Catholic World News News Feature

Dutch cardinal sees a "pagan" country June 02, 2005

A Dutch cardinal described his country as "totally pagan" in an interview with the Malta Times.

Cardinal Johannes Simonis, who was in Malta for a convention of European carnival cities, told the Times, "I find our country pagan." On issues such as euthanasia and same-sex marriage, he added, "Tolerance has reached the point of indifference."

In a lengthy interview, Cardinal Simonis said that the challenge facing the Church in the Netherlands is to convince young people "not to be content with the superficiality of the modern world."

Questioned on whether the Church would need to adapt in order to reach young people, the cardinal replied that the Church might change evangelical approaches, but not established teachings. He observed that "there are certain topics within the Church that are non-negotiable." He listed euthanasia, contraception, and homosexuality as controversial issues on which the Church cannot and will not change its public stance. Cardinal Simonis explained: "The doctrine of the Church is true when it comes to those things."