Aid to the Church in Need: THE CHURCH IN THE WEST CAN LEARN FROM THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH

THE CHURCH IN THE WEST CAN LEARN FROM THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH

Posted by Press Release on 27/1/2003, 2:17 pm
Board Administrator

PRESS RELEASE
THE CHURCH IN THE WEST CAN LEARN FROM THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH
The Catholic Church in the countries of Western Europe needs more inspiration and joy in the Faith. This was the view of the general secretary of the international Catholic aid agency Aid to the Church in Need, Antonia Willemsen, in an interview with the Dutch newspaper, Katholiek Niuewsblad. She feels the West could learn much in this respect from the Church on other continents. In Brazil, for example, the Catholic Church was "courageous and self-confident" and was addressing the various challenges of society with optimism and trust in God. In some Western countries the Church needs to get rid of the bureaucratic apparatus and devote herself more to the people. There is too much criticism and too little commitment within the Catholic Church here, she believes.
In Germany and other Western European countries there was a widespread notion that people no longer need God. Or else people say they believe in God but will hear nothing of the Church. And yet the mission of the Church is to lead people to God. "If people deny the Church this role, they are robbing themselves of an aid on the way to God", said Miss Willemsen.
But despite all the difficulties in the Catholic Church, there are signs of hope in the Western nations, she believes - above all in the new spiritual movements. Aid to the Church in Need is now supporting pastoral projects not only in Eastern Europe and the Third World but increasingly in Western Europe as well. As examples she mentioned the printing and dissemination of the ACN Child's Bible "God speaks to His Children" and their little Catechism "I Believe". Both these books represent an important contribution to conveying a basic knowledge of the Christian Faith in our society, she says. Additionally Aid to the Church in Need is supporting various organisations in Western Europe that are defending unborn life and is likewise supporting a number of contemplative convents.
For further information please contact
Phillip Collignon
Phone/Fax:02 9679-1929
email: info@aidtochurch.org
website: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org