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PDF versionBig Picture at World Youth Day: 'It’s the Evangelicals, stupid!'
by John L Allen Jr on Aug. 19, 2011
Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid for what is officially the 26th edition of World Youth Day, a total which includes off-year events organized, at least in theory, at the diocesan level. Counting just the massive international gatherings headlined by the pope, Madrid is the 12th World Youth Day since John Paul II launched the tradition in Rome in 1985.
Collectively, those gatherings have generated crowds in excess of 15 million people, making World Youth Day the Olympic Games of world religion: The largest regularly held international religious event on the planet.
“World Youth Day” is, of course, one of those charming bits of Catholic vocabulary that endures despite having thoroughly outlived its accuracy. It was a single day back in 1985, but it’s morphed into a week-long jamboree composed of pilgrimage and devotion, catechesis, liturgies and the sacraments, and even Lollapalooza-style pop festivals. (The lineup includes “PriestBand,” an all-priest septet associated with the Emmanuel Community, which only performs at World Youth Days. Where else can you catch seven guys in Roman collars sounding like Bon Jovi while belting out tunes such as “We Sing for Jesus”?)
From a media point of view, the instinct is to look for what’s new about a particular World Youth Day, to which the only honest answer is “not much.” By now, the template is pretty well set; what changes isn’t so much the show, but the audience.
That said, there are a few interesting storylines this time around.
For one thing, World Youth Day 2011 comes as the world flirts with financial apocalypse, and Spain’s banking crisis and staggering unemployment rate form one of the front lines. That’s generated controversy about the cost of the event, though organizers insist it’s being covered through private grants and participant fees rather than public funds. Nevertheless, some 150 groups, including atheists and secular leftists, have organized a protest under the slogan, “Papal visit, not with my taxes!” That could provide a bit of street theater; on Wednesday, media reports indicated that Spanish police had arrested a young Mexican who apparently was planning to launch tear gas against the anti-papal brigades.
For another, this is Benedict XVI’s first trip to Spain in what is now clearly a post-Zapatero era. For a decade, socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has done battle with the church on every conceivable front, making him the bogeyman of the European Catholic imagination. Yet weakened by economic implosion and perceptions of corruption, Zapatero has announced he won’t stand for a third term and has called elections for November, hinting at a possible reframing of Spain’s (and perhaps Europe’s) culture wars.
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On Monday, I’ll offer an overview of whatever news flashes arise. Here, I want to focus on the forest that World Youth Day represents, rather than its individual trees. The big picture is the following: World Youth Day offers the clearest possible proof that the Evangelical movement coursing through Catholicism today is not simply a “top-down” phenomenon, but also a strong “bottom-up” force.
Defining Evangelical Catholicism
“Evangelical Catholicism” is a term being used to capture the Catholic version of a 21st century politics of identity, reflecting the long-term historical transition in the West from Christianity as a culture-shaping majority to Christianity as a subculture, albeit a large and influential one. I define Evangelical Catholicism in terms of three pillars:
- A strong defense of traditional Catholic identity, meaning attachment to classic markers of Catholic thought (doctrinal orthodoxy) and Catholic practice (liturgical tradition, devotional life, and authority).
- Robust public proclamation of Catholic teaching, with the accent on Catholicism’s mission ad extra, transforming the culture in light of the Gospel, rather than ad intra, on internal church reform.
- Faith seen as a matter of personal choice rather than cultural inheritance, which among other things implies that in a highly secular culture, Catholic identity can never be taken for granted. It always has to be proven, defended, and made manifest.
I consciously use the term “Evangelical” to capture all this rather than “conservative,” even though I recognize that many people experience what I’ve just sketched as a conservative impulse. Fundamentally, however, it’s about something else: the hunger for identity in a fragmented world.
Historically speaking, Evangelical Catholicism isn’t really “conservative,” because there’s precious little cultural Catholicism these days left to conserve. For the same reason, it’s not traditionalist, even though it places a premium upon tradition. If liberals want to dialogue with post-modernity, Evangelicals want to convert it – but neither seeks a return to a status quo ante. Many Evangelical Catholics actually welcome secularization, because it forces religion to be a conscious choice rather than a passive inheritance. As the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, the dictionary definition of an Evangelical Catholic, once put it, “We’re really at the dawn of Christianity.”
Paradoxically, this eagerness to pitch orthodox Catholicism as the most satisfying entrée on the post-modern spiritual smorgasbord, using the tools and tactics of a media-saturated global village, makes Evangelical Catholicism both traditional and contemporary all at once.
Evangelical from the Bottom Up
“Evangelical Catholicism” has been the dominant force at the policy-setting level of the Catholic church since the election of Pope John Paul II in 1978. If you want to understand Catholic officialdom today -- why decisions are being made the way they are in the Vatican, or in the U.S. bishops’ conference, or in an ever-increasing number of dioceses -- this is easily the most important trend to wrap your mind around.
You’ll get Evangelical Catholicism badly wrong, however, if you think of it exclusively as a top-down movement. There’s also a strong bottom-up component, which is most palpable among a certain segment of the younger Catholic population.
We’re not talking about the broad mass of twenty- and thirty-something Catholics, who are all over the map in terms of beliefs and values. Instead, we’re talking about that inner core of actively practicing young Catholics who are most likely to discern a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, most likely to enroll in graduate programs of theology, and most likely to pursue a career in the church as a lay person -- youth ministers, parish life coordinators, liturgical ministers, diocesan officials, and so on. In that sub-segment of today’s younger Catholic population, there’s an Evangelical energy so thick you can cut it with a knife.
