Evangelism and bringing in the unchurched is messy. I would suggest though that if the Church is not doing this it becomes in danger of being a social club.
The Church can’t expect people to spread the Faith if the Church doesn’t maintain it is the one true faith. If they teach everyone else goes to heaven anyway, there is little for prospective evangelists to be excited about.
What is it that Obama’s Marxist Van Jones is always quoted on? “Top down” “Bottom up” “Inside out?”
Pope Francis seems to be using that effectively with the ‘bottom up’ World Youth Day. I hope he “makes a mess” of the US Catholic Bishops and politicians, many of whom have made a career of promoting intrinsic evil.
Excerpts from the DW article:
"Many laypersons have already come up with their own solution: they simply hold church services without the support of the clerics. They pray together, break the bread, administer wine, and care little about Catholic regulations, which specify that only priests are allowed to administer the sacrament of the Holy Communion."
"Lays take over responsibility, and the church moves forward. And even without pastors and priests, it works well," Sister Lucilene Antonio, who supports small religious communities within the Amazon region, said. "I have seen women who have done Services of the Word and broke the bread afterwards."
"Rebellion and revolution - that's nothing new for Latin America: In the 1960s and 70s, Latin American liberation theologians such as Gustavo Gutierrez and Oscar Romero inspired clergymen and believers all over the world. One of them was Ludwig Gerhard Müller, who now heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."
"Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff firmly believes Latin America will trigger future reforms that are going to change the Catholic Church. "Our church doesn't reflect the European mother church anymore; it has its own origins, its own traditions, heroes, martyrs, prophets and personas such as the famous former bishop of Recife, Dom Helder Camara, or our very own saint, Oscar Romero," Boff said. "These churches will breathe new life into Christianity.""
End of excerpts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3047023/posts
Gerhard Ludwig Müller - Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
"On 2 July 2012 Bishop Müller was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope Benedict XVI. At the same time he was appointed Archbishop ad personam. As a result of his new role his is also ex officio president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the International Theological Commission, and the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei."
"As a personal friend of Pope Benedict XVI, he has been charged with preparing the publication of the “Opera Omnia”: a series of books that will collect, in a single edition, all Benedict's writings.[5] Müller himself has was written more than 400 works on dogmatic theology, ecumenism, revelation, hermeneutics, the priesthood and the diaconate."
"Müller was also a pupil of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the “father” of Latin-American liberation theology, with whom he has a long and close friendship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Ludwig_M%C3%BCller
"Fresh air" blowing through the RCC.
http://vimeo.com/5851208
Brazil Charismatic priests try to stem Catholic flight
AFP - 05 June 2013
http://www.france24.com/en/20130605-brazil-charismatic-priests-try-stem-catholic-flight
I wonder what he would say about our Diocese, which seems to have all it’s efforts at present focused on a $125 million fundraising campaign to do things like build a new high school out in the New Money far suburbs?
(or is it just a slush fund to cover some pedophile Priest case we’ve not yet been told about?)