Cardinal Joseph De Kesel, in an interview with La Croix newspaper following the launch of his latest book, spoke of the challenges and opportunities facing the Church in contemporary society.
The Catholic Archbishop of Malines-Brussels underlines in the interview that the pandemic has posed many challenges for Christians and for the Church in general: "Christians have struggled to be able to gather in churches and to attend services; during the pandemic, the Holy Eucharist is of course very important. But aren't there other ways? For example, listening to the word of God that nourishes".
Cardinal Joseph De Kesel reminds us that "it is not the Church that is in decline, but society that has changed. I would say that modernity is a different culture" and that the contribution of Christians in a de-Christianised world is, in fact, the message of the Gospel: "The Church can only be outwardly what it lives inwardly. We need authentic communities that live the word of God, that celebrate the liturgy and work in a more humane, more just world. The Christian who claims to live the Gospel alone is wrong: we need our neighbours.“ The Catholic hierarch added that the (Catholic) Church "needs institutions, not all the ones it has at its disposal today, but others that are still to appear. The Church will be more modest but will not be a minority". On the other hand, secularism must not be allowed to become an ideology that gradually replaces religion.
Source: la-croix.com
