Priests, prophets, and kings: The mission of the Church according to John Paul II

Pope John Paul II understood the mission of the Church to be a participation in the priestly, prophetic, and royal mission of Christ. This essay follows the development of this understanding from his time as Archbishop of Cracow though to Evangelium vitae. It examines, in particular, evangelization and its relationship to the threefold mission. It traces its development through his integration of the teaching of Lumen gentium on the threefold office of Christians and the teaching on evangelization in Evangelii nuntiandi. Noting that the Lineamenta of the Synod on New Evangelization makes little reference to the threefold office, it, finally, offers some ideas as to how we might develop our understanding of the threefold mission and apply it to ‘new evangelization.’