Catholic illiteracy harms Church’s mission

by Editor · September 7, 2011

Addressing former students, now leaders in theology and philosophy in their own right, Pope Benedict observed that cradle Catholics have largely failed in their Christian mission to evangelise.

�We, who have been able to know [Christ] since our youth, may we ask forgiveness because we bring so little of the light of his face to people; so little certainty comes from us that he exists, he�s present and he is the greatness that everyone is waiting for,� the pope told members of the Ratzinger Sch�lerkreis, as the group of his former students is known.

Discerning the many reasons for this failure to pass on the faith in our Saviour to others surely will form part of the brief of the Vatican�s Congregation for New Evangelisation.

One reason seems obvious: many Catholics simply lack an entrenched commitment to their faith. For them, the Christian obligation may be fulfilled at Sunday Mass, a bargain that lasts until next Sunday. They may give generously to the Church and live good lives, but they do not invest much thought in their faith.

Consuming Christian literature, a primary method of formation, is secondary to secular newspapers and magazines, TV shows or Internet sites.

It is revealing that even in South Africa�s urban centres, Catholic bookshops are tiny in numbers. This relatively small market for Catholic literature points to more than statistics: it is a failure in the formation of the Catholic community; a failure our evangelical peers have escaped.

Any South African shopping mall of a certain size will have at least one stylish media centre aimed at Christians of various Protestant and evangelical types. These shops stock a wide variety of books, DVDs and CDs, and attract good numbers of patrons, many of them young people.

Their evidently thriving existence can be attributed to a culture of media consciousness in the church communities they serve. The evangelical and pentecostal churches have recognised that one of the most effective means of performing the urban missionary apostolate�precisely the area of concern to the Holy Father�is through the various forms of media.

It is apparent that the more Christians read and learn about their faith, the better agents of evangelisation they will be.

Alas, despite a wealth of excellent Catholic literature, the notion of a Catholic bookshop in a flashy mall is unimaginable, as is the idea that secular bookshops might carry a range of Catholic books�not necessarily because they are anti-Catholic (though some might well be), but because Catholics are not creating a demand.

Simply put, the local Church lacks a culture of Catholic reading. There is a pronounced spirit of apathy in a Church that does not place a premium on encouraging the faithful to read Catholic literature, be it books, magazines or, indeed, The Southern Cross.

This condition of Catholic illiteracy must be addressed on all levels if we truly seek to cooperate fruitfully in the evangelising mission of the Church.

Perhaps the idea of launching a Catholic Literacy Campaign merits renewed consideration. Such a campaign could serve to promote the idea of reading Catholic books and publications on diocesan and parish level, involving both clergy and laity, with the vigorous encouragement of bishops.

There will be many combinations of explantations as to why the cradle Catholics to whom Pope Benedict refers are so lukewarm in exercising their Christian mandate to evangelise. Incomplete formation surely is a crucial reason.

Catholic literacy is elementary in the on-going formation of the faithful. To tolerate the prevailing apathy to Catholic media does little to serve the Church or her mission.