Needless to say, the groups I’ve just described constitute the church’s future leadership.
Once upon a time, the idea that the younger generation of intensely committed Catholics was more “conservative” belonged to the realm of anecdotal impressions. By now, it’s an iron-clad empirical certainty.
Case in point: A 2009 study carried out by Georgetown’s Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate, and sponsored by the National Religious Vocations Conference, found a marked contrast between new members of religious orders in the United States today (the “millennial generation”) and the old guard. In general, younger religious, both men and women, are more likely to prize fidelity to the church and to pick a religious order on the basis of its reputation for fidelity; they’re more interested in wearing the habit, and in traditional modes of spiritual and liturgical expression; and they’re much more positively inclined toward authority.
To gauge which way the winds are blowing, consider women’s orders. The study found that among those which belong to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, considered the more “liberal” umbrella group, just one percent have at least ten new members; among those which belong to the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, seen as the more “conservative” group, a robust 28 percent have at least ten new members.
For the most part, it’s a mistake to diagnose this trend in ideological terms, as if it’s about the politics of left vs. right. For today’s younger Catholics, it’s more a matter of generational experience. They didn’t grow up in a stuffy, all-controlling church, so they’re not rebelling against it. Instead, they’re rebelling against a rootless secular world, making them eager to embrace clear markers of identity and sources of meaning.
Among youth, Evangelical Catholicism usually becomes ideological only if the older generation paints them into a corner, demanding that they choose sides in the church’s internal battles. That tendency, alas, seems equally pronounced on the left and the right.
Evangelical Catholicism and World Youth Day
For sure, not all the youth gathered in Madrid this week are Evangelicals. I’ve covered five World Youth Days, and it’s my observation that you can generally identify three groups: A gung-ho inner core; a more lukewarm cohort, who don’t think about religion all that much, but who still go to Mass and see the faith as a positive thing; and those who are just along for the ride, perhaps because their parents would pay for WYD but not spring break in Cabo. (These are usually the kids outside playing hacky-sack and eating ice cream during the catechetical sessions.)
Pastorally, I’ve always thought the aim was to nudge a few young people from that second group into the first, and from the third group into the second.
That said, the Evangelicals clearly set the tone. World Youth Day is perhaps the lone international venue where being faithfully, energetically Catholic amounts to the “hip” choice of lifestyle. To be clear, this passion isn’t artificially manufactured by party ideologues and foisted on impressionable youth, like the Nuremberg rallies or Mao’s Red Guard brigades; it’s something these young believers already feel, and WYD simply provides an outlet.
In that sense, World Youth Day is the premier reminder of a fundamental truth about Catholicism in the early 21st century. Given the double whammy of Evangelical Catholicism as both the idée fixe of the church’s leadership class, and a driving force among the inner core of younger believers, it’s destined to shape the culture of the church (especially in the global north, i.e., Europe and the United States) for the foreseeable future. One can debate its merits, but not its staying power.
In the real world, the contest for the Catholic future is therefore not between the Evangelicals and some other group -- say, liberal reformers. It’s inside the Evangelical movement, between an open and optimistic wing committed to “Affirmative Orthodoxy,” i.e., emphasizing what the church affirms rather than what it condemns, and a more defensive cohort committed to waging cultural war.
How that tension shakes out among today’s crop of church leaders will be interesting to follow, but perhaps even more decisive will be which instinct prevails among the hundreds of thousands of young Catholics in Spain this week, and the Evangelical generation they represent.
That’s the big picture in Madrid, whatever the individual brush strokes end up looking like.
[John L. Allen Jr. NCR senior correspondent. His e-mail address is jallen@ncronline.org.]
any distinctly "Catholic
any distinctly "Catholic identity" is no longer Catholic, is no longer Love.
Love is incompatible with
Love is incompatible with untruth; therefore, any identity based on love is necessarily based on truth, objective truth, integral catholic truth (natural and supernatural). Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life," not, "I am 'any way you want, any truth you think is true, and any kind of way of life.'"
We may well be at the point
We may well be at the point of NEEDING Bruce's simple recipe to understand Jesus' words: "I am the way, the truth and the life". Bravo Bruce and thank you!
Margot
John: How can the
John:
How can the evangelicals hope to "transform" the culture "ad extra" without also transforming the Church ad intra?" Isn't that just another form of whistling in the dark? As many have noted, the Church cannot preach justice to the world without first having exemplified and practiced justice in its own community.
You'll find many among the
You'll find many among the 'evangelical' set to be committed to the ad intra of the Church.
Their concerns are different than those of most posters here, as they seem to be predominately of the 'defensive cohort committed to waging cultural war'.
While I agree overall with Mr Allen's analysis, the terminology is somewhat misleading, I fear. Within this 'evangelical' description lie liturgical extremes that shape the different viewpoints. The traditionalist-leaning cohort looks at the Church through the eyes of history, and thus sees the mistakes made in recent years, while the more 'charismatic'-leaning group sees the Church through the eyes of the (distant) future. This gives a practical group that recognizes that the openness to the culture was openness to its corrupting influences and a group that looks forward to the redemption of the culture from its corrupting influences. It will be interesting to see how that interaction plays out, but I suspect that it will be along the ad extra / ad intra lines that Fr.(?) Robert points out.
- a member of the traditionalist/'evangelicals' utterly absorbed by the ad intra aspect of the Church.
Thanks, Robert. I had a
Thanks, Robert. I had a long-winded piece all ready to send, which covered the same ground. In a few words, you have eloquently and elegantly made the same point, and much more effectively.
