New figures suggest the German Church is undergoing a steep decline. According to statistics from the bishops’ conference, 200,000 Catholics left the Church last year (as recorded by who pays the Church tax) and attendance was down from 18.6 per cent of registered Catholics in 1995 to 10.4 per cent in 2015.
But Mark de Vries, blogger at In Caelo et in Terra, said there was some cause for optimism. The number of people leaving has fallen, and baptisms and marriages have shown a slight increase. In some dioceses, he wrote, baptisms are “more frequent than they were in 1995”, particularly in formerly communist east Germany. (This may be due to Polish immigration.)
De Vries notes that marriage is still in crisis, the number of weddings having halved in some places over more than 20 years, but last year’s figures may yet be seen as a “turning point”.
Gamers wake up clergy
Pokémon Go – the latest mobile gaming trend – is causing an increase in footfall at churches across the globe.
Mary Rezac at the Catholic News Agency observed that by using the GPS signal on people’s phones, many church buildings have been designated “Pokéstops”, places to virtually pick up items to aid in catching Pokémon.
She reported that friars have been woken up in the night to the sound of so-called “Pokémon Trainers” playing the game outside rectories. One friar told CNA: “I’m toying with the idea of putting up a sign outside that says ‘Pokéstop. Come in and say hello!’. Any chance we get to share the Gospel is a good thing.”
But Marshall Connolly at Catholic.org warned that extended gameplay may interfere with responsibilities at home: “While most people only play an average of 45 minutes, others seem creepily obsessed, playing for hours on end.”
However, Connolly does concede that the game allows for groups of people to gather in places like churches where they might never have set foot otherwise.
‘The culture’ doesn’t exist
At Christianity Today Andy Crouch argued that Christians should stop engaging with “the culture” and start engaging with people. “Our mission is not primarily to ‘engage the culture’ but to ‘love our neighbour’”, he said.
“Rather than engaging in largely imaginary relationships with the world system (by, say, following celebrities on Twitter, people we will never meet or influence or be able to love), we are called to real people in a real place.”
The early Christians understood this, he said. “Rather than worrying about how to engage ‘Rome’, Paul wrote a letter to actual Romans… [His] sweeping vision of wrath and righteousness, covenant and salvation, is addressed to particular people in a particular place.”
✣Meanwhile…
✣ Fr Fedor Konyukhov – the Orthodox Church’s answer to Phileas Fogg – is attempting to break the world record for a round-the-world hot air ballooning trip. The Eastern Orthodox priest is no stranger to adventure, having already climbed Mount Everest, reached both the North and South Pole and sailed around the world three times. He currently holds the world record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat. Fr Konyukhov hopes to break the 13-day air ballooning record set by Steve Fossett in 2002. The trip will cover 20,000 miles.
✣ A nun who once challenged Billy the Kid will be the subject of a new television series. Stories of Sister Blandina Segale, who clashed with some of the most infamous outlaws of the Wild West, are now the stuff of legend. The series, produced by Saint Hood Productions, will be called At the End of the Santa Fe Trail and is based upon the autobiographical book of the same name. According to one story, Sister Blandina talked Billy the Kid down from killing four doctors who refused to treat his friend. Instead, the nun nursed the outlaw’s companion back to health herself. Sister Blandina’s Cause was opened in 2014 and is currently being investigated by diocesan officials.
✣The week in quotations
The Sacra Liturgia conference has set the cause of the Reform of the Reform back by 20 years Joseph Shaw, Latin Mass Society chairman Blog post
[Amoris Laetitia] contains statements whose natural meaning would seem to be contrary to faith and morals Letter to cardinals from 45 theologians and clerics
Hopefully, once a person finds the Pokémon, they will enter the church and find Christ Fr Patrick Posey of Falls Church, Virginia Catholic News Service
✣Statistic of the week
2m Number of pilgrims expected at World Youth Day Source: WYD organisers
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