Posted on 06/13/2005 11:25:59 AM PDT by NYer
Paris - Pope John Paul II didn’t like the proposed European Constitution because it short-changed Europe’s Christian origins.
But that wasn’t the reason French citizens rejected it in a May 29 referendum. They’ve left their Catholic faith far behind.
This nation that produced towering saints like the Curé of Ars and St. Thérèse of Lisieux has lost many of her faithful over the past few decades.
French men and women who call themselves “Catholic” constitute about 70% of the population. Only 8% to 10% of the Catholic population goes to Sunday Mass, compared to 40% to 45% in the 1960s.
But the situation is far from hopeless, given that the 10% of French Catholics that do practice numbers 6 million persons.
“They represent the practicing Catholics who are truly faithful, who transmit their faith to their children. This is a reason for hope which is very important,” said Caroline Bouan, a journalist with Famille Chrétienne (The Christian Family) magazine. “These Catholics are very attached to their faith. They know why they are practicing their faith. They try to fill their shortcomings through catechism, prayer, etc. These lay people are more involved in their parishes and in Catholic movements throughout the Church.”
This new “minority” lives in a difficult environment. This year marks the centenary of the formal separation of Church and state in France — a separation often referred to as “laicism,” whereby religion is something strictly personal. The state avoids anything to do with religion.
To put things in perspective, when Pope John Paul II died, the U.S. government ordered flags to be flown at half-mast for seven days. In France, flags were flown at half- mast for only one day.
And even that one day sparked protests. “This created a big scandal,” said Miriam Bellecca, an American living in Paris. ”Left-wing politicians went on the news saying that there was no excuse for such an action.”
“It was a huge controversy,” confirmed Antoine-Marie Izoard, Vatican correspondent for I. Media, a Catholic French press agency. “If you look at the condolence letter which President [Jacques] Chirac sent, he wrote that ‘for those who believe in God’ the loss of Pope John Paul II was great. Chirac’s personal position, as one who doesn’t believe, was very clear. It reflects this way of seeing the Church as something bad.”
Bellecca recalled an incident where her brother-in-law wore a wooden cross in school. His teacher lifted him up by his shirt collar and warned him to never wear it again.
“I’m not sure this is anti-Catholicism per se,” Bellecca said, “or just an absurd attachment to the fact that France is ‘laicist.’ The French just want to keep religion out of the public sphere and would go equally crazy to see a boy wearing a [yarmulke] or a girl with a headscarf.
“In France, the emphasis is on being equal and not different. They say diversity only leads to ghettos and discrimination,” added Bellecca.
Internal Church problems are also significant, especially the dearth of vocations. There were approximately 34,000 priests 20 years ago. Today there are 17,000. There are only a couple of hundred ordinations per year.
“One really begins to feel this decrease strongly, especially in the countryside, where what has happened is that one priest is in charge of 10, 15, 20 parishes, or more sometimes,” said Bouan. “This has obliged the dioceses to remove or regroup a great number of parishes which are now called ‘sectors.’”
In some places, people must now travel great distances to go to Mass. This means many stop going altogether. Though young priests tend to be very dynamic, their numbers are low.
The Church in France has been criticized by some for not having reacted strongly enough in the face of all its problems. Some say that its pastoral approaches were poor in the past.
“The problem with the French Church has been her discretion,” said Izoard. “She hides herself too much.”
If the problems of the Church in France are disheartening, there are many signs that give hope.
Pope John Paul II did much to change the image. In 1997, he went to Paris for a World Youth Day. More than a million youths showed up — against everyone’s expectations.
John Paul’s recent death affected the French people deeply.
“It was like a tsunami, a big, mediatic wave. People were so, so upset,” said Sophie Ravinel, editor for religious affairs at Le Figaro. “Even for people who don’t like the Church as an institution, the death of Pope John Paul II provoked many questions.”
New movements are another one of the positive signs.
These ecclesial movements, such as Emmanuel, Les Beatitudes, the Communities of St. Martin, Petit Gris, and St. John, began sprouting up about 30 years ago to help Catholics deepen their spiritual lives and experience a real sense of community. Many youths go on one-year mission trips organized by the groups, which have been instrumental in inspiring many vocations.
The huge influx of Muslims into France has also, paradoxically, helped the Church defend itself and promote Church teachings. As Muslims fight for greater rights and recognition within secularized France, the Church can also raise its voice on issues of religious freedom, and in cultural and social debates where the two faiths share common understandings.
The idea that French religious leaders should be able to participate freely in public life without facing criticism and ridicule is gaining increased acceptance. On April 20, shortly after Pope Benedict XVI was elected, a satirical program on French TV showed a puppet of the Holy Father with the words “Adolf II” written at the bottom of the screen. He apparently blessed himself in the name of the Father, Son and Third Reich.
“It was very bad,” said Izoard. “The Catholic bishops got very mad, as well as the Jewish community in France. The channel had to publicly apologize.”
The nation’s Jewish organizations said that the program had made a travesty of all the values that Pope Benedict stood for.
“Remember that the story of France is a story of saints,” said Izoard. “We have a very rich heritage, and we even had some popes. The good news is that today we have a new generation of priests who are less afraid. Today, Catholics are courageous. They are very dedicated. They are of quality.”
I believe this is what B16 was referring to recently when he commented that the Church must shrink before it grows. Small pockets of very devout catholics will sustain the faith and nurture future generations.
The other big thing is the peer pressuse of the dominant cultural Marxism. If people would just stand up to this in solidarity, it would wilt, as it did in Poland.
But the big dichotomy is that people all over the world respond extremely positively to the "Big Church" when the Pope shows up or gives a speech. That is obvious whenever the Pope goes somewhere, even in Europe, it's like a madhouse with so many people - and especially the young. But they don't respond well to mundane small church matter, like going to the local mass. That's where the key lies and is what Benedict must address. How to get people as enthusiastic about their local parishes as they are for the Pope.
I understand the sentiment about the Church having to shrink and then regrow. That may be overplaying the pessimism. If it does shrink, I don't think it will be by very much nor for very long. Most people are just too preoccupied with their jobs and easily distracted by popular culture. They aren't overtly leaving the Church. They just never get around to going. The local priests need to find a way to get them out of this funk. I'm not sure how they would do this.
There was an great enthusiam for the Latin Gregorian Chnat during the Funeral of Pope John Paul II. A return to the Latin Tridentine Mass and the Cathechism of Trent is the key to setting things right within the Church and in the return of the people.
I would think since the SSPX started in France it would have a fairly large following.
In ancient times, primitive Frenchmen surrendered to thunderstorms.
LOL. A French joke is always relevent to any thread on France.
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