The New Evangelisation and the Scandal in the Church

by Sue Rakoczy · May 21, 2010

It was recently announced that the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization will be launched by Pope Benedict. The focus of this new Council will be the re-evangelization of Europe and North America where church attendance, especially in Europe, has fallen dramatically. The new evangelisation was a favoured focus of Pope John Paul II and Benedict is following suit.

I wonder if the Pope has reflected on the irony of launching this Council when the Church is in the midst of the huge and growing sexual abuse scandal which has now touched the Vatican. Recently a friend mentioned to me that he had read that 6 million German Catholics plan to leave the Church.

Proclamation of the Gospel is always necessary. But how is this to be done? As much of the West has lost interest in traditional Christianity, what approaches does the Pope think will touch the minds and hearts of the diverse cultures of the West?

While formal religion has lost ground, many people have a great hunger for spirituality and nourishment of the soul. This is evident in many ways. For example, if Archbishop Rino Risichelli, named the head of the Council, visited the Taize community in France and talked to young people who flock there in huge numbers, he might learn why the churches of Europe are often empty. The institutional church does not know how to respond to these deep hungers. As many persons have told me when they learn of the very rich Christian mystical tradition, Why aren’t we told about this? I answer, I doubt that many priests (bishops?) even know about it.

So when the Gospel touches the hearts of people in the West, what will they do? What can they do? While each person makes a personal commitment to Christ, the faith is lived out also in community. Parishes are not often vibrant faith communities, so where will these people find nourishment for their faith? And will people want to be part of a scandal-ridden Church?

Perhaps the answer is small house churches as in the early church, with no ties to an institutional body.After all, that is what happened after Pentecost. The institutional church followed later, with all the problems we know so well from church history and which continue today.