Oh so true John. Many of my
Oh so true John. Many of my family (a large "good catholic family) who still have a very strong faith shun the religion because of this very hypocrisy. Contrast a Bishop who not along ago exhorts the diocese to give more because they are broke, but then leads a groups of young pilgrims to Madrid only to leave them at the airport to travel business class???? I think you can imagine the feelings generated. In all truth I wonder if our church hierarchy is any different to the scribes and pharisees of old. Would they recognise Christ I he were to come again right now?
"John Paul II launched the
"John Paul II launched the tradition in Rome in 1985"
the tradition . . .
meanwhile he eradicated our most Catholic tradition of liberating the poor.
scolding with a wagging finger like an old nanny goat the holy, liberating, beaming, genuflecting and very Reverend Father Ernesto Cardenal upon the tarmac in Managua
and turning the church over not to cooperative communities for common survival but to self-adulatory rock festivals such as these for the wealthy in which he played Jimi closing the show, and played it badly, and ratzo worse.
turning the mission and tradition of our church from one of liberation of the poor as Jesus commanded at the initiation of our public ministry into his own cult of personality, now gone.
don't do the brown acid . . .
PriestBand?
The World Youth Day tradition
The World Youth Day tradition is one of the enduring legacies of Blessed John Paul II; not just the event itself, but the response it generates from millions of young people. At a time when the secularists would have us believe that young people don't care a fig about God or about religion, and have better things to do than to attend a papal rally, the reality is that World Youth Day has been a rousing success, shocking, in some cases, even the organizers with the attendance and the faith demonstrated.
I attended World Youth Day in 1993 in Denver and experienced first-hand the power of the event. I will never forget being in Mile High Stadium for the first Mass and catechesis, and the awe I felt as tens of thousands of young people were cheering and singing, laughing and celebrating, not celebrating and cheering an individual, nor sports team, but cheering for Christ and for our faith. The motto of World Youth Day in Denver was "I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly". That is what every World Youth Day is about -- reminding the young people of the world that Christ came to give them life and the fullness of that life is found only in Him.
Your obsession with liberation theology precludes your recognition that Christ did not come just to "liberate the poor". That is not the only message He preached, nor is it the only focus He had. Our Lord did indeed come to spur us individually to care for, protect, and assist our neighbors who are poor, sick, suffering. But, He did not come strictly for that purpose. His purpose was realized on that lonely Cross on that first Good Friday, and fulfilled in that empty tomb on the first Easter.
Moreover, Our Lord commanded us, His followers, to "go and teach all nations"; that was His final command to us, to His Church. The supreme task of the Church is to bring the Gospel of Christ to every corner of creation, that all may have life, and have it in abundance. World Youth Day is a prime example of the Church fulfilling this command of Our Lord. The Church is not a political institution charged with imposing some form of collectivism or "cooperative community", nor is the Church social services organization. What social justice the Church engages in is never social justice for its own sake, but rather for the sake of the Gospel.
The Church is bigger than Latin America and the mission of the Church is bigger than simply ministry to the poor, important though that may be. The Church must reach out to all people, poor and rich, Latin American and European, Asian, African and American, young and old. Our Lord's ministry was to all people, not just one group. We fail to truly follow Him when we let our focus be on just one particular group to the exclusion, or, derision, of everyone else.
Your comments are thoughtful,
Your comments are thoughtful, intelligent, courteous and well written. I also agree with them (usually).
Keep up the good work.
Thank you CWG. You are right
Thank you CWG. You are right on! I couldn't have said it better myself.
How did Jesus react to the
How did Jesus react to the orthodoxy of his Jewish Leaders? How did they respond? He was persecuted as was his followers. Is that what those of us that are trying to following in the footsteps of Jesus have to look forward from our institutional church.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that most young Catholics are turning away from an increasingly irrelevant orthodoxy and that only the most conservative are following their callings to a priestly or religious vocation or are even welcome at such institutions.
May the Holy Spirit move the Church to be more authenic and less orthodox.
You are extremely incorrect.
You are extremely incorrect. Jesus did not react to the orthodoxy, in and of itself, of the Jewish Leaders. For he says in Matthew, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice." What Jesus is reacting against is not the orthodoxy, but the actions or lack thereof of the people in leadership positions. Jesus actually re-affirms their right as leaders having taken their seat on the chair of Moses. What they teach is not wrong. The way they act is. Jesus also said in scripture that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The law is what the Scribes and the Pharisees were teaching. So I don't understand your opinion that he was against orthodoxy. In fact it was the complete oposite. But unfortunately those teaching it were not following it themselves and that is what Jesus was critical of. And how can you say after millions of young people attend world youth day that young Catholics are turning away from an increasingly irrelevant orthodoxy? Apparently they are not or else people would not be showing up to such events. It apparently is not irrelevant to them.
Nice reply.
Nice reply.
In stead of John's typical
In stead of John's typical narrow Catholic view, try this:
An Evangelical Christian
Evangelical
comes from the Greek euangelion
meaning Good News.
Evangelical
in the 18th century meant
called to deeper personal conversion
and social reform.
It is not fundamentalism
or a belief that all in the Bible
is historical fact.
Evangelism engages the broader culture.
Evangelism
is a conviction that Christians
must be willing to set aside older institutions
and methods
that are no longer effective
in communicating
and modeling
the Gospel.
Evangelism
displeases those attached to tradition
but seems characteristically
and quintessentially Christ-like.
John Chuchman on Aug. 19,
John Chuchman on Aug. 19, 2011.
