CNA_5099733f1dd3b_14750-255x255.jpg "Alan Holdren/CNA")
VATICAN CITY — An official for the Vatican’s Latin America commission has warned against a “gray pragmatism and mediocrity” that he believes has infiltrated Christianity in America.
Guzman Carriquiry, secretary for the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, made his remarks on the first day of the international congress Ecclesia in America taking place this week at the Vatican’s Synod Hall.
During his speech, Carriquiry noted a growing tendency among Americans to live the faith with a lack of enthusiasm, as well as with lukewarmness and ignorance.
“How many Christians today have buried their baptism under a cloak of consumerism and indifference?” he asked.
“How many devotions are practiced without an authentic encounter with Christ in the sacraments?” he asked, lamenting “the abandonment of confession” among local Catholics and “superficiality in participation at Mass.”
Despite this, however, Blessed John Paul II’s 1997 post-synodal document Ecclesia in America has pointed to “the example of numerous saints, heroes, champions of charity and martyrs,” he added, “in order to remind us of the path we Christians of America today must walk in the third millennium.”
Carriquiry, a Uruguayan who is the highest-ranking layman currently serving at the Vatican, underscored that encountering Christ requires a radical renewal of catechesis, “which needs to be presented in all of its grandeur, because there is grave ignorance of our faith, especially in the new generations.
“We are experiencing this crisis of authentic Catholic formation which can be seen in all Christians, but especially in those who have the greatest influence in our society.”
“For this reason,” he said, “we need to completely rethink the Christian formation of the faithful, whether for initiation or re-initiation, in order to achieve a growing and solid formation of mature persons in the faith.”
The fundamental reference for this process, the professor noted, “must be the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which Pope Benedict XVI has put front and center in this Year of Faith.”
“Christian families need more hope in this fundamental service of educating in the faith; especially if one considers the vast network of Catholic schools and universities, whose fruits in evangelization are rather meager; especially if one considers the human investment involved.”
“I think that it is time to profoundly re-evaluate the role of Catholic education in Latin America and North America,” he said.
Communion of Churches
“I hope that this congress will be a providential occasion for a firm and unbreakable affective and effective communion of the churches on the American continent around the successor of Peter, so that the Church throughout the continent will have a more effective presence in public life,” Carriquiry added.
This unity could help to put an end to the prejudice that exists among some in the United States who see Hispanic immigrants as “invaders” who threaten the American experiment, he said. Hispanics should, for their part, understand themselves as “a providential contribution to the national life with their productivity, as well as with their sense of the supernatural.”
“The Catholic Church respects the legitimate laws of each country, but she cannot cease to care for immigrants from a human and charitable point of view,” he noted.
“In all of America, the Church only asks and demands the freedom that is rightfully hers. She does not ask for any privilege,” Carriquiry said.
Carriquiry concluded by recalling that half of the world’s Catholics live in America, and, therefore, “it is impossible to ignore the historic role that belongs to this portion of the people of God today and in the future. That was the dream of Blessed John Paul II, and it is the vision of Pope Benedict XVI.”
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Illegal immigrants are law-breakers. American citizenship belongs to Americans which of course includes millions of Mexican-Americans many who died for this country in World War Two and Vietnam etc.and many of whom are deeply offended to see their citizenship given out like party favors. But you in your ‘charity’ feel that the church has a right to dispense other people’s rights, citizenship and heritage and wealth to whomever because it gives you that ‘snuggily feeling’ I suppose. I, for one can talk for an hour and a half about WHY America’s church has sunk into indifference, consumerism, cynicism and despair in the last (oh just to pick a number) fifty years.
The things that would end the perception of illegal immigrants as being “invaders” is…abiding by the immigration laws. Yes, there are undoubtedly many illegals who came across quietly, went to work, etc and are not participants in ID theft, drugs, property damange and the like. But alas, I’ve heard many, many stories of illegal immigrants being just part of that. The Church seriously undermines her credibility by ignoring a huge problem with the “illegal” side of immigration.
