The pastoral and theological status of the sanctuary in the religious life of the diocese

The aim of the work is to show the role that shrines, perceived from a pastoral-theological perspective, currently play in the life of the particular Church. The research can help to better understand the phenomenon of shrines and to discover the pastoral fruits associated with their activities. By showing the status of shrines, their biblical, theological-historical aspect, including legal and pastoral aspects, have been presented.

The dissertation includes five chapters, introduction and ending. In the first chapter, the biblical holy places have been recalled and the development of the understanding of their significance and meaning – depicted in the pages of the Old and New Testaments – have been presented.

The subject of the second chapter is to look from a historical and theological perspective at the development of the understanding of the reality of the shrine by the community of the Church, starting from the functioning of places of special worship in the ancient Church to the contemporary statements of the Magisterium Ecclesiae, containing in a way a synthesis of the current understanding of what a shrine is.

The theological vision of the shrine is practically reflected in the juridical documents of the Church, hence the third chapter of this work refers to the legal status of the shrine. The period before 1917 has been included, then the canons of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which indirectly relate to shrines, have been considered, later documents, and finally the provisions of the 1983 Code of Canon Law in force today, which contains a definition that captures the constitutive elements of the reality of the shrine, have been presented. In this chapter it has been shown how the juridical state of the reality of the shrine is specific and defined by the decisions of the diocesan, provincial and plenary synods.

The fourth chapter mentions the constitutive elements of the shrine, resulting from the juridical definition contained in canon 1230 of the Code of Canon Law of 1983, and shows their relation to diocesan pastoral care.

The fifth chapter formulates a pastoral postulate related to the functioning and development of shrines. Pastoral proposals result from ecclesiastical legislation, the location of shrines in the pastoral structures of the Church, from the functions performed by shrines and from contemporary pastoral challenges. Attempts have also been made to adapt the contemporary achievements of the theory of management and productivity (effective action) in the pastoral care of the shrine.

Moving from biblical holy places to modern shrines, one can notice a change of emphasis in the understanding of the idea of the shrine – from the place of God’s presence and encounter with Him, through a place of refuge, prayer and change of life, to a place of evangelization. After all, regardless of the stressed accents, the shrines responded to human needs and current challenges. This very important role of shrines is being emphasized by the contemporary teaching of the Church. It is noticed by Pope Francis, who in his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”. On the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world stated that visiting shrines and cultivating popular piety is an important form of evangelization (cf. EG 124). The author’s desire is that, thanks to this work, the voice of the Holy Father will be better heard and found expression in the pastoral practice of shrines, places where “divine things are connected to human affairs” (cf. MR 161).