A Vatican official says poorly formed Catholics present one of the biggest challenges to the late Pope John Paul II’s vision of evangelizing formerly Christian societies in the West.
“The major challenge are the Christians, especially those who were baptized, but not sufficiently catechized,” said Archbishop Nicola Eterovic, the Vatican’s secretary general of the synod of bishops.
In an interview with EWTN News on March 7, he noted that the upcoming synod of bishops and Year of Faith, both taking place in October, will be an opportunity to discuss evangelizing traditionally Christian countries that have become increasingly secularized in recent decades.
The Year of Faith, which will also mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, will be launched by the Pope on Oct. 11 and run until Nov. 24, 2013.
“I think it will be an occasion to read more, to reflect more, to pray more,” Archbishop Eterovic said, “and to know better our Christian faith.”
The synod will focus on “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”
Although foreign missionary work for those “who do not yet know Jesus Christ” is an important part of the Church’s work, Archbishop Eterovic said that Catholics must coordinate efforts at the parish level in order to “promote the Christian faith” to Catholics who may not understand Church teaching.
Christians should also utilize mass media, especially social media such as Facebook, to spread the message of the Gospel.
In the effort to spread Christ’s message, Archbishop Eterovic said, the most important form of contact is both personal and communal.
“Personal contact is necessary to announce Jesus Christ,” he said “but this personal contact should be lived ... in the Church.”
As organizer for the synod, Archbishop Eterovic received feedback from the world’s bishops’ conferences about the upcoming meeting.
The statements are still being analyzed, but will contribute to the instrumentum laboris (working document), which will highlight the major ideas to be discussed and will hopefully be published in several languages after Easter.
The Middle Eastern bishops’ conference statement, which mentioned the lack of religious freedom in their area, was especially surprising to him.
“That’s a big testimony that Jesus Christ is alive; he’s suffering even now.”
Because they are not permitted to partake in public missionary work, the bishops said they would use the liturgy, especially the celebration of the Mass, to evangelize.
In recent years, an increasing number of Christians have been persecuted, some even killed, for their faith, he said. “That must be a big lesson for us in the West ... that to be a Christian is not neutral.”
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Ill-informed Catholics are not limited to the laity, either. How about priests who have never heard of the Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance? Of course there are those in Catholic education who don’t know a great deal of the basics, either, though they might even have a degree in theology! There are so many in which CCD provided their only knowledge of the Faith, which means there are so many that don’t know their Faith.
If you talk about the sins that cry to heaven for vengeance, you’ll get in trouble with either the left (sodomy) or the right (withholding wages from your laborers).
You’ll be either a “homophobe” or a “class warrior”.
Catechesis absolutely collapsed after that wonderful council and we are reaping the rotten fruits.
The headline “Vatican official says there is a great need to Catechize Catholics” is stating the obvious. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
And Don, the “right” is somehow in favor of withholding wages from laborers? Please.
I know the Church takes its time with matters, but come on. We all know this already.
From the earliest days of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his ardent desire to re-Christianize the West. To this end, he recently unveiled a new Vatican agency, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization. Headed by Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the council is to present the Catholic faith anew to the world.
For many Christians the words ‘to Evangelise’ means “teach people about Jesus Christ as saviour.” This understanding is derived from the instructions issued by Jesus himself as contained in the Gospels. St. Luke (4:43) for example records Jesus saying: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose”. Jesus subsequently conferred the same mandate upon his apostles: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation” (Mark 16:15). Evangelization is not only the responsibility of the bishops and the clergy, but of “every disciple of Christ, according to his or her ability” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 17)
Jesus evangelized in more than word. He cured the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead, and gave hope to the poor, however conversion to a particular faith carrying his name is not mentioned anywhere in the four Gospels. Since Jesus was a Jew it would have been logical that he would have insisted that his listeners adopt his Jewish tradition. Not so. The conversion that Jesus spoke about, time and time again, was a conversion of the heart! Evangelization for Jesus meant adopting a new way of life. Jesus was talking about living a life with others where we would share kingdom values such as compassion, understanding, forgiveness, peace, acceptance, etc. This is how Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, and said that we are already in the kingdom if we live according to these values. Furthermore, Jesus promised that we will live more completely in the kingdom after our death.
Almost from the beginning religious institutions sought to modify Evangelization to include the conversion to their particular branch of faith. Evangelization as interpreted by the early church meant that the convert was required to not only adopt the particular dogma and doctrine of the institution but also accept its traditions even if it meant completely denouncing their own culture and customs. Religious history is filled with many records of forced conversions as well as the destruction of many indigenous cultures which occurred well into the twentieth century. The pages of history are filled with stories of much cruelty and suffering at the hands of many well meaning missionaries. Surely, this was hardly the message of salvation that Jesus came to bring.
