Editing Ad gentes

{{Short description|Second Vatican Council's decree on missionary activity}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox ecumenical council
| image = Petersdom_von_Engelsburg_gesehen.jpg
| caption = [[Saint Peter's Basilica]]<br />Venue of the Second Vatican Council
| council_name = [[Second Vatican Council|Second Vatican Ecumenical Council]]<br />{{native name|la|Concilium Oecumenicum Vaticanum Secundum}}
| council_date = {{start date|1962|10|11}} – {{end date|1965|12|8}}
| accepted_by  = [[Catholic Church]]
| previous     = [[First Vatican Council]] 
| next =
| convoked_by  = [[Pope John XXIII]]
| presided_by  = [[Pope John XXIII]]<br />[[Pope Paul VI]]
| attendance   = up to 2,625<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/event/ecv2.html |title=Second Vatican Council | first =David M | last = Cheney |work = Catholic Hierarchy |access-date=18 May 2011}}{{Self-published source|date=September 2017}}</ref>
| topics       = The Church in itself, its sole salvific role as the [[One true church|one, true and complete Christian faith]], also in relation to [[ecumenism]] among other religions, in relation to the modern world, renewal of consecrated life, liturgical disciplines, etc.
| documents    = Four Constitutions:
* ''[[Sacrosanctum Concilium]]'' (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
* ''[[Lumen gentium]]'' (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
* ''[[Dei verbum]]'' (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
* ''[[Gaudium et spes]]'' (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)
Three Declarations:
* ''[[Gravissimum educationis]]'' (Declaration on Christian Education)
* ''[[Nostra aetate]]'' (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions)
* ''[[Dignitatis humanae]]'' (Declaration on Religious Freedom)
Nine Decrees:
* ''[[Inter mirifica]]'' (Decree on the Media of Social Communication)
* ''[[Orientalium Ecclesiarum]]'' (Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite)
* ''[[Unitatis redintegratio]]'' (Decree on Ecumenism)
* ''[[Christus Dominus]]'' (Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church)
* ''[[Perfectae caritatis]]'' (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life)
* ''[[Optatam totius]]'' (Decree on Priestly Training)
* ''[[Apostolicam Actuositatem]]'' (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity)
* ''Ad gentes'' (Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church)
* ''[[Presbyterorum ordinis]]'' (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests)
}}

'''''Ad gentes''''' (''To the Nations'') is the [[Second Vatican Council|Second Vatican Council's]] decree on missionary activity that reaffirmed the need for missions and salvation in Christ.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoopes |first=Tom |date=November 2015 |title='Ad Gentes': It's All About Salvation |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/ad-gentes-it-s-all-about-salvation |access-date=25 July 2023 |website=National Catholic Register}}</ref> The document establishes [[evangelization]] as one of the fundamental missions of the Catholic Church and reaffirms the tie between evangelization and charity for the [[Poverty|poor]]. ''Ad gentes'' also calls for the formation of strong Christian communities as well as strong relations with other Christians. Finally, it lays out guidelines for the training and actions of the missionaries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ad Gentes (Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church)|newspaper=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University|url=https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/ad-gentes-decree-on-the-mission-activity-of-the-church|access-date=2018-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413190437/https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/ad-gentes-decree-on-the-mission-activity-of-the-church|archive-date=2018-04-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Catholic charities]]
*[[Evangelii gaudium]]
*[[Lumen gentium]]
*[[Evangelii Nuntiandi]]
*[[Redemptoris missio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* [http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/teaching-the-spirit-of-mission-ad-gentes-continuing-pentecost-today.cfm Teaching the Spirit of Mission Ad Gentes: Continuing Pentecost Today]: A Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005

==External links==
* [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.html ''Ad gentes'']: English translation at the Vatican website

{{Second Vatican Council}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Catholic missions]]
[[Category:Decrees]]
[[Category:Documents of the Second Vatican Council]]
[[Category:Texts in Latin]]
[[Category:1965 documents]]
[[Category:1965 in Christianity]]