VATICAN - How to connect the Christian City with Worldly City which seems to ignore God? Atheism and religious indifference at the centre of the recent plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture

Vatican City (Fides Service) - If we wanted to describe with an image the situation discussed by participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, held recently in the Vatican, we could give the image of the city of Rome, with St Peter’s, pulsing heart of the Church and a milestone of faith and culture on the one bank and on the other the earthly city, frenetic, indifferent to what is happening on the opposite bank. How can the two banks be connected? How can we connect the Christian city with the worldly city which seems to ignore God, how to avoid being closed in ghetto, however splendid, like St Peter’s. We need bridges, but what sort of bridges? Bridges which connect banks, build human relationships and a new quality of life.
This image offered by Mons. Pasquale Iacobone of the Pontifical Council for Culture, summarises the work of two intense days during which the Plenary discussed atheism and religious indifference. A Plenary which opened under the impact of the devastating terrorist attacks in Madrid. Or ,with the words of Cardinal Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara, we could say that present day culture of indifference is the prodigal son of our times who leaves the home of the Father, Christian culture, and goes away wasting the good gifts received from the Father. Except that, unlike the parable, in this case the son has no urge to return to the home of his father, despite the fact that he is hungry.
Opening the Plenary Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council, presented a map of non belief at the dawn of the 3rd millennium and he asked the participants to role up their sleeves and give the Church concrete means to face the challenge of non belief. Not simply to make an analysis but to supply answers, well aware that “there are no miraculous remedies; but Catholics expect us to provide concrete proposals more than a statistic analysis on the situation of the faith in the world” and to remember that “obsessive talk of a crisis of faith in the end becomes a factor which feeds the crisis”.
The findings of the assembly confirmed the results of a preparatory survey on non belief carried out by the Pontifical Council. The global picture presented during the first session highlighted diverse situations on the different continents. While in Europe we see “tranquil apostasy”, as it was defined, a return to paganism, the problem in Asia is an excess of religions so to say, and in America, instead, we see the flight of Catholics to Protestant sects which for many is in fact the first step towards renouncing any kind of religious belief.
The challenges for the Church therefore differ according to the place. In Asia the great challenge is inculturation. In Europe, instead, what needs to be addressed is the return to paganism, that is the rejection of Christianity.
Much was said on the subject of beauty, always an indispensable instrument for provoking questions in non believers, beginning with the beauty of personal life and the beauty of example. This inner beauty is fundamental for Asian spirituality as a newly appointed member of the Council, Hong Kong journalist Annie Lam pointed out. Christian art has always reflected the beauty and holiness of God, said Archbishop. Mauro Piacenza, President of the Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church. There can be no Christian art without the holiness of the artists. But it is also urgent to form priests and co-workers in evangelisation to have an integral perception of beauty. In this regard the Cultural Patrimony of the Church can render an extraordinary service of proclamation to non believers. But it is not enough to preserve and make good use of the artistic patrimony we have, we must create a new Christian art. Efforts must be directed towards an integral vision in which emotions, reason and action - aesthetics, logic and ethics— become converging not excluding paths, leading to God. This is true especially for persons attracted to the warm, welcoming and involving spirituality of sects and new religious movements.
Speaking of non belief and religious indifference one inevitably speaks of the evangelisation of culture. However we must remember that this must start from personal dialogue with non believers. In fact as the Assembly’s Working Paper says, more that non belief, there are non believers, each with their own personal story. Consequently, before speaking of initiatives to take attention must be given to the individual non believers around us.
Cardinal Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, spoke of the experience of World Youth Days during which thousands of young people were drawn to Christ by the witness of faith of other young people, the person of the Pope and the joyous spirit of prayer and festivity. Not to mention other experiences such as the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, the Cursillos of Christianity, the proclamation of the Kerygma in catechesis, situations in which the Holy Spirit knocks on the hardened heart and enlightens it with grace. Another always valid initiative, the “Belief and Prayer”, movement which prays for the conversion of non believers. Everything tending to fulfil the desire of Jesus: “ That they may know you Father and Jesus Christ whom you have sent ”. (Jn 17,5)

(AP) (16/3/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe 75; Parole 986)