…Benedict’s outreach to Lefebvrites and dissident Anglicans forms part of a trend I’ve described as “evangelical Catholicism.” One cornerstone is to reassert markers of Catholic distinctiveness — such as Mass in Latin, and traditional moral teaching — as a means of ensuring that the church is not assimilated to secularism. At the policy-setting level of the church today, this defense of Catholic identity is job number one.
Historically, “evangelical Catholicism” is a creative impulse rather than something purely defensive, with roots in the papacy of Leo XIII in the late 19th century and his effort to bring a renewed Catholic tradition to bear on social and political life. Nevertheless, fear that secularism may erode the faith from within is also a powerful current propelling evangelical Catholicism forward.
To over-simplify a bit, Benedict XVI is opening the door to the Lefebvrites and to traditionalist Anglicans in part because whatever else they may be, they are among the Christians least prone to end up, in the memorable phrase of Jacques Maritain, “kneeling before the world,” meaning sold out to secularism.
I loved the conclusion to the first part of the article: “It’s not paranoia, in other words, if they really are out to get you.”
Yes, that does apply to the Global North, particularly in Canada and Europe, but even in America.
But I was also glad for John Allen’s global perspective that secularism wasn’t much of a problem elsewhere (an exception would be Japan, which is probably even more secularized than Europe, but there are very few Christians there, less than 1% of the national population). However, it’s also true that European trends do tend to gradually infiltrate other parts of the world over time, from the top down.
David Handy+
I have to admit that recently I have come across a few NCR articles which are worth reading. This one betrays its left leanings in several places, but does a decent job in educating its readers on the various strains of Catholicism and the secular elements which are at play–which I do appreciate.
I can prove none of this, but I have suspected that the pope’s strategy is to reunite enough of the elements of the remaining Christendom under one roof so that they can support one another in this age of growing secularism. I have no doubt that the Catholic Church will survive. Part of this certainty is admittedly born of my faith in the promise to Peter in Matt 16:18. But, it does appear that the most vital communities of faith in Europe today are Catholic. Not organized by parish, but by movements, Catholicism is truly vibrant in growing pockets throughout Western Europe through lay movements like Focolare, San Egidio, Communion and Liberation, the Jerusalem movement in Paris, and many others. Still a small minority, there are powerful witnesses to Christ in many places.
The liberal Protestant churches, however, are dwindling in Europe even faster than in the US.
Thus, it appears that Benedict is really encouraging all the particular species of European Christianity which have a chance at surviving. The lay movements make regular pilgrimages to Rome and get plenty of papal attention. The Traditionalists, the Orthodox, and now the Anglo Catholics are all beneficiaries of the popes solicitousness. To my mind, the pope is clearly regathering the Church for perhaps its most important moment when it will have to confront in vigorous and ultimate way the twin and related evils of our time: secularism and the sexual revolution. There are signs aplenty that this is the plan. Ut unum sint. E Viva il papa!
Fr J: “The liberal Protestant churches, however, are dwindling in Europe even faster than in the US.”
The Roman Catholic Church is the fastest-disappearing church in Europe at the moment. One grows weary of the endless “liberal denominations die, conservative ones prosper” chant: there is no evidence in support of it in Europe, where the RC Church is both just about the most conservative and the most dramatically-declining. People who spend any time in traditionally Roman Catholic parts of Europe can easily attest to this first-hand.