You stated:
"In stead of John's typical narrow Catholic view, try this:
An Evangelical Christian
Evangelical
comes from the Greek euangelion
meaning Good News.
Evangelical
in the 18th century meant
called to deeper personal conversion
and social reform.
It is not fundamentalism
or a belief that all in the Bible
is historical fact.
Evangelism engages the broader culture.
Evangelism
is a conviction that Christians
must be willing to set aside older institutions
and methods
that are no longer effective
in communicating
and modeling
the Gospel.
Evangelism
displeases those attached to tradition
but seems characteristically
and quintessentially Christ-like."
-----------------------------------------------
Thank you, John, for reminding us that Christianity means nothing UNLESS it is
Christ-like. The early Christians were not persecuted because they marched lock-step with the either the Jewish hierarchy or the Roman emperors. They spoke, modeled and lived the Gospel of Christ---and it was truly Good News.
"...must be willing to set
"...must be willing to set aside older institutions."
Before agreeing to this consider what 'institutions' means. If it includes the institutional church, it is purely Protestant.
The restrictive clause 'that are no longer effective in communicating and modelling the Gospel,' doesn't have to be construed with 'institutions'but, even if it is, it implies 'sola scriptura'or dependence on good behavior for ecclesial legitimacy. This, too, is Protestant. Let's be clear about what 'Evangelical'and 'Catholic Evangelical' mean and what 'institutions' can be set aside.
One cannot separate the
One cannot separate the Church from any institution. It can discard elements that are culturally conditioned and have lost their meaning as such- we have seen that in the papact itself, shedding the triple tiara under Paul VI, intalling the Pope as Pastor of the Universal Church, opening up the Curia- his central offices- to worldwide members and of course getting the Pope outn of the Vatican to travel worldwide from Paul V1 to BXV1. Words like "orthodoxy" and even "evangelical" can be made so complicated. The Pope is Bishop of Rome where Peter was crucified for proclaiming that Jesus was "The Christ the Son of the Living God." This past WYD was based on a Pauline quote to get the participants to develop a deeper personal relationship with Christ.
Properly understood "Liberation Theology" has nothing to do with Marxism or pure politics. In baptism we are liberated from sin and from elements of the systems of our institutions which are tainted with Sin - including the Church and Corporations and economic and political systems. Jesus gathered in the outcasts of His society- prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and praised the Samaritan who took care of the Jew who was hurt but ignored by the passing Temple officials. That was liberation theology for people who were kicked out by the Gate Keepers but found a Messiah in a rejected Son of God and the Virgin Mary.
This is absolutely spot on in
This is absolutely spot on in its analysis and pretty much perfectly describes me. Great piece, Mr Allen.
Congratulations, Toby, on
Congratulations, Toby, on being part of the "inner core", the evangelicals, the orthodox among the rest of us.
As for the piece being a spot on analysis, I think you're very mistaken. Evangelicalism is not a movement; especially, it is not a bottom up movement. What is "bottom up" is a movement by youth (and others also) out of the institutional church.
"What is "bottom up" is a
"What is "bottom up" is a movement by youth (and others also) out of the institutional church."
And the 'bottom up' movement in the Church is evangelical. Which is what both John and Toby said.
You can't prove a point by changing the subject, Joan.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yawn.... sounds like you and
Yawn.... sounds like you and John Allen are whipped up by the excitement. Like a rock concert you will come down from the high and reassess whether it really did anything at all.
One million from the continent isn't all that much considering that you can easily take a train from anywere and get there easily and its August when everybody has time to go because they are on vacation. I think the numbers that DIDN'T come is a bigger story.
I will acknowledge any change when I see the Church in Europe come off life support and the Mass numbers increase from 10%.
As far as Europeans and the
As far as Europeans and the west are concerned Christianity and the Church are not one and the same. Christianity at it's core survives because it is incorruptible. It is the Church as an historical, governing entity and a cultural force which has been exposed as a hoax. It is already dead. Benedict is performing the exiquies for it now.
Thank you John for your
Thank you John for your continued insightful articles regarding the Catholic Church. I am in my 80's and was one of the staunch Catholics who were overjoyed with Pope John XXIII and Vatican II. Sadly I see the good works of the Council, which aimed the Church in the correct direction to face the 21 Century and beyond, being dismantled and the cowardness of the US Conference of Bishops is appaling. If the Church had followed through with the edicts of Vatican II the Church would be prepared to lead the world ...not fighting the scandals and the exerting the use of power by the clergy as to deny that the Church is the People of God, not the Vatican, not the Curia in Rome.
Keep up the good work.
You have made an excellent
You have made an excellent statement.
Excellent commentary...and
Excellent commentary...and since I am a late 60's ear;y 70's working "catholic worker" type of liberal...and a convert to Catholicism...I am hope filled....the Church has a place for everyone...
Forgeting the inexactitudes
Forgeting the inexactitudes and bias of your commment, I must thank you for showing me so clearly the future of the Church. It helped me a lot:as I'm not an Evangelical -I prefer St Benedict (the saint), St. Francis or St Ignacius -, there is just one way left: OUT! Meanwhile, I have much to do in my small monastery. God bless you and the old Church, the one that used to follow Jesus.
I think this concept
I think this concept of.Evangélica Catholics os ridiculous. I understand the title studies done on such matters, but most of the studies don't reflect the reality of most young people. They are in WCD in Spain because they want to have fun. I bet you they all laugh of the stupidity of the Catholic Church as they laugh of their grandma's concepts. They took advantage of all those Dummies they laugh of. These new generations are spiritual but not religious at all. They.know the INTERNET better than all of the studies made by oldest in the Catholic Church. The Internet is their new religion. We have to lern from them. Most of them knows better, with the exceptions of few fanatics which they considered losers behind doors. The CAtholic Mummies are like a Museum for them. (LOL).
