c. 1998 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY _ The Roman Catholic Church, calling the shortage of clergy in Western Europe a”crisis,”has acknowledged failing to grapple with the growing resistance to religious service among young people.”All of us, in different ways, must admit to not having fully responded to this call,”said Cardinal Pio Laghi, head of the pontifical Congregation for Catholic Education.”We shall come through the vocations crisis only if this process of conversion is sincere and gives fruits of newness of life.” But absent from the church’s most comprehensive evaluation of the problem, contained in a 112-page text released Tuesday (Jan. 27), is any mention of the most frequently cited reasons given by Europeans for their apathy and withdrawal from the pews _ widespread sexual misconduct among clergy and the refusal of the church to address modern-day concerns.”There is the whole question of faith we need to address _ disagreement on divorce, and the like,”said Jim Cantwell, spokesman for the Irish Bishops’ Conference.
The problem is particularly acute in Ireland, where many Catholics feel betrayed by sexual scandals involving priests forced to confess their sins. In the archdiocese of Dublin this year, only two new priestly ordinations are expected.
Catholics in nearly every European country have petitioned the church to permit women into the priesthood, drop the celibacy requirement for priests and reverse the ban on birth control.
Some countries have sought greater liberties for homosexuals and more autonomy for their churches in response to the appointment of conservative bishops to their dioceses by Pope John Paul II.
Church attendance in Western Europe has declined steadily in the past decade. In some countries, like Austria, Germany and France, it has fallen by nearly 50 percent since 1990, church authorities say.
The number of priests in Europe has dropped from 251,033 in 1978 to 217,275 in 1995, according to church figures. During the same period, the number of women religious has fallen more sharply, from 546,029 to 406,065.
Eastern Europe has seen a resurgence in religious practice since the fall of communism, in countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. Priestly vocations in those countries have risen 20 to 50 percent. But the figures can be misleading because communist-era governments repressed church activity.
The Vatican study on priestly vocations, called”New Vocations for a New Europe,”was culled from a six-day congress the Vatican hosted last May, involving 253 delegates from 37 countries.
The delegates _ educators, laymen, priests and other clergy members _ said the church needs to revitalize vocational interest in Europe through improved education in the schools and more frequent contacts with the young.”Vocations promotion is done only through direct contact,”the final report said.”It is important to spend time with young people, to walk on their level where they find themselves, to listen to them and answer the questions that arise in the encounter.”Today, more than before, the educational system is weak, both within and (outside) the church. We have to sow everywhere, in the heart of everyone, without preference or exception.” But the report fails to recognize what Catholics in Europe have been saying for years _ the church is not willing to respond to change. Rather, the report traces the problems of declining vocations to the”all too worldly and me-centered interpretation of life.””Many young people do not possess the `elementary grammar’ of existence. They are nomads. They move around without stopping either at the geographical, affective, cultural or religious level; they are `trying out.'” It adds:”In the midst of such a great quantity and diversity of information, but with so little formation, they appear lost, with few points of reference.” But even Catholic men and women who are seeking to increase vocations within the church criticize authorities for failing to reach young people through the mass media, where today’s youth increasingly”find themselves.””So often I think there is a paranoia or a fear within the church about the media,”said Blaise Davis, a former Benedictine monk who runs a media consulting company called Purple Media near London.
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Davis recently made a 56-minute video chronicling the work of seven priests. Based on the seven Sacraments, or rites of the church, the film, called”Living Witness,”depicts local priests working with the homeless, prisoners and troubled youth, among others.
He said the video is being distributed to Catholic secondary schools and independent schools in an attempt to connect with youngsters on the real world of clergy life, something the church has only begun doing.
Davis said he approached the church to make the video, and came to Rome last May during the congress to present his ideas. He said he found a”receptive audience”for the video but recognized a general lack of understanding among religious leaders of the new and emerging means of communication.”For my part, it’s trying to bring the church into realizing the huge potential there,”he said.
Thus far, Davis said, the video has been”greatly received”in Britain.
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