“woosh!” said the article as its point flew over the man’s head. “Eeeek!” Yelled the man’s relatives as they run for the hills after every Christmas party they see him in. “Rawr something racist and offensive!” Yells the man, as he abuses his keyboard and grammar to take his thoughts to the internets.
Cool says the snarky girl as she reads the article. Hopefully the Church can better evangelize in Latin and North America, and help to heal the racism on both sides. Catholics need to pull together and forget about borders until they’ve healed the religious rift. We have a long few decades ahead of us, and there are bigger, more soul endangering problems to work through.
We live in a society and in times where there are way too many distractions from God and religion, and millions of things competing to take first place in people’s hearts and minds. That is the problem, in a nutshell…
DJ and poetcomic1, please note that you are not actually arguing against the article, which makes no specific mention of illegal immigrants, rather stating that the Church respects the legitimate laws of each country. In fact, it points out that not illegal immigrants, but immigrants as a whole are perceived as “invaders” at times. The article calls us to compassion to people, which need not have any bearing on the treatment of illegal immigrants politically. The point is that stereotyping and demonizing based on ethnicity is not only contrary to the call of the Gospel but is no help in solving the problematic immigration situation.
Fixing the problem -
1) Bishops and all their Diocese Priests need to actively promote the reading of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” by literate Catholics within their Diocese.
2) Bishops need to stop the public SCANDALS through the teaching use in enforcement of Canon 915, and publically excommunicating when necessary - ab homine. - - - - 1 Cor 5:11-13.
3) Bishops need to strongly encourage all “Catholic” Universities within their Diocese to use the CCC as a required student text for freshman and sophomores;
and for Catholic High School Seniors.
________________
We must do our part.
1) Read and encourage others to read the CCC, as directed by Pope Benedict in Porta Fidei (Year of Faith) paragraphs # 11.
2) Report in writing - all Catholic public scandals to the appropriate Diocese Bishop. And if this does not work to the US Papal Nuncio and the Vatican.
The Catholic Hispanic voters harmed the USA by voting 65% for Obama: pro-abortion, pro-contraception, pro-homosexual marriage, and against freedom of religion.
ALL Catholics in the USA need catechesis and should be treated equally by all USA Bishops.
The CCC is printed in all major languages throughout the world.
The CCC REQUIRES immigrants to obey the laws of the host country - which includes immigration laws. CCC 2241
Gee, maybe American Catholics aren’t ignorant and lukewarm about their faith. Maybe they’re just so consumed by the injustice of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. that the paltry issues of salvation and eternal life fade into the background. Remember how Jesus persistently elevated the importance of ending the Roman occupation of Israel above his followers’ charitable obligations and duty to pray? He would never have healed the daughter of a Roman soldier who was party to taking away the right of the Israelis to sovereignty. First things first.
@Ryan: I live in a town loaded with immigrants and expats from all different countries—India, China (and surrounding areas, Japan, various countires in Europe, Latin American/Mexico. True, the ones not from China tend to be upper middle class professional types, but the ones from China/Far East, not so much. Some leave, a lot stay here. No one around here sees legal immigrants as “invaders.” Illegal immigrants, well that is another matter.
Rarely, very rarely, have I seen any article regarding the Church that specifically mentions the illegal side of immigrants and their problems. They are lumped in with legal immigrants as if they are the same thing. Occasionally, the words “undocumented workers” might be use as a euphanism for “illegal immigrants,” but in general, it seems to me the Church hierarchy mostly pays lip service to “respect[ing] the legitimate laws of each country.” Perhaps I should say, I don’t get the impression the hierarchy in the Church beleives that the US immigration laws are “legitimate” and therefore the US can be dumped on and accused of “breaking up families” and being grossly uncharitable when illegal aliens are deported—as if other countries are not equally at fault for not allowing the US citizens to move to their countries with their spouse.
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