You seem to not understand
You seem to not understand young people. I can assure you the internet is something we use, not worship.
As Mr Allen said, Evangelicals don't represent most young Catholics, but rather the active, informed, committed young Catholics who are the Church leaders of the future.
If the progressives want their ideas to survive the current ageing generation they'd better start dialogue with this movement, rather than trying to marginalise them or telling them what they should think and do.
It is said, when economic
It is said, when economic conditions are more uncertain, people tend to become more conservative, and cling to what appears to be a more stable past. One reason for the tea party's rise in the US. But in the political arena , the TP politicians tend to have a revisionist view of History, for example saying the Founding Fathers were Christians and America is a Christian nation. Indeed, it seems now that Christianity is the predominate religion but that fact began later than with the founding fathers. Google, Founding fathers/religion and you will see most were deists, Washington, a free mason, Madison a materialist, and so on. The quotes attributed to them shows they considered organized religion as responsible for much mischief in the world, and therefore should not be mixed with politics.
Now you have a evangelical influence in the top three Republican candidates, and they are very public in their views. Is this a good thing? Not if you are out to make America "christian" is your view of what that means.
Things are changing so fast in the world it is no wonder people are looking to their faith for stability. And that is a good thing.
It is not just the precarious
It is not just the precarious global economic situation that causes many people to revert to what they perceive to be a more stable past, but also paradigm shifts which I believe is the bigger event that is driving the insecurity and instability. The world is changing in so many ways, the demographics are changing, the growth of Asian economies and the decline of others, the yearning for being free of dictators in the Middle East, women's search for equality on a global scale all which minimizes the power of the western world. Nowhere is this being felt more than in the United States. Our economic well being is affected for sure, but there is more involved than just economics.
So true! We need to
So true! We need to Evangelize. Our Faith is a chosen, not inherited. Peace & Love in Christ always, Joe
Another excellent assessment
Another excellent assessment of the Church. It fits with my experience of WYD in Toronto. This is what NCR's readership has been missing. Not only have they lost they are now irrelevant. Carping about those evil John Paul the Second priests will get you nowhere. Read the signs of the times people.
LOL! Father J states: "Read
LOL! Father J states: "Read the signs of the times people". Hey Father J, after 33 years of conservative rule the church in Europe is on life support, 10 % attendance at best, the church in Ireland is disintegrating and the church is like a sieve w/ parishoners dropping out.
How about a fact check, the second largest denomination in the US is non practicing Catholics. Thanks for nothing jerk.
St. Paul stated.."I work out my salvation with fear and trepidation".
You and your ilk should be fearful and full of trepidation for your destruction of the Church.
The problem is that the
The problem is that the Church in Europe has been anything but "conservative." They have fought tooth and nail for the old failed dissent. Ireland went very liberal and see where it got them. The only place the Church shows life is where it is lived faithfully. People like me are helping to build the Church that people like you tore apart.
Fr. J, You are right on the
Fr. J,
You are right on the money with both of your posts here! Notice that the Vatican takes the blame for Europe's problems (which as you point out is wrong), but receives none of the credit for the vibrancy in the rest of the worldwide Church...
Yup, blame everybody
Yup, blame everybody else.
Sorry, the FACT is that conservative rule has not made one iota of change in Europe and has hastened the demise of the church. Thirty three years of conservative rule, that's a fact that is undeniable. And who are "people like me"? Jesus had his Judas, we have our Fr.J
I think you deserved the jerk comment.
You easily could have left
You easily could have left out the word "jerk" and still made your point. But you chose to add a personal insult. Why go that route?
I would guess out of
I would guess out of bitterness. It certainly comes off that way at least.
On the whole this is a well
On the whole this is a well observed picture of the youthfulness of the Church today. The traditional religious orders are the ones that have found a new and vibrant lease on life. The orders that 'went mod' (no Roman collars, sports shirts, shorter skirts, no veils, ear rings etc.) are definitely fading away. In the same vein, the increasing numbers attending, or seeking out, the traditional Latin Mass are not the old folk but younger, better educated, men and women who are really turned off by the many versions of Mass -according to whims of the pastor, the band and singers, and the over invasion of the altar area. The beauty of the Gregorian chant complimented by the organ and choir, the greater amount of scripture content, psalms etc. and the reverence of the Tradition stirs the soul and leaves a peaceful feeling in one's mind. Far better than coming away from Mass feeling irritation over the theatrics of many modern versions.
I was an Army chaplain in
I was an Army chaplain in Kuwait and Afghanistan and our under-30 Catholics are truly awesome. Everywhere I went, they had divided themselves into lectors, altar servers, a choir, eucharistic ministers where necessary, and prepared the liturgy very carefully. Most everyone wanted to go to confession before Mass and then, after, in every place, even remote FOBs, they said to me: "Padre, please don't leave before visiting our RCIA Group!" RCIA out here in a combat zone in the middle of nowhere!! Our young Catholics were teaching the Catechism of the Catholic Church to their fellow soldiers!! Wow! One occasion I arrived early for Mass and went into the chapel tent and found a group of about 7-8 Airborne Rangers praying the Liturgy of the Hours!!When I got home, all I could say was that I was supposed to inspire these young American Catholics as their Army chaplain, but in the end, THEY inspired ME!! God bless them, one and all!
