by Marie-Lucile Kubacki
Reims – On June 30, Pope Leo XIV appointed Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, Archbishop of Reims, France, as a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization .
Former President of the French Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort launched a missionary conversion project in his diocese six years ago, prompted—like many similar initiatives—by the urgent need to respond to the declining number of priests.
A theologian and specialist in Henri de Lubac, he spoke with Fides about his understanding of mission in a country that is not only “secularized” but, as he himself states, is marked by “the desire to build itself outside of God, and even outside the God of Jesus Christ.”
You have just been appointed a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization, on the eve of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France. If you had to describe to him, in just a few words, the Church he is about to encounter, what would you say?
He will encounter a Church in France that is undergoing profound transformation. We must learn to live with fewer priests, even though we continue to hope for new vocations to the seminary. The decline in priestly numbers is far from over. This decline is due to their departure, retirement and death, which has affected numerous generations over the years.
The Church has also borne the heavy burden of the shock caused by the revelation of sexual and spiritual abuse, as well as the deceptions uncovered within certain ecclesial communities and foundations that once appeared full of promise.
This is therefore a Church undergoing a transformation of its pastoral model, a Church that has been searching for some time and has embarked on a variety of experiences that I believe are both significant and promising. There is zeal, enthusiasm, and a desire to make the Gospel known. The Church is becoming more clear-sighted, less naïve, and more capable of critically examining itself and the consequences of its own structures. In this way, it becomes more capable of welcoming those who come seeking Christ and to serve Him more authentically.
At the same time, we are living through a period in world history in which anxiety about the future prevails hope. Yet one of the most striking developments of the past two or three years is that what once seemed self-evident—simply believing, speaking the name of Christ, contemplating the person of Christ—is now experienced by many catechumens and candidates for confirmation, especially among younger generations, as something profoundly meaningful and illuminating.
In this process of transformation, what fruits are beginning to emerge in the Church?
Certainly the catechumens, but also more authentic relationships of fraternity within the life of our dioceses and parishes, together with a search for renewed pastoral approaches and a deeper understanding of the faith.
Today we can no longer rely on a Christian ‘heritage’ received like the air we breathe. Christians need to be strengthened from within so that they may become truly free in the spiritual freedom of Christ. Many Christians, for example, have discovered the joy that they can guide prayers: not to replace priests, but to fully exercise their ‘common priesthood of the faithful’.
This also helps to clarify the distinctive role of the ordained ministry—bishops, priests and deacons—alongside the question of the instituted ministries. We are rediscovering the baptismal priesthood, the common priesthood of all the faithful, as a true protagonist in the life of the Church. I believe this has been one of the most significant developments of the past decade, and it is very promising.
How do you interpret the paradox of a France often described as deeply secularized, yet continually fascinated by religion, which repeatedly re-emerges in public debate?
As you say, it is a genuine French paradox. France is certainly secularized, but what distinguishes modern France is that it has been built upon a desire for autonomy from God that goes beyond secularization itself. There is a desire to build itself outside of God, and even outside of the God of Jesus Christ in a very specific way.
I believe this is part of the revelation of the God of Israel, who also makes Himself known by provoking contradiction: it is one moment in history, not the final word. It is therefore not surprising that this is accompanied by much interest and attention. We have seen this recently: the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo generated extraordinary public interest in France.
The French recognize that the Christian faith is a school of freedom. They instinctively understand freedom in terms of autonomy and emancipation, yet they can also discover that a greater freedom is found in acceptance, hospitality, openness to others and even in a certain dependence on God, which is ultimately liberating. These two realities coexist in France: the need for emancipation and, at the same time, an awareness of the richness of what faith offers of the richness that faith in God has offered—and continues to offer.
How do you interpret the phenomenon of catechumens? Is it a sign of missionary vitality, or should it be welcomed with caution?
First and foremost, I see it as a gift from God, an encouragement. It is not the result of some exceptionally successful pastoral action: we have not discovered a miraculous solution. Rather, I believe these catechumens are a gift God has given us to encourage us in our work of pastoral transformation and in the purification of the way we look at the Church. When I read their letters, two things strike me. The first is that the driving force is the discovery, through their encounter with Christ, of a new way of living: in peace, in openness to others, freed from resentment and anger, and sustained by hope. Very few express a desire to “rediscover the France of the past”: what I see instead is the discovery of a different way of life, sometimes glimpsed in the witness of people close to us, sometimes discovered through suffering or an unexpected encounter.
The second striking aspect is how naturally they make the theological language of Scripture and the liturgy their own. They speak of sin not simply as a moral fault, but as “losing sight of something essential,” as an inner refusal whose vanity suddenly becomes evident. They use expressions drawn from Saint Paul and from the liturgy, such as “slavery.” The depth of their spiritual experience leads them spontaneously to rediscover the language of the first Christians. It is both simple and remarkably powerful.
How have these letters shaped your own understanding of mission and the proclamation of the Gospel?
For many years, I tended to think of mission as having the courage to “market our product” to people who neither knew it nor were interested in it. Gradually, I came to understand that mission also means being sent where we are, taking upon ourselves and bringing before God the destiny of all humanity.
The fruitfulness of mission cannot be measured simply by the number of people who join the “club” that is the Church. Mission belongs to the mystery of the Cross: we accept being united to Christ in bearing the destiny of humanity, and the Father responds according to His own will. We are called to live as Christians wherever we are, with authenticity and conviction, trusting that God is accomplishing His work, leading men and women to the fullness of life.
The theme chosen for the Pope’s visit is “life in abundance.” That means having the freedom to speak openly about the source of our life, recognizing what Jesus gives us, and what only He can give, and bearing witness to that gift, which we celebrate in the sacraments and are called to live out in every encounter, including our participation in society.
How has the missionary reform launched in Reims taken shape, and what are its first fruits?
In practical terms, this year I began a series of pastoral visits that, until now, I had not been able to undertake fully because of my responsibilities within the Bishops’ Conference, which often kept me away from the diocese.
I have started spending time in our various missionary areas. So far I have visited two of the eleven. There is still a long way to go, but I intend to continue more intensively next year. We also want to take advantage of the synodal process to which we have been invited in order to articulate, evaluate and deepen what we are experiencing.
We are grateful that the Saint Martin Community has agreed to take responsibility for a new missionary area, created by dividing a territory that had become too large, and has come specifically to embrace the fundamental intuitions of our pastoral project. This will give new momentum to our initiative.
Overall, I believe our original vision has been confirmed. It enables us to carry out our mission without being overwhelmed by the size of the territory or by the small number of priests available to serve it.
At the same time, our resources have proved to be more limited than we had anticipated. The number of priests and deacons is lower than we had hoped for, even in relation to the objectives we had set ourselves.
How have you ensured that the missionary transformation initiated in Reims six years ago did not become merely a structural reform? And what fruits do you see today?
The temptation to believe that change can be achieved primarily through structural reforms, management techniques or communication strategies is a universal human weakness. Concrete achievements are needed, but we wanted first to restore the proper order of the priest’s three munera: teaching, sanctifying and governing.
Too often, most of our time is devoted to governing—that is, administering. Then we sanctify by celebrating the sacraments, while proclamation is left to “whenever there is time.” The theological order, however, is the opposite: first comes the proclamation of God’s promise—a word of life, liberation and consolation; then comes sanctifying; finally, governing.
To govern does not mean simply to administer or to manage. It means supporting Christians so that they may grow more fully in walking God’s path. We must continue to lighten our administrative and institutional structures so that we can devote ourselves more fully to the proclamation of the Word, the celebration of the sacraments, and those encounters through which we grow together in faith.
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