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rated from us: 'See, brothers, this is
the Church of Christ.'"
The dream of Pope John
XXlii
to
open windows to the world and send
a wave of fresh air into a troubled
church was looked on by many even
then as a great gamble. John had
one concern. The Catholic Church
was in a state of deterioration and
was not considered relevant to the
20th century. An "event" was
needed.
Pope John expected Vatican
JI
to
update the Church and fill the 2,500
bishops at Rome with a new zeal.
Instead , the free exchange of
views and ideas of bishops from all
over the world proved disastrous. At
the end of Vatican
U,
the bishops
returned home, continuing to ques–
tion and to launch further inquiries.
Instead of providing a religious ex–
perience and bond of unüy, the
council opened a Pandora's box of
controversy. Infallibility, celibacy,
and birth control were all opened to
renewed question.
The hope that God would show
his face and renew the Catholic
Church never materialized. John
waited in vain. The divine event did
not occur. He had gambled and lost.
John had tried to "force the hand
of the spirit" and had failed. Instead
of a wave of fresh air, a gale of
dissent swept in and exposed prob–
lems that had been lying dormant.
It
soon became evident that the out–
pouring of the spirit Pope John was
counting on for the success of Vati–
can II was a miscalculation.
Worldwide Turmoil
Even former Catholic strongholds
have been severely affected. Al–
though the major issues vary from
country to country. general unrest
and malaise are common to all.
In the United States, the Catholic
Church has undergone great up–
heavals, and to one writer in the
Vatican weekly,
L 'Osservatore Delia
Domenica.
it seemed on the verge of
collapse. In a recent article, Italian
4
theologian Ballista Mondin said
that a number of people have told
him the Catholic Church in Amer–
ica would be "totally wiped out"
within the next twenty years.
Catholic publications in the
United States were denounced for
their complicity in the matter. As
theologian Mondin stated, " Instead
of tending to the bleeding wounds
of their church, they willingly lend
themselves to those journalistic fab–
rications which are typical of our
time." The publication went on to
say that Catholic authors have em–
barked on a wave of criticism "often
graver and more offensive than even
Protestant authors would dare to
make."
In France, the number of adults
converting
to
the Catholic faith has
fallen by 50 percent in two years. In
this nation where 84 percent of the
population is officially considered to
be Catholic, the conclusion among
sorne Catholic officials is that
France is experiencing "a tidal wave
of unbelief." In the past ten years,
enrollment in French seminaries has
dropped dramatically, signaling no
let up in the dwindling number of
priests.
A constant source of tension is the
expanding rift between the Dutch
Church and Rome. The virgin birth,
the authority of the Pope. and the
right to marry are questions which
have drawn the Church in Holland
into the most potentially dramatic
conft ict with the Vatican since Mar–
tín Luther. In Rome, it has become
commonplace to use the words
"heresy" and "schism" in referring
to Dutch Catholicism.
The struggle for "social j ustice"
has Latin America in a bitter con–
troversy. In the forefront of this
movement are many priests who are
calling for "power to the people." It
is widely reported that at least one
third of the churchmen in Latín
America are in one way or another
involved in protest movements. The
"guerrilla priest," one who leads the
fight for social reform, is not un-
heard of in many areas of South
America. In Argentina, more than
500 priests reportedly belong to a
"Third World Movement."
Although the Catholic Church
has publicly favored many of the
changes demanded by the reformist
priests, it has done little to imple–
ment them.
I n Brazi l, the world's largest
Catholic country, the problems con–
fronting the Church range from a
limited clergy to a rise of spiritism,
voodoo and Pentecostalism. Brazil's
mi litary junta has jailed priests,
nuns, and lay members for in–
volvement in what they term sub–
versive groups.
Even in Spain the demand is
growing for an immediate end to
the ties between church and state.
The Spanish hierarchy has spoken
out against political and social in–
justice in this most Catholic country.
Enter Pope Paul
The present Pope inherited a
fragmenting Church when he was
elected in June 1963. The trend in
the Catholic Church at the death of
John was clearly a move away from
conservatism. Paul VI indicated at
the time his intention of reigning in
Pope John's spirit, and for a while.
his policies did have a liberal ftavor.
He praised John for putting more
power into the hands of the bishops
of the world and less into the Ro–
roan Curia. But in 1967, after a few
years as Pope, he unaccountably
shifted direction and moved back
into the conservative camp.
lt
was
then that many of the present inter–
na! troubles carne fully into the
open.
The decision on birth control
brought home to Paul that bis brand
of conservatism would invite rebel–
lion. But the alternatives seemed
unacceptable. A hard line approach
would bring the loss of major por–
tions of the Catholic population and
destroy progress made toward non–
Catholics. Conversely, a liberal ap-
PLAIN TRUTH November 1973