Thanks for sharing this
Thanks for sharing this beautiful and inspirational story! May God bless our troops and keep them from harms way.
I come away from the more
I come away from the more traditional Mass feeling the irritations of language I do not identify with and the use of Latin that few understand, lay people being excluded from cleaning the vessels, lay men and women not being able to share their wisdom in a homily, and in some places, women totally excluded from any participation in the sactuary and in being restricted from recieving Eucharist in the hand.
As for the conservative orders of sisters, they are few in number and they too will fade away with age. Everything is cyclical. I only wish I would be alive for the next liberal cycle!
The middle and third groups
The middle and third groups my grow out of it, that is, committed Catholicism. The makjority of students at Catholic colleges will cease to practice after graduation and moving away from home. They may return for raising children, but many older people fall off again after the kids are raised. Catholic youth dienity at the parish level used to revolve around CYO. And that's become far less important.
Finally someone has clearly
Finally someone has clearly identified the sense and direction of youth today. I am of the 'older ilk' in that I would rather NOT have a bunch of conservative, rule following, bowing to the hierarchy type of Catholics in our youth. It pleases me to see you identify them as not against the past so much, but against the current secular state of our world. It's the way they are going about living this that concerns me. You state they are "more likely to prize fidelity to the church and to pick a religious order on the basis of its reputation for fidelity; they’re more interested in wearing the habit, and in traditional modes of spiritual and liturgical expression; and they’re much more positively inclined toward authority." This is exactly what I am seeing here in Canada as well. Although you explain the word 'evangelical' in your piece, I am not so sure that everyone will read it completely, going with the more accessible definition of evangelical as 'way out there, hands waving and shouting praises to our God' (not a bad thing, but uncomfortable for some!!) I also would hesitate to use the word 'conservative'. My sense is the dire need of young people for clear and decisive spiritual leadership. Catholic theologians telling us it is time to get back to 'meatless Fridays' and other such weak Catholic activities leaves me with a deep longing for good teaching, enlivened liturgies and the breaking open of the Word of God for our youth to understand. This is what I believe they are seeking. Where have all the leaders gone? Why are we reverting our liturgies to the 'length of the mass' as being the success indicator. I hear tell of liturgies in Ireland (on a Sunday) being 28 minutes in length! Yikes. I pray that we will see a new and healthy breed of spiritual leaders; ones our youth can understand and seek as they grow their relationship with Jesus.
Hi John: Is not the Haij
Hi John:
Is not the Haij bigger than World Youth day? (paragraph 2)
Pete
Thanks for this article which
Thanks for this article which is especially intersting having recently started reading your book 'The Future Church'. I got slightly lost however at the end in understanding who the "more defensive cohort committed to waging cultural war" might be. Can you elaborate?
Mr. Allen's article precisely
Mr. Allen's article precisely articulates the religious tensions between my son and me. He is nearly 20 and an evangelical Catholic. He rebels against the secular world he sees as ammoral and spiritually adrift. I am nearly 60 and have practiced Catholicism all my life. I am wary of returning to the top-down, we'll-tell-you-what-to-think Catholic Church of my youth.
Mr. Allen hasn't provided a solution for this tension, but he's identified it spot-on.
Thank you
I'm sorry to hear about your
I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your son.
It sounds like I more or less fall into the same category as he does, so I'm fairly certain neither of us are engineering a return to a 'top-down, we'll-tell-you-what-to-think Catholic Church'.
As Mr Allen pointed out, this is a grass roots movement. A rebellion against the rebellion to go with the Pope's reform of the reform. We're not doing what we do because we've be told to, we're doing it because we had a think about it and decided this is right. And as Mr Allen pointed out, we're not being bossed around, we are putting ourselves into positions where we can make decisions and shape the Church as we see it should be shaped. Just as the young people in your generation attempted.
As for being told what to think, that comes just as easily form lay progressives commenting on these boards as it does from 'evangelical' bishops and priests. It's probably obvious to me because it's me they're disagreeing with. But once more, I (and, I hope, your son) are rebelling against those who attempt to dictate to us, rather than engage with us, just as the progressives did in the 60s and 70s.
If it seems you and your son think the Church should be moving in opposite directions, I hope that maybe seeing the similarities between what motivates him now and what motivated your generation will help you find some common ground.
Whatever happens, God will sort it out in the end. I'll pray for you both anyway.
Well done, John. A wonderful
Well done, John. A wonderful analysis.
Good analysis, John, as
Good analysis, John, as usual. Despite the fact that I am now retired from pastoral ministry, I still volunteer, and my next project is to formulate a few classes for ongoing adult education and formation. This analysis emphasizes what I have already observed: it's not the same church from sixty years ago. I am excited about engaging these positively motivated young parents to embrace the best qualities of a "house church" in their respective homes in order to hand on the faith and Traditions.
First, it seems that WYD is
First, it seems that WYD is mostly for young people from Europe, US and other "western" countries. The demographics indicate that most of the Catholics reside in the southern hemisphere. So these young people are hardly representative of the entire RC church. Second, from the way Mr. Allen divides the young group, only one group are "hard core enthusiasts". What percent this one group actually represents of the entire number who are attending at Madrid (perhaps one million) might just be a small number and not representative at all of the global adolescent Catholic generational cohort. Third, most all of them at their stage of development are just beginning to be capable of understanding the complexities of doctrine and dogma, so it is premature to automatically identify them as the future leadership of the church. From a psychological/social and cognitive developmental outlook, perhaps being a lukewarm Catholic adolescent or those who are eating ice cream or playing hacky sack during the catechetical sessions are more "normal" for their age than those who are identified as being "hard core enthusiast". For Mr. Allen to make any projections from the attendees of WYD, who hardly are a represenattive sample of the worldwide adolescent Catholic population is premature at best. All of the attendees are just beginning their faith journeys, so perhaps the best thing that can come out of this gathering is that perhaps the experience will broaden their horizons to see how diverse the world truly is, despite the instant communication and the global economy that is pulling us together.
