The Pope in Germany. In the Desert of Faith

Chiesa Online ^ | 9/21/11 | Sandro Magister

[marshmallow]

In Berlin and Erfurt, Benedict XVI enters into the area of Europe farthest from God. He wants to make it a new mission territory. A report from Chemnitz, where atheists are in the majority and almost no one is baptized anymore

ROME, September 21, 2011 – "Where God is, there is the future": this is the title that Benedict XVI wanted to give to his third visit to Germany, which begins tomorrow.

Pope Benedict has stated repeatedly that the "priority" of this pontificate is to bring men closer to God. But the case of Germany makes this urgency of his all the more compelling.

The former East Germany, together with Estonia and the Czech Republic, is the area of Europe where atheists are most numerous, and the non-baptized are in the majority.

In Berlin and in Erfurt, the city of Luther, pope Joseph Ratzinger will enter into precisely this perimeter of maximum estrangement from the faith, in Europe.

But also in Freiburg im Breisgau, the third stage of his voyage, the weakening of the Christian faith is a widespread phenomenon.

A book was recently released in Germany, published by GerthMedien, that analyzes the decline of Christianity in this country in very straightforward terms.

The title itself is eloquent: "Gesellschaft ohne Gott. Risiken und Nebenwirkungen der Entchristlichung Deutschlands [Society without God. Risks and side effects of the dechristianization of Germany]."

The author is Andreas Püttman, 47, a researcher at the Konrad Adenauer foundation as a sociologist of cultural processes, a former recipient of the Katholischen Journalistenpreis, the prize for journalism awarded by the German Catholic media.

Not only in the east, but in all of Germany less than half of the population, 47 percent, claims to believe in God.

From 1950 until today, the number of Protestants has collapsed from 43 to........

[Sudetenland]

Europe is in crisis. They reported a couple of weeks ago that something like 40% of Europeans suffer from depression. One is forced to wonder if that fact isn't directly related to the fact that Europeans have virtually turned their backs on God.

They have placed reliance on and faith in mankind and the state at the pinnacle of their belief system, how can they not suffer from depression?

[Cronos]

ahem...WESTERN Europeans. My observation of Poles over the past year tell me that they are pretty religious.....

[Sudetenland]

Sorry, very true. Eastern Europeans tend to be pretty religious and understand the dangers of socialism as well. They tend to be able to see the dangers of what Obama and the Dems are doing better than most Americans.

Experience tends to be a very good teacher.