Posted on 06/01/2005 6:29:39 AM PDT by murphE
Editor's Note: Statements by Pope Benedict XVI and the appointment of San Francisco Archbishop William Levada signal a Holy See ready to counteract the expansion of evangelical groups worldwide.
SAN FRANCISCO--On the day before the conclave to choose a new pope began, future pontiff Joseph Ratzinger led a liturgy that reassured the church's believers that the Holy See was not giving up on them and was prepared to fight for the salvation of their souls. He surely meant to allude to the fight against moral relativism, but he also had his sights set on evangelicalism.
Indeed, during the first mass held by Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, he strongly implied that the Catholic church is the rightful House of Christ, and said that his first commitment was toward "the full and visible unity of Christ's followers."
Today, to regain ground in the first world and continue to expand in the Third World, the Roman Catholic Church, more than fighting secularism, must counteract the expansion of evangelical groups. It is a silent clash that could be compared to the protracted, mostly slow-burning feud between capitalism and communism during the Cold War.
According to some researchers, evangelical Christianity is expanding three times faster than the world population and is the only existing religious group showing a significant growth through conversion. By contrast, the Roman Catholic Church is expanding at a slower pace than the population, which will mean an overall decrease in the number of Catholics worldwide.
In addition, the dissolution of the Berlin Wall not only reinvigorated the Orthodox church, but also saw huge numbers of believers from the former Socialist bloc -- where the church had been persecuted -- move into evangelical groups.
There are currently more evangelicals in Asia than in North America. Singapore's churches are among the most active in the world, sending one missionary abroad per every 1,000 members. Seven of the world's 10 largest evangelical churches can be found in Seoul alone, a city in which 110 years ago there was none.
In Latin America, a mostly Catholic region for the past 500 years, the number of evangelicals has grown from under 250,000 in 1900 to over 60 million in 2000. Critics of the Vatican say the vacuum left by Pope John Paul II's disavowal of the "basic Christian communities" movement has been filled by the evangelicals.
In 1960, the number of evangelicals living in the developing countries were one-half of those in the West; in the year 2000 they were four times more and in 2010 they will be seven times as numerous.
In America, where even Protestant groups have lost 5.4 million members over the last decade, evangelicals have enjoyed a growth rate of 40 percent. They have become the largest religious force in the United States, with 26 percent of all believers -- and they wield undeniable political clout.
"The current pope is a renovator. But there cannot be renovation without tradition," says Father Joseph Fazio, founder of St. Ignatius Press and Chancellor of Ave Maria University in Florida. "I don't have any doubt that he'll realize the full spirit of Vatican II, of unifying all of Christ's believers under the benevolent care of the Holy See.
"He has already laid the doctrinal ground for the renaissance of the church -- he did it when he was at the helm of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Under Benedict XVI the world will know that the Roman Catholic Church has Christ's message at its core and follows his teachings closely," adds Fr. Fazio.
The battle for the soul of believers in developed countries, particularly the United States, is also critical -- most of the funds used by alternative evangelical churches to send missionaries and proselytize in the poorer countries come from there.
The appointment of San Francisco Archbishop William Levada to the previous position held by Pope Benedict XVI himself can be better appreciated in this light.
Levada's appointment sends the message that the church entrusts its doctrines to a prelate who had led a diocese in America's most secular humanist and morally relativistic city. Levada has dealt firsthand with the legacies of free love, feminism, the gay movement and the evangelical juggernaut.
"Benedict XVI has chosen Levada specifically because he knows how to face these challenges," says Father Labib Kobti, pastor at St. Thomas More in San Francisco and U.S. Representative for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
"When Levada expressed his surprise at his appointment, the Pope responded that he was in fact the right man for the task because he came from a world where evangelical groups were a challenge, where the message of Christ was being distorted, and that he had provided a compassionate but firm rebuttal to the many assaults that the church of San Francisco had faced during his years as head of the diocese."