Great article John - I think
Great article John - I think you have nailed it.
Pope John and Vatican II said
Pope John and Vatican II said we need to read the signs of the times and there you have it. Unfotunately, the signs of the times read like the obituary of liberal "spirit of Vatican II" catholicism that has little to do with Jesus, the way, truth and the life, and more about ourselves and all the wonderful or not so wonderful things we can do without Him. Some have imagined some type of schism with liberal catholics leaving the church and starting their own religion. I dont think Rome however has to worry about a mass exodus of 60-90 year olds at this point.
I have three young adult
I have three young adult daughters who are all faithfull Catholics attending mass regularly and participating in young adult forums for faith formation and social justice action. I believe this article over simplifies what is happening in our church and I believe that to do so is perilous. If we as church yield to the pretense of many vocal evangelical conservatives: saying one thing "follow everything church leadership says" and yet doing another "notice the number of small families in our ranks: coincidence or artficial contraception? what about divorce and infidelity? or racism, classism or xenophobia?" we lose the opportunity to stay relevant to youth who sincerely wish to live out Gospel values within a Catholicism that does not turn its back on homosexuals or on married men's or women's call from God to the priesthood or diaconate. We all are sinners. We need a church that recognizes both our sin and our place in the communion of saints. A church that has room for valuing tradition and embracing change without the "leave if you don't accept everything" hypocrisy. Let's bring our youth into an inclusive church in touch with our Lord's command to love Him and love others as ourself. Not a church caught up in covering up its own sins and creating barriers to membership and leadership that I believe our Lord would be ashamed of. If we can't say "all are welcome here" we don't truly believe in God's omniscent grace and mercy. And I would say that if we take that exclusive approach we are not Catholic.
John Allen betrays his
John Allen betrays his parochial vision - WYD is no where near the Olympics of world religion. "The last Ardh Kumbh Mela was held over a period of 45 days beginning in January 2007, more than 70 million Hindu pilgrims took part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Prayag, and on January 15, the most auspicious day of the festival of Makar Sankranti, more than 5 million participated." (Wikipedia) There are different Melas, all of which individually outnumber the collective attendance at WYD's. As a religious event, WYD could better be described as the "Catholic Youth Circus" - attracting probably sincere but cult-like devotees especially from the movements of the religious right - the Legionaries, Opus Dei, Sodalitium and the Catechumenate. The religiosity of these events drips in nostalgia for the old religious forms - rosaries, way of the cross and of course frequent reception of the sacraments. This all comes with a plenary indulgence and absolution by a common priest if a penitent confesses having had an abortion. Of course these benefits are not offered universally, only to those who can afford to travel to Spain for this Euro60,000,000 with its corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola (well known for using death squads in Latin American to eliminate union leaders). World Youth Day needs to be scrapped and perhaps individual national assemblies could devote say 5% of their yearly income to the development of youth ministries in parishes which are increasingly devoid of parishoners under the age of 40.
JOHN ALLEN THE ONLY
JOHN ALLEN THE ONLY REASON
Powerful articles like this one by John Allen are the only reason I still hang on to NCR. Most of the other NCR columnists are of the politically correct, let's-make-a-deal type. They don't realize that they're still living in the past, that they're getting older and not connecting with the vibrant young people sitting outside their ivory towers.
Mr. Allen, This is a
Mr. Allen,
This is a wonderful summation of Evangelical Catholicism and World Youth Day. It mirrors what I am seeing "on the ground" at the parish level. Thanks for the article.
Keith
Thank you for your article,
Thank you for your article, which filled me with joy to read. I think the new Catholic Evangelicals, and the Catholic Church under Benedict XVI, share one overwhelming thing--the Holy Spirit! I think--if the Holy Spirit is allowed to direct things--the 21st century is going to be a very interesting and exciting time.
It sounds conservative to me.
It sounds conservative to me. If the youth want a warm, cozy place to go and feel safe in the 21st Century; and if they are not interested in the Vatican II changes, then the "evangelical" aspect of this new wave is definitey going to meet with opposition from the seculat world on many fronts. Take for example the question of homosexuality. Is the culture going to return to discrimination and isolation and rejection of the gay man or lesbian woman? Did we not move beyond that? What about contaception? Is that subject going to be off the table? Modern two, three children families may not agree with that in the future, since they have divorced themselves from that way of thinking already. And speaking of divorce, that is pretty well accepted now, with a sufficient reason such as a marriage breakdown.
The purpose of the Church is
The purpose of the Church is not to "get along" with modern society. The purpose of the Church is to challenge modern society to be what Christ desires it to be, to challenge the modern person, Catholic and non-Catholic, Christian and non-Christian alike, to constant conversion -- constant reform of life and turning away from what I want and turning toward and embracing what Christ wants for me.
Contraception is off the table. The Roman Catholic Church unequivocally forbids the use of any artificial form of contraception. If a married couple do not want children, and do not want to practice Natural Family Planning, then their only other option is abstinence. One of the fruits of the married life is children, and procreation, partaking in the creative act of God the Father, is one of the primary reasons for matrimony in general and the sexual act in particular. Sex is not just another form of recreation, despite what the modern sensibility would have us believe.
