233).
Conclusion
Comboni formation can thus be understood as a process of humanization in the light of the Gospel. It seeks to form religious, priests and missionaries capable of unifying their personal history, their vocation and their mission, of remaining inwardly free in the face of technological transformations and of assuming their frailties without losing confidence in the action of grace. The credibility of the mission also depends on this maturity: the Gospel then becomes visible in people whose lives show that faith does not diminish humanity, but leads it to its full fulfilment.
1 RFIS, n. 31
2 Paul C. Vitz et al., “A Catholic Christian META-MODEL of the Person,” Divine Mercy University, 2019; Amedeo Cencini, L’albero Della Vita: Verso Un Modello Di Formazione Iniziale e Permanente (Edizioni san paolo, 2005).
3 RFIS, n. 96.
4 Joel Robbins, Theology and the Anthropology of Christian Life (Oxford University Press, 2020); Luigi Rulla, Antropologia della vocazione cristiana. Basi interdisciplinari, 2° edizione (EDB, 1997).
5 Amedeo Cencini and Alessandro Manenti, Psicologia e Formazione. Strutture e Dinamismi (2010; EDB, 2010).
6 Todd A. Salzman and Michael G. Lawler, “Pope Francis, Dignitas Infinita, and an Evolving Catholic Anthropology: Doctrinal Implications,” Theological Studies 85, no. 4 (2024): 628.
7 S. van den Heuvel, Being Human in a Technological Age: Rethinking Theological Anthropology, 2020.
8 RFIS, n. 190
