5-22-07
Greetings!
Two weeks ago, 18 "Catholic" democrats in the US Congress released a statement condemning Pope Benedict. They were reacting to his critical comments on Mexican "Catholic" politicians voting for abortion. They complained that the pope's comments were "un-American" and "unconstitutional". One commentator put it best:
What is really funny, these Democrats are complaining that the ROMAN Pontiff addressing BRAZILIANS about MEXICAN POLITICIANS is un-American and not Constitutional...
Perhaps these politicians are just trying to score points with their constituency, but their complaint really makes no sense. The Pope was addressing his own flock—and stating correctly, that holding certain positions, by their very nature, remove you from that fold. It's no different then say, a member of the local "Lions Club" who rejected what the Lions stood for, and publicly stated so. How long would that person be welcome in the group? No one is forcing these politicians to claim to be Catholic. But if they are going to voluntarily do so, shouldn't they be honest enough to act the part?
The actual statement put out by these 18 politicians can be found here: http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2007/May/Cath_Members_Pope_05_14_07.html
Phil's Tidbits:
My wife came across these 2 items. " Vatican: The Board Game" and "The Vatican Timeline" Both sell for $25 and look to be quality resources for teaching the faith…and enjoying the process. Below are the links to each of them.
Vatican: The Board Game
http://www.vaticanboardgame.com/COD/index.php?id=1294
Now available: The Vatican Timeline:
http://www.vaticanboardgame.com/COD/index.php?id=1693
These are some fascinating, and unnerving statistics on religious literacy in the United Kingdom…and it's not a pretty picture. I recall one bishop in Wisconsin commenting that we are now on our 3rd Generation of poorly formed Catholics. And as I tell our Baptism parent class, "if Mom and Dad don't get it----the children certainly won't."
Religious Illiteracy
Ignorance a Growing Problem
ROME, APRIL 23, 2007 (
Zenit.org).- Religious ignorance, even of the most basic concepts, is on the rise according to some recent studies. In Ireland, once renowned for its Catholicity, a poll revealed that 95% of adolescents could not name the First Commandment.
The poll was carried out on a nationally representative sample of 950 people, by Lansdowne Market Research, for the Iona Institute and the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland. Information on the poll was released by the Iona Institute on April 9.
The results showed that knowledge of Christianity is highest among those over 65 and lowest among those in the 15-24 age group. For example, 77% of the over-65 group could name the authors of the four Gospels, but only 52% of those 15-24 could.
When it came to naming the three persons of the Holy Trinity, 76% of those over 65 got it right, but this dropped to 47% among those aged 15 to 24. Asked how many sacraments there are in the Catholic Church, 63% of the over-65 group correctly answered 7, but only 38% of the 15- to 24-year-olds got it right.
The report is based on a representative poll of 7,000 adults. In general the report found a split between personal belief and involvement in a church. Many Britons declare themselves Christians, and high percentages of people say they pray with some degree of regularity. Yet, this does not translate into a regular religious practice in terms of participating in a church.
Among the highlights are the following points.
-- Christianity is the predominant faith in the United Kingdom with 53% of adults claiming to be Christian. Other faiths account for 6%, and 39% claim to have no religion.
-- Figures for those who actively practice are lower, with 7.6 million, 15% of the adult population, attending church monthly. This includes 4.9 million who go weekly. If what the report terms "fringe and occasional churchgoers" -- 5 million adults -- are added, then 26% of adults in the
United Kingdom go to church at least once a year.
-- On a regional level, among those who attend on at least a monthly basis Northern Ireland had the highest level of regular churchgoers, at 45% of adults. Then there is a big drop to the next-highest,
Scotland, coming in at 18%. England follows, with 14% and Wales is last, with 12%.
-- In England, the city of London stands out, with 20% of the adult population being regular churchgoers.
-- Two-thirds of adults in the United Kingdom,
32.2 million people, have no connection with church at present, or with another religion. This group is evenly divided between those who have been in the past but have since left -- 16 million -- and those who have never been in their lives --
16.2 million.
"This secular majority presents a major challenge to churches," the report comments. Of this group the study found that the great majority, 29.3 million, "are unreceptive and closed to attending church; churchgoing is simply not on their agenda."
This challenge is also set to increase over time. Older people are more likely to belong to the Christian faith. Three-fourths of those 65-74, and 82% of those over 75 are Christians, compared with an average 53%. Only one-third of those 16-34 are Christian, and for those aged under 45 the nonreligious outnumber Christians. Regular churchgoing plummets to only 10% of those 16-24.
The report did, however, reveal that there are opportunities for the churches, if only they can work out how to reach those who are open to participating. Based on the poll results, among adults who have no experience of church attendance, there are 600,000 who are open to going in future. While of the group who have left a church there is a sizable number,
2.3 million, who are also prepared to return in the future.
You might be a hardcore Catholic if….
-your mom always says "4 kids, Catholic"
-you have participated in sword fights using Palms on Passion Sunday
-you and friend friends ever played "Mass" instead of House, or Cops and Bad Guys
-You have your own designated seat at Mass
-they know you at every Catholic bookstore in the area, and ask you where you've been if you haven't stopped by in a while.
-on the night before the first Sunday of Advent you and your friends have a Liturgical New Year's Eve party, and count down to the new Liturgical Year!!
-you're named after a saint, not a family member.
-you know at least three awesome stories about Padre Pio
-you get excited about going to mass
-you arrive at Mass half an hour early to get a good seat and talk to Jesus
-Redemptive Suffering gets you through sports
Note: The next edition of "The Areopagus" will come out June 12th.
God bless you! Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter's, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
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