No one wishes for the homosexual person to be isolated and denigrated, but neither should we, in our desire to be liked, presume to teach that which is not true. Homosexuality is not intrinsically morally wrong, as the Church teaches, but the homosexual act is indeed morally disordered. The Church loves the sinner, but detests the sin, and as long as one does not identify oneself with sin, then one should understand that concept.
Divorce may be widely accepted by society, but that does not mean that the Church should accept it. Rather, given the large numbers of divorce and the clear and proven harm divorce inflicts upon all parties, but especially the children of the divorced couple, all the more reason for the Church to defend loudly and publicly the sacrament of matrimony and all the more reason for the Church to provide opportunities for the couples to be "mentored" both before marriage, and also afterwards.
Our Lord did not promise that we would be popular in the secular world. He promised us, rather, that "no servant is greater than his Master. If they have persecuted Me, they shall persecute you also". But, He also assured us that, "blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and utter every kind of slander against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great".
"If a married couple do not
"If a married couple do not want children, and do not want to practice Natural Family Planning, then their only other option is abstinence. One of the fruits of the married life is children, and procreation, partaking in the creative act of God the Father, is one of the primary reasons for matrimony in general and the sexual act in particular. Sex is not just another form of recreation, despite what the modern sensibility would have us believe."
CWG, may I ask, are you a married adult?
From Mark P in San Jose
From Mark P in San Jose California:
It would be useful if there were actual survey data to back up these "impressions" of the WYD attendees. For example, on the identifying marker of "doctrinal orthodoxy", how different would be the results of a survey of these youth differ from a corresponding demographic not attending the youth day? Would they really do better on basic questions on the faith and moral positions of Catholicism, and if so, are such differences statistically significant? Likewise, a good longitudinal study of the outcomes of these WYD events would answer whether attending youth are less likely to fall away from the church in later life, or more likely to continue attending mass regularly, than any other Catholic youth. At the moment, it seems that all we have are "impressions" that the answer to those questions and similar questions would be "probably", but that may or may not reflect reality.
"In the real world, the
"In the real world, the contest for the Catholic future is therefore not between the Evangelicals and some other group -- say, liberal reformers. It’s inside the Evangelical movement, between an open and optimistic wing committed to “Affirmative Orthodoxy,” i.e., emphasizing what the church affirms rather than what it condemns, and a more defensive cohort committed to waging cultural war."
John, this sweeping statement is only true as it applies to the clergy. Of course, after thirty years of reaction, of course the men joining the priesthood today tend to be reactionary. The overwhelming majority of Catholic young people have little to no interest in the agendas of John Paul II and Benedict XVI even though they may show up for these events.
As for the battle between affirmative orthodoxy and the defensive cultural warriors, the later group completely controls the Catholic clergy in this country.
Thanks, this is a great
Thanks, this is a great article and analyis, I had heard this a few years back, but you have explained it and made it "current". Thank you
John... Brilliant and
John...
Brilliant and encouraging analysis!! What I can tell you from 55+ is that these young brothers and sisters energy and enthusiasm is a welcome relief. Such a contracst to long in the tooth crabiness. THAT attracts NO ONE!!!
It's heartwarming to see the
It's heartwarming to see the crowd of young people in Madrid, especially
in view of the protesters. Bravo..
John, As a seminarian in a
John,
As a seminarian in a seminary with 100 twenty ane thirty something men (who have worked with thousands of Catholic youth), I can tell you that the new generation of Catholics have no interest in the 60's style, failed experiment within the Church. They simply do not relate. You can call it what you want but these future priests are more interested in the Church Fathers, adherence and fidelity to the pope, traditional practices like Eucharistic Adoration, Marian devotions and the cult of the saints. Social concerns focus more on pro-life and fidelity to traditional marriage. There is also a strong concern for immigrants. Radical ideologies like Liberation Theology with marxist tendencies are not embraced. Young, serious Catholics today do not relate so much with an "immanent" view of ecclesiology (as in decades past), but a more "transcendent" approach. There is a desire to move beyond this world and focus on the next.
As for the female contemporaries, they simply do not relate with the mainstream women's religious orders. I personally know of no young Catholic woman (in their 20's or 30's) discerning a vocation attracted to an order without a strong and clear fidelity to the Church of Rome. All the future women religious are returning to orders that have a strong sense of community, a focus on the love of Jesus through the mass and Eucharist, an obedience to the Holy Father (women who love men/their fathers), and a strong identity through the habit.
As someone who has worked
As someone who has worked with youth on a daily basis for over 35 years, I am compelled to say that this analysis just doesn't ring true! I like to think of myself as being open-minded, so I immediately attempted to discern how this observation of mine could be true. The first possible explanation concerns who wrote the article: John Allen, Jr. I am afraid that he has been assimilated thoroughly into the Vatican way of processing reality; not a good trait for an objective journalist but an understandable one for someone who is old-time Catholic.
Another explanatory thought is that the students I work with are generally able to think for themselves as a part of the public school system. They have not been indoctrinated by their teachers and the system, thus are able to analyze and interpret facts for themselves without being given a spin by their teachers. They are very open-minded and would deplore a 'set' and 'rigid' way of thinking that would deprive them of their unique and creative approach. Particularly offensive to them would be the offer of a plenary indulgence [cf. Eugene Kennedy's column in this issue] for their attendance at this event.
No, I'm afraid that this analysis of today's youth just doesn't jive with the reality that I have experienced here in the United States for the past 35 years. Knowledge is power. I believe it was Aristotle who taught, "Believe what is true, not what is established'.
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