So let us once again return to the original meaning the Jesus clearly intended. Christian evangelization has nothing to do with a particular dogma or doctrine, Catholics, or Protestants. It has even less to do with church membership, its liturgy, rubrics, vestments, candles, or a hierarchy. It has everything to do with imitating the life of Jesus Christ and sharing God’s kingdom values here on earth.
Evangelism should really be a two way street. We enter the other’s world because we really believe we are enriched by the interaction and our horizons will be enlarged. We celebrate good and beauty where ever we find it. Jesus often found faith outside his religious tribe (Israel, God’s people) and praised it (Matthew 8:10; 15:28 to name a few instances). Actually, when we read the Gospels we often find Jesus saddened by the lack of faith among his own people and followers.
We don’t bring God to the other, but find God in the other.- Richard Rohr
Of course blame the laity. The problem is that the governing class of the church has bungled the administration of the church so badly and in some cases criminally that they have no credibility left. We are losing Catholics by the millions. There is major shortage of priests and any warm body is made a pastor. They have completely ignored the Vatican II call for collegiality and subsidarity. They strike down any priest or bishop who dares stick his head up and try to lead. They are short of funds because of their poor management of the sex abuse crisis and church finances. If this were a public company the shareholders would fire the whole management team. They want to lead a team of tigers but all they have following them ia a bunch of sheep saying “yes bishop, yes your holiness, whatever you say father.”
Trebert,
Jesus did not write a book. He left a church, which decided the canon of scripture. Tradition is the guide used to interpret scripture.
Ignatius of Antioch
“Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop’s sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church
(Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).
This is an Apostolic father in the 1st century.
Jesus died for us that we may live united with Him for all eternity. We must pray for the conversion of our own hearts and for all the people of the world. We must bring Jesus’ hands, feet, and mouth to all our neighbors (and love our enemies) while we still have breath in our body.
@Jason… I would not be so quick to simply blame VaticanII for this problem of catechesis. There is abundant evidence both in professional catechetical research and in anecdotal evidence that the lack of Catechesis was beginning well before V2. I know many, many who were formed “Pre-V2” who do not really know their faith.
Concerning evangelization and catechetics(which flow from each other), there is a lot to be said from the offerings of V2 and the movements and documents (read Evangelium Nuntiandi, Catechesi Tradendae, or esepcailly the CCC itself) that have been born from the Council’s expressions.
I do not dismiss that the implementation of the Council by many in responsbility for catechesis and evangelization has been very poor in many respects, exacerbating the problems beginning to form before the Council, but I would argue that in some ways, an authentic understanding of the Council, particularly as articulated by the rightful teachers- namely those who were there and who had the charism of Peter (Paul VI, Blessed JP2, and our currently wonderful Benedict XVI) is geared precisely towards authentic and renewed evangelization and catechesis.
We are on a threshold of a great improvement in these areas and this is being reflected in the increase in vocations, and in the increase of qualified catechetical leaders coming from schools like Franciscan University of Steubenville, Benedictine, Christendom, Ave Maria, and others, who embrace passionately the postive contributions to the field offered by V2 and the subsequent documents on the subject.
Lots of work needs to be done but the workers are few.
Jason,
Yes indeed, the right does complain that proposing paying workers a living wage is “class warfare”.
In the fifties the average CEO was paid 85 times what his average employee made; these days it’s more like 425 times, and right wing commentators complain that it’s the workers who get paid too much.
Then they complain that the workers don’t pay enough taxes.
We are too quick to always give the clergy a free pass. I’ve heard too many apologies about how hard they work and how devoted they are. This is true of some priests, but my reality is that many are not passionate concerning catechization. Catholicism seems to have leaped to new heights with increasing beliefs to the point where even misinformation spread at the parish level by liberal feminist nuns becomes absorbed as true. You see the spillover into RCIA, RCIC programs and sadly into our parish school children. Our priests (and even bishops) have been absent in correcting and making distinctions between what is truly part of the faith versus unnecessary and not “official” teaching. It is no wonder regualr church-going Catholics are all over map. I’m sure we all know devoted priests we respect. It’s the majority who have failed to properly teach in the foosteps of St. Peter, St. Paul and the apostles. If Christ and His gospel is not central to what is being taught, no amount of sacred tradition and church legalism is going to usurp the gospel. It’s time to re-examine the focus and core beliefs of just what they are teaching in our seminaries because we are not being well served by this current generation of clergy.
