I wish I had daily access to a sanctuary such as Notre Dame or, more specially for me, Chartres Cathedral, to seek the peace of Christ and the Salvation which comes only through Him.
Man is fallen and Jesus the Christ is our only Salvation. This “priest” has lost his way—as have many.
While I differ on Castelli’s views on drawing younger people perhaps, I do think his use of the Notre Dame fire is fitting for the state of some churches. Notre Dame was primarily a museum, a tourist attraction. That is not what “church” is about.
I thought the second to the last sentence was also an interesting statement, and points to what some churches are like, and why some churches are dying:
“Ezzati was replaced by Bishop Celestino Aós who, last month, refused Holy Communion to worshippers because they knelt to receive the sacrament.”
I’m not Catholic - but I thought Catholics DID kneel? Regardless - that sort of attitude by a church leader imho is ALSO what church is not about. Kneeling, standing - whatever.
Pope Marx is a pox that needs to be excised.
What kind of apology is that?
I'm getting sick of the non-apology apologies.
*I'm sorry you didn't like what I said*, is NOT apologizing!!!
He sounds like another Communist in a cassock because he is talking materialism.
The church is in retreat because it has fallen to materialism and the feel good philosophy of the 1960s instead of preparing the people of the Church for eternity.
He talks about “a heroism that accepts their own and others' vulnerability; they are more open to accepting diversity in every sense” and what he means is surrendering to the desires of the flesh (specifically of accepting homosexuality). When he should be speaking of conquering the desires of the flesh.
He then talks about “they value the autonomy of the subject very much” when he should be teaching that we must surrender to God’s will and in doing so conquer our fears and gain eternal life.
So the answer is Socialism?. I may agree that a prophetic question may be taken from the burning of Notre Dame I do not agree with his solution. God is alive. Seek to follow Him
Interesting article... not because of its content, but because of its impact.
Will this be labeled as an “anti-Catholic thread” and thereby, rightfully, get pulled by the owner?
Right or wrong, is a “Priest” qualified to complain about his “Church”?
Should anyone read about it and be informed?
Unless they’re able to get ride of that Socialist Pope and replace him with Cardinal Sarah, he won’t have to wait very long, probably just a few years.
The early church had no grand edifices. Believers met in homes and private remote outdoor spaces. For nearly 300 years, many Christians persecuted by Rome met in the catacombs. Again, they did not need all the trappings of a medieval or modern church building. Their faith was not in the beauty or craftsmanship of a building. Their faith was in the living God, the Word shared among them and the Holy Spirit who lived in them. The CHURCH was them!
Now is this to say there is no place for a cathedral or modern church building. Absolutely not! Cathedrals (old and new) and modern church buildings allow a large group of Believers to gather in one place. Art work of various kinds can transmit the gospel. I think of the Stations of the Cross we see in Catholic churches. They communicate the story of Christ's passion.
I know my Catholic and Orthodox friends will disagree but if we venerate art work, buildings and relics and fail to understand that the church is the body of Believers - we are missing it. The church is Christ in us. If we've elevated 'things' to be our 'church', again we are missing it!
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. " - 1 Peter 2:5
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,” - Acts 2: 46
Jesus Christ is the most radically different figure who ever walked on earth. He challenged everyone to depart from the secular way of thinking. Nothing has changed. This priest adopts secular absorption rather than radical transformation.
Why is everything taken as a symbol, and not just what it is?
...”but it can represent a type of Church that must finally die: that which is like a museum, insignificant in one’s life, that cares for the institution and whose norms distance it from God.”
+1 spot on
In the good ‘ol days guys like this were burned at the stake. Now they’re given headlines and fame.
““There is widespread disenchantment with institutions and collective organizations,” he said. “
Agreed.
But that is as descriptive of what is taking place as saying “there is widespread disenchantment with the town and those who run it”. It tells you NOTHING about anything that identifies exactly what regarding the town and its administrators - or their actions - that has made anyone disenchanted. It’s no better than saying “there is a problem” and with no idea of the nature of the problem. But understand and have observed for a long time that Roman Catholic priests have been trained in an intellectual tradition that likes to speak in euphemisms. Saying something without really saying anything.
“In the first place, there is a growing gap between people’s lives and Catholic doctrine, especially in the area of sexual morality. It no longer seems that there exists a way to humanize this area of life.”
My sense is that his sense of the church’s failure is that the church has been unwilling to just go along with a social change its teachings reject, and he does not see the church’s failure as a failure to sustain its teachings among the people, that other forces that reject the church’s teachings have torn many people away from the church. He seems to believe the church should bend more than it should stand up for itself.
Homosexuality has destroyed Christianity and this Pope is an agent of Satan.
Uh, because we're not supposed to "humanize" fleshly desires, but instead focus on God's Word and His design for society and for marriage. Which is to be between one man and one woman.
Keep in mind that the SJ following his name represents the fact that he is a Jesuit. That explains alot. A lot of Jesuits have left reality.
It’s important to avoid defeatist language. Satan is the source of hopelessness and fatalism, not God.