English

Top Catholic cleric notes crisis of faith

 

The top priority of the Roman Catholic Church should be to revive faith, which is in deep crisis at present because a growing number of people live as if God does not exist, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, archbishop of the Minsk-Mahilyow Archdiocese, said in Minsk on Friday, speaking during the Second All-Belarusian Meeting of Roman Catholic Priests.

Apart from secularism and moral relativism, the Catholic Church currently faces challenges such as the need to revive faith, establish new communities, build churches, equip young priests, provide counseling, and work with the public, the world of science and culture and the Catholic media, Msgr. Kondrusiewicz said.

In this situation, the Catholic Church should prioritize unity between clergymen and also between the clergy and lay believers, he said, warning that many forces were working to “divide” the Church.

Claudio Gugerotti, the Minsk-based apostolic nuncio, said that he felt very privileged to attend the Second All-Belarusian Meeting of Roman Catholic Priests but had expected to see more delegates.

“Perhaps somebody is thinking that these meetings are useless,” he said. “Someone may believe that there is not enough interaction here, that you can only listen but cannot be heard. Group work may help break the ice of distrust and identify our problems and out hopes. This would help the bishops and me, the nuncio, to perform better.”

The meeting at the St. Simon and St. Helena Church (Red Church) brought together about 150 people representing Belarus’ four Roman Catholic eparchies. The event marked the closing stage of the Year of Faith announced by former pontiff Benedict XVI to be observed between October 11, 2012 and November 24, 2013.

The first such meeting was held on August 4, 2009 on the occasion of the Year for Priests observed by the Roman Catholic Church between June 19, 2009 and June 11, 2010. // BelaPAN