the shape of the Church to come

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 28, 2010

Take a moment, if you would, to look back at the top CWN headline stories from the past two days:

Monday: Pope to establish new Council for New Evangelization?   

Tuesday: Africa's Catholic population soaring since 2000

In 1622 (the same year that Paris was elevated to the status of an archdiocese, just to give some historical perspective) the Propagande Fide office was established at the Vatican. Today generally known as the Congregation for Evangelization, this office is responsible for supervising the spread of the Gospel in mission territories, such as Africa.

Now Pope Benedict has reportedly decided that a new office is needed, to coordinate the re-introduction of the Gospel into secularized societies in Western Europe and North America. Meanwhile in countries that we have traditionally classified as "mission territories," most notably in Africa, the Church is growing at a dizzying pace.

So where are missionaries really needed most urgently today: In Africa or in Europe? In Africa or in North America?

Since the turn of the 21st century the Catholic population of Africa has grown by 33%. Has your diocese, or your parish, grown by one-third over that same span? Mine certainly hasn't.

Well, why not? Is it because the Church in Africa has more financial resources? No. More access to the means of modern communication? No. More political influence? More parochial schools? More Catholic colleges? More historical identification with the culture? No, No, No, and No. We're the Catholics with all the obvious material advantages. They're the ones who are getting results.

Maybe it's an oversimplification, but I think the main reason for the African success, and the European/American slump, is a question of attitude. African Catholics expect the Church to grow, whereas European and American Catholics are just hoping to hold on to territories that were won for the faith long ago.

But that defensive approach won't-- can't-- succeed. In the field of evangelization, as in the individual's spiritual life, you can't idle in neutral. If you're not moving forward, you'll surely move backward. And once the societal momentum shifts, once the trend toward secularization really takes hold, that principle becomes even more evident. If you're in a stream with a fast-moving current, you can't just tread water and hope to stay in the same place; you have to swim against the stream, just to hold your ground.

Swimming against the stream: If it's true that the Pope plans to launch a Congregation for the New Evangelization, that might serve as its mission statement.