I saw this pop up on my Facebook wall today and got very excited when I saw the title, because this is exactly what I have set out to do on my blog that I just started 7 weeks ago. I then proceeded to read the entire article and my excitement grew even more so. As one who has a great love for Jesus Christ and his Church, I found the need to use my knowledge in Theology (M.A. from Franciscan), my teaching abilities, and my writing skills to reach out to the Catholics of this world (maybe just the USA) and bring them the Catholic faith, especially those who never received it properly in the first place. The theme of my blog is “The Engagement and Education of the Catholic Lay Faithful in the New Evangelization.”
Then, I read each of the comments above and knew that the mission on my blog was needed. Please don’t think that I am judging any of you, but there were things said above, that well, made me upset. I don’t have the time or the energy to expound upon any of the statements above, except that the Church in her 2000 year history as been through rough times in the past, has battled through them, and will continue to grow and fight in the years to come. I think of the great saints who fought heresies, the turmoil inside the Church, and were even martyred - St. Athanasius, St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Thomas More.
As a Blessed JP II Generation Catholic, I have found great comfort in the Church, for I know, that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ upon Peter, the Universal Shepherd. If you attack the Bishops, and yes some of them have done things that were not good for their dioceses, you are attacking the Apostolic Office set up by Jesus Christ himself. Our Bishops and Priests did us more than ever now! In the Diocese of Austin alone, there are over 30 men studying for the diocesan priesthood. The workers are coming…we just have to be patient. Christ is with us!
Poor catechesis is the indirect fruit of Vatican II. Many teaching orders of nuns declined significantly after the Council, and with that we lost much of the parochial school system. Those of us who grew up during the 50’s and 60’s had nins who taught us well.
Fortunately, I think we are starting to see a resurgence in the traditional orders.
@Tom Perna: It’s a tired old excuse you give about “attacking the church.” Many would say we are holding the clergy accountable for dereliction of duty and failing to fulfill the great commission. Who said the church is immunue to being held responsible for poor performance? We can no longer be “herded” as in Catholic grammar school. You said: “The workers are coming.” That might be fine for you. There are many who don’t have time to be patient. Where is it written that laziness in ministry is allowed a free pass? One of the main problems with our Catholic church organization is that parishes cannot fire priests who do not serve us well. It’s time to replace clergy (and Bishops) who are simply “mailing it in.”
Joanne S.:
The poor catechesis that came after Vatican II came from priests and nuns who were educated before Vatican II. So how would continue letting the conditions which let them drift from the Church help anything?
Have you ever heard of the Institute of Catholic Culture? It’s an adult Catechetical organization based in Northern Virginia. Check it out! http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org
I think there should be more institutions like it around the Country, and the world for that matter. That would be a pro-active way to meet JPII’s challenge.
Since defining terms seems to be in vogue, I would like to determine exactly what we mean by “poorly catechised.” Does that refer to those insufficiently catechised or to those wrongly catechised, or does the term include both? I am not sure which is worse.
It is easy to point critical fingers at the Church, or priest, taking it out of context of the culture. The Church is made of people, who are affected by the attitudes they grew up with.
My grandmother was German, and in her country, one never spoke about religion to another if you wanted to be able to stay and provide for your family. My parents too grew up in a very different world. Media was so respectful of the dignity of man, you didn’t even see a person being hit by another e.g. fights only took place in saloons and the camera would be outside and you’d hear commotion and a chair or a person fly thru the door, and that was about it. Now every night on every channel for hours one can see gruesome murders and crime scenes. Married couples, like in I Love Lucy, didn’t even sleep in the same bed as to not bring lust (which is defined as wanting what is not yours) to those unmarried. Now there is obvious sex between “consenting adults (unmarried, same sex, etc) even during “family hour” times of prime tv….Growing up for them there wasn’t as much of a bombardment of sin and moral decay to combat as we have now. They had the attitude that the teaching of morality was the responsibility of priests and religious. Vatican 2 opened up the doors, and put the responsibility of evangelizing on us all. We are in a spiritual battle, and we all need to fight evil and the culture of darkness. It takes time for attitudes to change.
Our parish has just rolled out a plan for our parish to be in service of the New Evangelization. We established 6 areas for people to volunteer their time and talents: Prayer & Intercession, Pre-Evangelization, Encountering Jesus Christ, Foundations of the Faith, Fellowship & Outreach, Equipped to Proclaim. Check it out as a model for ideas to use at your parish.
http://www.sttimothymesa.org
God bless!
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