Sunday, September 14, 2014
The Number of Catholics in Northern Europe is Climbing Rapidly
It also includes significantly, the number of conversions. "The former Lutheran state churches are in crisis. The influence of elected governments on matters of faith irritates many evangelical Christians."
Hamburg (kath.net/KNA) The number of Catholics in Scandinavia is rising rapidly for years, according to the Nordic Bishops' Conference. In Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland there are around 330,000 community members registered, said the Secretary General of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, Sister Anna Mirijam Kaschner, on Wednesday evening in Hamburg. "In some of our diocese the numbers of Catholics have tripled or even quadrupled." Really should even be assumed that there are 600,000 Catholics, because many migrants are not covered by the municipalities, Kaschner said at the media reception of the Archdiocese of Hamburg.
The largest proportion of Catholics living in Northern Europe are migrant workers from Poland, Croatia, Lithuania, the Philippines and Vietnam. The number of conversions accordingly have increased significantly. "The former Lutheran state churches are in crisis. The influence of elected governments on matters of faith irritates many evangelical Christians, "says Sister Mirijam. "They are looking for a deeper spirituality, liturgy and a clearer orientation in statements of faith and thus find their way into the Catholic Church."
Despite the increases, Catholics in the region are a minority, said the nun. "Those who have experienced the Catholic Church in the Nordic countries, experienced the world church with its Babylonian linguistic diversity of people from more than 70 nations. Every Sunday here is Pentecost."
For Church life, modern means of comssmunication such as smartphones and tablets are a great help to be able to pray with the Mass texts in the mother tongue. Those who can not attend Mass weekly because of the great distances, could follow the service via live streaming. Also, First Communion and Confirmation classes often take place over the Internet. Only pastoral care does not work like this. Kaschner said: "The priest often travel in 150,000 km, to administer the sacraments. The great distance makes the care of the parishioners extremely difficult." However, the biggest challenge is funding. "We are a poor church in rich countries," according to the General Secretary. Many immigrants could not pay the voluntary church tax. Support from Germany for the Catholics in Northern Europe, therefore, has a decisive role in the practical Church life.
(C) 2014 CBA Catholic News Agency. All rights reserved. Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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15 comments:
Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité quoted Sister Lucia saying that "Germany would be converted and that the conversion process has already begun."
Perhaps the migrant workers will assist in this process.
If only the Catholic Church had a liturgical language. One that unifies the people rather than divides them. It's really a shame, because it would really help.
Brilliant idea. I've often thought that we should invent our own sacred language as well, so that the words we worship with are not corrupted by everyday vernacular use, abuse and political correctness. Can't think why nobody in the Church ever thought of it before.
Thanks be to God, that the Lutheran heresy in Scandinavia is all but dead, and in Germany as well. And declining in the USA. But it is flourishing in parts of Africa.
Within a generation, it will probably be for all intents and purposes extinct in Europe, but then again, if the Catholic Church continues along the path of Vatican II error, and with priests,bishops, cardinals and Popes like Pope Francis and his cohorts in the Vatican etc., so will our Church.
I second this great solution!
We already have one - Latin!
La... tin? What is this La-tin that thou speakest of?
Maychance thou referest to a forgotten tongue of the priests, who are no dwindling in numbers!
The problem with the Church in Scandinavia is that it never really took hold the first time it was introduced there. People were still clinging to Odin and Thor, while they go to communion. No wonder why Lutheranism became so popular there for a while, and now... back to paganism. They claim to be godless, but they have a god, but they cannot bear to acknowledge its falseness, and so they instead deny any god existing, and that we are all material, with no point in existing.
Meanwhile, Muslims reproduce like rabbits and own cities like Malmo in Sweden.
Lord, who are in Heaven, send us help to save the Scandinavians, and to soften their sinful hearts so that they may accept the grace you freely give us.
Finally, some good news.
"Meanwhile, Muslims reproduce like rabbits and own cities like Malmo in Sweden."
This situation is unbelievable considering this is the land of the Vikings. Er, Thor needs to swing his Hammer...
Deo Gratias
Oh! That is so judgmental and obsessive a remark. Luther was a righteous man (JPII).
In fact, I agree with you .....what a heretic he was; a destroyer; drunkard and carouser as well as a scatterer and thoroughly deserving of his station in Hell.
The problem for such conversions is what sort of "catholics" are they? If they are Novus Ordoised and as semi-literate in faith as so many the church's own surveys talk of then you can keep them. I would rather have a small faithful church full of good, solid Roman Catholics who love the true faith since The Psalmist reminds us that God's strength does not lie in numbers. To go from Lutheranism to ecumenical pantheistic revolutionary post-conciliar liberal modernism is frankly speaking, a worse condition to be in. It makes Luther sound like a rebellious choir boy.
Sometimes Grace goes to the workers in the final hour at low cost.
"Sometimes Grace goes to the workers in the final hour at low cost."
wow. well said.
You're correct about them having a "God," a dark "God" that stands for death and terror. Belief in this "God" in the last century sparked a certain 'movement' with a bizarre fixation on a certain hair color and eye color. The "God" of the left is the same thing, but identified differently. Uh, 'the Earth' or some other "green" term. We are coming upon the 500th year of deformation. A reflection upon the last five centuries of history show it to be the greatest error in history.
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