Under Levada's almost decade-long tenure, San Francisco's Catholic church regained a religious presence that had been faltered under the more politically adaptable administration of Archbishop John Quinn.
Father Kobti, however, dismisses suggestions that the Vatican is more than alarmed at the growing influence of evangelicalism. "In the past the church has been given for dead more than once," he says. "Take for example the rise of the Baptists and of the Lutherans."
In addition, the dissolution of the Berlin Wall not only reinvigorated the Orthodox church, but also saw huge numbers of believers from the former Socialist bloc -- where the church had been persecuted -- move into evangelical groups.
Frankly, I don't see what evidence there is to support this opinion.
ping
Evangelization bump.
**I don't see what evidence there is to support this opinion. **
Many parishes now have Evaangelization Committees as part of their parish structure now. The purpose of them is to encourage all to do three things:
1. First evangelize themselves -- learn about their faith so that they can talk about it: apologetics, Bible study, other studies, speakers, etc.
2. Reach out to your inner circle -- family, friends, relatives and be willing to answer questions about the Catholic faith.
3. Reach out to evangelize your acquaintances, co-workers, the larger community.
This is a slow process, but it is starting. Maybe others have experiences they can share.
I would venture to say that most parishes are in the first phase in working with members to learn about the Catholic Faith.
Me either.
"When Levada expressed his surprise at his appointment, the Pope responded that he was in fact the right man for the task because he came from a world where evangelical groups were a challenge, where the message of Christ was being distorted, and that he had provided a compassionate but firm rebuttal to the many assaults that the church of San Francisco had faced during his years as head of the diocese."
"Catholic unity" is a lot like "Democrat bipartisanship." "I'm right, you're wrong and you have to give in to me!!!!!"
That's right! That's a large part of the problem in many parts of the world with the Catholic Church, particularly in Latin America and the Western world. The leaders there are too busy with liberation theology, experimenting with the liturgy, and thwarting dogma to notice why their congregations are leaving for the Penecostal and evangelical churches.
Funny, I thought that was the attitude of many in the "reformed" Churches as well. "Rome is wrong, we're right, you can only be saved with us!"
I agree with this. Pentecostals and Evangelicals (the fastest growing Christian groups in the world) have essentially NO problems with liberalism or political correctness.
They do have a problem with egalitarianism though, woman ministers being one example.
Not to mention the Catholic Church's stand against the death penalty which is TOTALLY against the Bible. Numerous passages specify death for criminal acts.
Well, the law of non contradiction says; according to Aristotle, "One cannot say of something that it is and that it is not in the same respect and at the same time."
So, either the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ or it isn't. On points of opposing doctrine, one is right and one is wrong. Two statements that contradict each other cannot both be true at the same time. That's just the way it is.
The stand of the current Catholic bishops may be against the death penalty, but this is one issue where faithful Catholics can disagree (unlike abortion and homosexuality). The current compilation of Catholic teaching, called the Catechism, states that "[a]ssuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor."
You will NEVER hear that in the MY Assembly of God. My pastor often says that the last thing he would want to be guilty of is denigrating anything God is doing through another Church.
We are "Bible-based" and clearly don't accept things that can't be reconciled with the Bible, but we would never say we are right and others are wrong. The Bible is right. We simply do our best, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to understand and accept its teaching.
e·gal·i·tar·i·an ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-gl-târ-n) adj. Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.
Guilty...
My wife WAS Catholic. Her parish with about 5000 families and several jam packed Masses every Sunday had a single adult "Sunday School" class with about 15 regular attenders.....
More adults sat in their cars in the parking lot waiting on their kids in CCD than attended the class.....
Your information is in error here. Where are you getting it anyway. In some Catholic-bashing material?
We are changing.
BTW, your wife is always welcome back. Many Catholicis are coming back to the one, holy, apostolic and catholic church. Especially with the new Pope!
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