MISSIONARY ADAPTATION. - By this name (German Akkomodation or Anpassung; French Adaptation) missiology means that part of missionary methodology which studies more particularly the manner of presenting the Christian message to non-believers, taking into account the ethnological, linguistic, national, social, cultural, moral, psychological and religious peculiarities of individual peoples; that is, the missionary must endeavor to present the Gospel with the greatest possible understanding of those conditions, so as to respect, and possibly make use of, all the sound and non-perishable elements of every civilization, which reflect the common heritage of humanity.
There undoubtedly remain in non-Christian civilizations points of contact which the apostolate is obliged to know and of which it must take possession, availing itself of them for its own ends; in fact, missionary adaptation has had in history an application which, though at times wavering, nevertheless had fortunate periods and significant examples; in any case, the Church never lacked the sure word, the straight directive, from Gregory the Great to Pius XII. And when, in the modern era, a twofold current manifested itself especially in the missions of India and the Far East, regrettable disputes arose in the apostolate, which deeply affected its fortunes. On the other hand, it must be recognized that the problem presented itself with characteristics of particularly grave complexity. Today the path has been resumed along the traditional line; so much so that even in the most backward civilizations, as in those of a great part of Africa, one is in a position to recognize, save and protect not a few indigenous values, not only social but also moral.
A complete formulation of the theory of missionary adaptation according to the pontifical documents, starting from the "Instruction" of Propaganda to the first apostolic vicars of 1859 (v. MISSIONI) up to the norms contained in the last missionary encyclicals of Benedict XV and Pius XI, reaffirmed also by the Summi Pontificatus of Pius XII, can be expressed in the following points:
1) exterior adaptation of the missionary to the situation of the country he is evangelizing: language, dress, food, customs and social conventions;
2) spiritual or moral adaptation of far greater importance, which the missionary will obtain: a) negatively, by avoiding every unfavorable judgment upon local ideas, practices and institutions for the sole fact that they differ from his own; b) positively, by gaining the esteem and affection of the people to be evangelized, by studying thoroughly their history and civilization, their traditions or customs, their family, social and religious institutions, and not stinting praise for whatever in them is worthy of respect.
3) practical adaptation, which must go to the extreme of concessions and indulgence, omitting every criticism, every change, every substitution of customs and institutions that are not "most openly" contrary to religion and to the moral norm. In a particular way, moreover, the Holy See recommends, on the political plane, loyalty toward constituted governments and abstention from all interference in the sphere of political interests, even when advantages for religion might be seen or hoped for.
Adaptation, in substance, resolves itself entirely into respect for and the valorization of indigenism. Such respect and such valorization have had, in recent decades, more than a beginning, a promising development of realization in the following sectors: creation of the indigenous hierarchy (v. INDIGENO, (v. act); elimination of every residue of European nationalism (v. MISSIONI: nazionalismo e missioni); utilization of the elements of indigenous art (v. MISSIONI: arte e missioni); authorization for Chinese and Japanese Catholics to perform or participate in ceremonies or acts once tainted with superstition and today reduced to simple civil acts (v. RITI CINESI).
Bibliography6 works
Giovanni B. Tragella